Where OC Magazine Feature

Woman on Wheels

Genevieve Chappell has reported on a wide range of sports as a television host and correspondent, interviewing star athletes from the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB and hosting the Vans Triple Crown of Motocross and X-Games. As host of ESPN2’s most popular automotive lifestyle shows, Bidding Wars and Mother’s Polish, she explores the world of hot rods and muscle and classic cars. Her own athletic pursuits include ice hockey, roller hockey, mountain biking, ocean sports, snowboarding, golf and bowling. She lives in Huntington Beach with her husband, a former pro hockey player, and 9-year-old daughter.

Question. Which sports do you indulge in most?
Answer. Roller-blading, especially in the nice weather, along the boardwalk. We start at the Huntington Beach Pier and go down to where the boardwalk ends [on the Balboa Peninsula]—that’s such a great skate. And roller hockey. And any time I can be in the water…. I love swimming in the ocean, boogie boarding, longboarding…. When it comes to just being on the beach, I love Little Corona—it reminds me of being in Greece. It’s small, it’s pretty, it’s somewhat protected. You see a lot of creatures—we’ve seen whales come up pretty close, lots of dolphins.

Q. You know a little about cars—where do you go for a drive?
A. I don’t have any fancy classic cars myself, but I did just have out-of-town visitors. Pacific Coast Highway is great, of course, the beautiful beaches…. You can see Catalina Island and it’s fun to people watch. I don’t know a guy who’s not into cars—exotic cars, hot rods, classics—and you go down PCH, it’s like a car show itself. You head up Main Street in Huntington Beach, by Newport Pier, into downtown Laguna, they get whiplash looking at the cars, looking at the ocean, looking at the girls—these are male out-of-town guests.

Q. Where might you stop for dinner?
A. One of my favorite places is Tabu Grill in Laguna. I love that place, not a lot of people know about it. The ambience is hip but relaxing, you could go in in sandals and a sundress or you could dress up—it’s not “see and be seen.” It’s a 10 across the board. I order whatever seafood’s on special, a glass of Pinot Grigio, we split a soup, split an appetizer…and you don’t skip dessert.

Q. How else might you spend a free summer day?
A. I get on my skates or beach cruiser, cruise to Newport Beach, stop for shrimp tacos at Chronic Tacos. If I feel like shopping, I’ll head to Huntington Surf and Sport Girls and Model Citizen on Main Street [in Huntington Beach] or Soul to Sole in Laguna. I love the free Wednesday night concerts at Fashion Island—you can take your kids if you want to. If there are any new art galleries or exhibitions in Laguna, or the summer festivals (Special Events) are going, then definitely, definitely. I get a lot of inspiration from that. I always have a new project—right now, I’m working on a line of vintage T-shirts. I’ll go down to Laguna, look at the art galleries, then go to Tabu Grill. That’s the perfect day for me.

Details
Chronic Tacos 4533 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, 949.642.2458 • Fashion Island 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, 949.721.2000 • Huntington Surf and Sport Girls 126 Main St., Huntington Beach, 714.374.6266 • Huntington State Beach Pier Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, Huntington Beach, 714.536.1454 • Little Corona del Mar Beach Ocean Boulevard and Poppy Avenue, Corona del Mar, 949.644.3151 • Model Citizen 324 Main St., Huntington Beach, 714.960.6870 • Newport Beach Municipal Beach Pier West Oceanfront and McFadden Place, Newport Beach, 949.673.3371 • Soul to Sole 424 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, 949.497.8881 • Tabu Grill 2892 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, 949.494.7743