Open Question: An alternative to flip-flops/sandals during summer in California?

[feedcrawler]

I have a weird thing about flip-flops/sandals. I've never liked them. The whole material between your toe and the exposure of your feet just doesn't gel with me. I'm weird with feet in general and don't really like showing my own off. Not that I'm some kind of overly conservative person, I'm just really weird with feet; my feet and others'. Anyway, I live in Ireland but I'm an American citizen, and I go to California every year to visit family and what not. Every year, when I ask someone in my family wether I looked like a tourist, they always say: "Everything about you is like something someone would wear here- around now; except for your shoes." So I've worn DC's, which I really like, but apparently they look to big and bulky for summer time in Cali, so I'm told that makes me look like a tourist. I've also tried more sporty kinds of shoes, but apparently, "you only wear those if you're exercising or at the gym etc.." And I'm told sandals are the only alternative. But I absolutely can't stand them. What are alternatives to wear in summertime Cali that aren't flip-flops or sandals? Thanks, and sorry for the in-depth story about my fetish. Hahaha.

More...