Newport Harbor, The Canal

If you're cruising Coast Highway in search of the Fun Zone Ferris wheel, remember to turn seaward at the bridge. Otherwise, you'll end up at Fashion Island in a universe where "Newport Coast" means mustard-and-terra-cotta-tinted mega-mansions and "Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County" is a show on MTV.

Turn toward the ocean to the real Newport Harbor, and the focus softens. Sure, the harbor has plenty of billionaires, and old-timers complain that their porch-front views are increasingly blocked by fiberglass mega-hulls. But kayaks and skiffs also glide through the channels, and fish markets serve up fresh-caught prawns.

Despite millions of summer visitors, fewer than 23,000 people live here year-round. On weekday evenings, children race dented beach cruisers along the near-empty, 8-mph boardwalk. Balboa Boulevard's gray-shingled cottages and climbing roses have a Cape Cod patina in the fading light.

At the Fun Zone, the Ferris wheel and carousel still circle despite decades of news articles proclaiming the demise of the tiny 1930s-era amusement park. Ride owners recently posted a prominent sign: "We plan to stay!"

--Deborah Schoch