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Pacific Beach is a
community within the City of San Diego. It has its own
business association, pier, shopping mall, festivals and
character and charm which make it a city unto itself,
though technically it is not. Pacific Beach shops
tend toward new wave with bright colors and great names,
though the brand name stores and shops are visible along
Mission Street, the busy thoroughfare that runs parallel
to the beach. Starbucks, Ralphs, Best Western, Tony
Roma's, Hooters and many more are visible along this
well trafficked route. If you love the beach, PB is a
wonderful beach town to visit. With Mission Bay on
one side of the road and Pacific Beach on the other,
Catamaran
Resort is ideally located with sailboat rentals and
bay frontage that includes free rides on the stearn
wheeler triple deck boat, Bahia Belle at night.
Catamaran Resort is on the border of Pacific and Mission
Beaches so you can walk, roller blade or ride a bicycle
along both for a great exercise regimen.
With lots of sand
to wander along, lie upon, surfers to watch, food to
munch and liquor to consume if you choose, you will find
yourself torn between the beach and San Diego
attractions that tourists can't resist. And if you think
you have only the beach to enjoy, you are wrong. Pacific
Beach melds into Mission Beach, home of the Roller
Coaster, The Plunge, carnival rides and gobs of
fun.
Pacific Beach
is a place that you could pack up and move to, if not
for expensive housing. Old and established, it includes
tall, palm tree-lined streets and multi-million dollar
houses to make you drool. Some of the gorgeous
homes sit along Mission Bay and some are perched on
hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The northern edge
of Pacific Beach shares a border with La Jolla, another
expensive place to live. Who needs to live in such
places, though? We tourists must have special
spots as escapes from our routines so these locations
remain special if we don't take them for granted.
Pacific Beach
Town Council maintains an English Tudor cottage called
Rose Creek Cottage at 2525 Garnet Ave. Rented for
weddings and functions, this quaint and charming
cottage was built over 80 years ago and is beloved by
locals and all who enjoy its unique atmosphere.
Information 858- 490-0468.
With an
abundance of hotels and accommodations, tourists can see
nearby sights such as SeaWorld, just a mile away, San
Diego Zoo, Belmont Park, historic Old Town and Balboa
Park, plus enjoy the beach, all in one trip.
Pacific Beach is but one of several choice beach
locations to park yourself on vacation, or stick around
and live, but it is one you won't likely forget.
Brief History:
Pacific Beach might
have become a separate city as developers began to sell
plots of land through word of mouth and advertisements
which ran in the San Diego Union newspaper in 1887,
proclaiming a new city was being built at False Bay, now
known as Mission Bay.
Pacific Beach
began to take root as a farming community of primarily
lemon groves. The town slowly grew and a
pier was built in 1927, with a developer hoping to turn
it into an amusement attraction such as existed in Los
Angeles. The pier officially opened on the
weekend of July 4th, 1927 with all of San Diego flocking
to see the new Crystal Ballroom located at the end of
the pier. Two years earlier at another July 4th
celebration down the beach a mile or two at Mission
Beach, Belmont Park's Giant Dipper was introduced with
fanfare and a big splash. This was the "feel
good" era of expansion, just before the realities
of a Great Depression rocked the world.
Up and down the
California coast, the amusement parks suffered with
local economies and lack of currency. Many were poor or
broke and had no money to spend on things such as fun
rides. The wars were fought and and when they ended,
people clamored for housing in this desirable location
where it never snowed, the beach was at your door and
life was good. Pacific Beach Town Council was
officially incorporated in 1950 and functions to this
day as a representative for the interests of the
community.
Pacific Beach
Specifications, Rules & Regulations: The beach area
south of Crystal Pier is known as Pacific Beach. This
beach continues south for over two miles,
becoming Mission Beach and then South Mission Beach,
eventually ending at the channel entrance to Mission
Bay. This long beach, known as The Strand, lies directly
adjacent to the residential and commercial areas of the
Pacific Beach and Mission Beach communities. It is the
most popular beach in the City of San Diego and draws
large crowds in summer. North Pacific Beach continues to
the north, but is visually separated by Crystal Pier, a
publicly accessible fishing pier.
A somewhat
narrow cement boardwalk parallels the entire beach.
Walking, biking, bicycling, and related activities are
permitted on the boardwalk, but speed is regulated and
must be kept to eight miles per hour or less. Cycles
with more than two wheels are not permitted except for
use by the disabled. At all times, people must use
caution and courtesy in using the boardwalk.
Various shops,
restaurants, and beach rental outfits can be found
bordering the north end of Pacific Beach, north of
Pacific Beach drive. The southern end is predominately
residential, with commercial areas a block or so from
the beach on Mission Boulevard. Lifeguards are staffed
daily year round at the main lifeguard station at the
foot of Grand Avenue. In summer, additional lifeguards
are staffed along the beach in seasonal lifeguard
towers. Lifeguards are generally on duty from 9:00
a.m. to dusk; but check with lifeguards for specific
staff hours.
This beach has
separate water areas reserved for swimming and surfing.
Check with lifeguards for details. Surfing is permitted
at this beach in designated areas. This beach is not
recommended for scuba diving due to lack of undersea
life, heavy water activity, and surf. Public
restrooms and showers are located at the foot of Grand
Avenue at the lifeguard station and in the median of
Pacific Beach Drive between the boardwalk and
Mission Boulevard. There are no public restrooms between
Pacific Beach Drive and Mission Beach. The
boardwalk is accessible to wheelchairs and provides an
excellent view of the beach.
Containers for
beach fires are generally provided during summer months
and available on a first come, first served basis. The
burning of rubbish is prohibited. Only wood, charcoal,
or paper products may be used as fuel. Fuel for the fire
may not exceed a height of more than twelve inches above
the upper edge of the fire container. The fire must be
extinguished before leaving the beach. Open beach fires
outside containers are prohibited at all San Diego
beaches. Alcohol may not be consumed on the boardwalk,
on or against the seawall, or in any park adjacent to
the beach. Alcohol may be consumed on the beach
from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.
The basic rule
of thumb is that any gathering of over 75 people
requires a permit from the Park and Recreation
Department. A permit is also required for a wedding,
water event, athletic event, voice and/or music
amplification, or use of special setup equipment (such
as an inflatable party jump, dunk tank, canopy, etc.)
For permit information call Coastline Parks at (619)
221-8901.
North Pacific
Beach Specifications, Rules & Regulations:
Lifeguards are staffed at this beach year round,
generally from 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Check with lifeguards
for specific staff hours. The beach area north of
Crystal Pier extends approximately one mile from the
north end of the community of Pacific Beach to the south
end of the community of La Jolla. This beach is bordered
by cliffs up to 75 feet in height. A sidewalk
traverses the cliff-top along much of the south end of
the beach. In this area, parking is very limited. At the
north end of the beach is Tourmaline Surfing Park which
includes a public parking lot and limited facilities.
This area is heavily used by surfers and sailboarders
year round.
This beach has
separate water areas reserved for swimming and surfing.
Surfing is permitted at this beach. This beach is not
recommended for scuba due to lack of undersea life,
heavy water activity, and surf. Public restrooms
and showers are located at the foot of Diamond Street
and Law Street on the south end and at Tourmaline
Surfing Park on the north end. Due to the natural cliffs
bordering this beach, disabled accessibility is limited.
Pacific Beach at the foot of Grand Avenue, just south of
Crystal Pier, would be a better alternative.
Containers for
beach fires are generally provided during summer months
and available on a first come, first served basis.
Alcohol may not be consumed in Pacific Beach Park or on
the walkways above North Pacific Beach.
Consumption of alcohol is permitted on the beach from
12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., but prohibited at all times in
parking lots, adjacent walkways, and grassy parks
adjacent to the beach.
