The Boardwalk: A place to see and to be seen
The Boardwalk is really a very interesting place. It is
a place where history and culture are mixed together. On an
average summer day you can find people of all walks of live here. Even at
night, there is plenty to do. The designers of the originall Mission Beach
resort tried to make the boardwalk look like a European promenade. Many of
Mission Beach's structures were put along this dividing line of ocean and
street. The picture to the right is what the boardwalk used to look like
around the middle of this century. There wern't as many buildings as there
are today. The picture to the left is what it looks like today. 2301
The Boardwalk is really Ocean Front Walk. The picture above is
one of the actual street signs one can see walking down the
boardwalk. It was at one time built from wooden boards but has been replace
by concrete. The wood prooved not able to withstand the fury of the ocean.
The walk is a few miles long. It streches from South Mission Beach by the
jetty and goes all the way past Pacific Beach to the La Jolla. 2302
While traveling along this walk, one can see numerous houses.
Today they are mostly vacation rentals in the summer and college
appartments in the winter. Because of the harsh weather, many of the
orriginal structures were torn down. However, there are still a few lots
with little shacks left behind from the days of the Tent City. 2303
Farther down in the center of Mission Beach is Belmont Park. Walking by
on the boardwalk, one can the roller coaster. The Plunge also has huge
windows so one can see inside at the bathers and swimmers. It is very
interesting that there was a salt water indoor pool just a few yards from
the real ocean. In San Diego, there is no excuse for not being at Mission
Beach. 2304
The Boardwalk was also the host of many bathing beauty contests,
dance marathons, roller skating competitions and other events. It was
almost as popular as the Dance Hall and Casino for hosing events. Even
today, skateboarders, rollerskaters, and bikes are very popular on the
Boardwalk such as in the picture on the right. 2305
The most important thing to remember about this area in Mission
Beach is that it "is the place to notice others and to be noticed!"
It has always been the place of the newest fashions and fads. Girls would go
down and show off their newly designed bathing suit while the guys would
bring their surfboards and walk down to their favorite spot. 2306
