Seal Beach, California―Named for the seals that once swam the waters of
this quaint seaside community on the northern
most border of Orange County, (see picture above "Slick" the Seal),
seals don't seem to like it there anymore. They rarely come
to visit this seaside city located on the border of Los Angeles County in
the Southern California's playground, Orange County. Seal Beach wasn't always so "quaint"
as it is today and with its penchant for growth and more revenue, who knows
what the future will bring for cute, little Seal Beach.
But for today, Seal Beach residents enjoy the mostly quiet beach
location where TV shows will sometimes come to do location shoots. Locals
who remember or study Seal Beach history, however, say that it once
overshadowed neighbors such as the now booming Huntington Beach with its
tourism reach. During the 1920's, Seal Beach was known as the pleasure
place.
"Seal Beach had the buzz. You went there for fun in the
sun," said the Red Car Museum president Laura Alioto. Seal Beach
featured bath palaces, a huge
roller coaster, gaming rooms, gambling ships, rum runners and wicker boardwalk
carts. Scintillating lights illuminated the water and night bathers from
the second longest pier in the state. Bathing Pavilion with 1000 dressing
rooms renting for 25 cents each, opened directly onto the beach. Their
motto was: A beach without an undertow.
Though Long Beach, California's fifth largest city with
the busiest port in the nation looms next door, Old Town Seal Beach features
shady, tree-lined Main Street, a beautiful beach and pier reminiscent of
small town America during the mid-1900's.
An art faire, Christmas parade,
summer concerts on the green and 4th
of July celebrations are a few annual events of special interest.
Fishing is permitted from the pier and at the end, Ruby's diner offers
sandwiches, salads and forever views.
Visit the Red Car Museum on the old Pacific Electric Right of Way. Car No. 1734 is a rare Pacific Electric tower car built in 1925 which
serves as the museum headquarters. It was once a roving machine shop sent
out to troubleshoot problems along the 40-mile Pacific Electric LA-Newport
Line. A center tower was used for repairs and maintenance on the overhead
lines. It operated for almost 50 years until 1950.
The museum displays photographs of early Seal Beach, sea shells and
Indian artifacts collected locally. It also has reference
library of local history with detailed regional maps. Open the second and
fourth Saturdays from Noon to 3 p.m., the museum provides the most
comprehensive look into the history of Seal Beach. Donations are accepted.
Call: (562) 683-1874.
Location: Electric Avenue near Main St., next to Mary Wilson Library.
Seal Beach offers two strikingly different experiences.
The quaint beach town to the west of Pacific Coast Highway is of greatest
interest to tourists. East of PCH is tract housing, the gated Leisure World retirement
community, shopping, freeways and high-tech space and defense
facilities, such as Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station and Boeing. The space
and defense industries attract many visitors to the region who also
love to play "tourist" when not working on assignment or contract.
Back to the Beach - Gerry Kirk travels the world building sand castles. In fact,
his team is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for a 64-foot (19-meter)
structure built on Fiesta Island in San Diego.
Kirk's pick for best castle-building beach
is Seal Beach. Outside the United States, his pick is Cabo Pulmo, on the tip of
Baja California. Kirk said, "You need something that will take
compaction. You can pack it up and it'll hold its shape. That requires a
good mix of grain size without getting too large a grain. Color also is important for contrast
when you are carving windows in your sand castle. If it's a lighter
colored sand, you get a nice contrast. Seal Beach is dark sand but when
it dries out it's light enough to make really good contrast."
Located at the mouth of Alamitos Bay,
Seal Beach provides access for boats and yachts entering the Pacific Ocean from
Huntington Harbor. It is known as a great location for windsurfing and even
has a kitesurfing launch area near the River's End Cafe.
