Quick, name a skateboarder. Chances are you said, “Tony Hawk.” And for good reason: The San Diego native is a pioneer of “vert,” or vertical, skating and is widely regarded as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time. If his legacy wasn’t cemented in the popular consciousness after being the first to land a “900” at the X Games, then it certainly was after the success of his wildly popular video games.
In 2009 Hawk was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame. Since then, he has served as an announcer at the sport’s Olympic debut, had a documentary made about his life, and he even made a guest appearance on a bizarre Saturday Night Live sketch.
During his appearance on the California Now Podcast, Hawk discussed his hometown at length, as well as his new culinary venture, Chick & Hawk. Host Soterios Johnson also asked Hawk to share his favorite places to explore in San Diego and throughout the Golden State. Here’s what he had to say.
Where do you live? I live in Encinitas.
Why there? Because it's still San Diego, but it's near the beach and it's close enough to L.A. that I can get there in a reasonable time.
Who or what is your greatest California love? The weather.
What is the biggest misperception about Californians? That it's Beverly Hills, 90210.
What is the stereotype that most holds true? Yoga everywhere.
What is your favorite Golden State splurge? A stay at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. It's definitely a splurge, but it's very magical. In fact, I think that the last time we were there, my wife and I were in the hot tub outside and a family of deer came up to check us out.
Time for a road trip—where are you going? Probably to Half Moon Bay to visit my brother.
If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be? It would probably be Mexican food. I would say it's a taco stand vibe, like a Roberto's or up here we have Pavlos and Rudy's. Any of those are going to give you that stereotypical Mexican fare. Somewhat street food, but not quite.
Where would you go for the ultimate shopping spree in California? I would say in and around Beverly Center.
Best California song? The Beach Boys’ “California Girls,” of course. Because it's about traveling the world and just wishing that he could bring everyone back to California to show them what it's like here.
How would your California dream day unfold? My dream day would start early in the morning with a sunrise surf session. Water's glassy, waves are good, and then get good breakfast somewhere along the coast. It would be in the wintertime, and then midday drive up to either Mountain High or Big Bear and go snowboarding until it started to sunset. Then, go to a skate park for an evening session. That would be the surf, skate, snow dream realized.