I watched the launch from the Union Sugar roadblock on Ocean Avenue. This is 4.5 miles from the Falcon 9 pad. In the past, I've watched from the South Base Gate which is a bit further down Ocean Avenue, about 3.88 miles from the pad.
I guess they were taking extra precaution due to the booster landing. I hope they don't do that indefinitely for all future launch/RTLS landings.
The crowds were huge, it took about an hour until the line of cars even started moving. And even then it was pretty slow going, as I headed back to Highway 1.
The Ocean Avenue locations are by far the closest locations the public can get to the pads. However, since it is essentially at sea level, low-level fog can completely wipe out your visibility. For this launch, however, the weather cooperated and it was crystal clear. The only thing we couldn't see were the first seconds of launch and last seconds of landing, as the hills do block a direct view of the pads.
From this distance, the sonic boom was surprisingly loud, at least compared to what I remember of the shuttle's sonic booms.
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