Laguna Beach, California, during the months of June, July and August, while beautiful, can be difficult to navigate through the hordes of people. And if you ever want to find parking, forget about it.

After attending a trade show in January, recently, I had the chance to go down to the beach bright and early on a weekday morning, right after a major thunderstorm, at the peak of the recession. The place was all ours. And while we enjoyed a relaxing moment after the crunch of the trade show, we limited our time outside, because while it was California, it still was January, and very cold.