Pacific Beach, San Diego, California

Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north, Mission Beach to the south, Interstate 5 and Clairemont to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. While largely populated by surfers and college students, the population is becoming more professional and affluent, due to rising property and rental costs.

"PB", as it is known by local residents, is also one of San Diego's more popular nightlife areas, with dozens of bars, cafes, and eateries lining both the main east-west street Garnet Avenue, and Mission Boulevard, which runs north-south.

Beaches

Pacific Beach has miles of shoreline and beaches along the Pacific Ocean to the west and Mission Bay to the South. The boardwalk overlooking the Pacific Ocean runs from Palisades Park South at Beryl Street in Northern Pacific Beach, to Mission Beach, the neighborhood and beach directly to the south.

There is also a sidewalk along Mission Bay which runs around Crown Point through Sail Bay and Mission Beach. The boardwalk is typically crowded with pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, and shoppers. The beach scene revolves around Crystal Pier, a large pier and hotel at the west end of Garnet Avenue.

Alcohol

As of 2008, alcohol is illegal on the sand beach in Pacific Beach. A referendum will appear on the November 2008 ballot to decide whether the ban will continue.

moking

Effective August 17, 2006, after months of legal debating and thoughts of exceptions, the City of San Diego banned smoking at all city beaches and parks. As of the summer of 2007, smoking on the boardwalk is prohibited as well.

treets

The primary north-south street running along near the beach is Mission Boulevard. The other parallel streets are all named after late 19th century federal officials, in alphabetical order as they move further from the coast: Bayard, Cass, Dawes, Everts, Fanuel, Gresham, Haines, Ingraham, Jewell, Kendall, Lamont, Morrell, Noyes, Olney, Pendelton. Mission Boulevard was formerly Allison Street, being the "A" street of the series.

The east-west streets are named after precious stones, and are roughly in alphabetical order from north to south (two of which are officially misspelled -- Felspar (should be Feldspar) and Hornblend (should be Hornblende):
* Agate
* Beryl
* Chalcedony
* Diamond
* Emerald
* Felspar
* Garnet¹
* Hornblend

Other east-west streets also named after stones are not in alphabetical order including: Sapphire, Tourmaline, Opal and Turquoise.

¹Despite the fact that Garnet Avenue is surrounded by streets named after other stones, many San Diego residents pronounce it like the surname "Garnette" IPA|/gɑrˈnɛt/, instead of the stone "garnet" IPA|/ˈgɑr.nɪt/.

History

Pacific Beach was developed during the boom years of 1886-1888 by D. C. Reed, A. G. Gassen, Charles W. Pauley, R. A. Thomas, and O. S. Hubbell. It was Hubbell who "leared away the grainfields, pitched a tent, mapped out the lots, hired an auctioneer and started to work." To attract people, they built the Race Track and San Diego College of Letters, neither of which survive today. A railway also connected Pacific Beach with downtown San Diego, and was later extended to La Jolla.

Bars and nightlife

Pacific Beach is one of the main centers of nightlife in San Diego. Garnet Avenue between Ingraham Street and Mission Blvd. is the main area where bars and restaurants are located. Pacific Beach tends to cater to a younger college- and post-college-oriented crowd, compared to downtown San Diego's Gaslamp District. Dress codes are generally less strict if they are enforced at all.

The bars in Pacific Beach can be busy on any given night of the week. Some of the popular bars of Pacific Beach:

Moondoggies: Large and very popular bar a block from the Ocean on Garnet, was once the Thursday night spot with it's "$2 You-Call-It's" until a slight decline over the last couple years. Was recently remodled and is now as busy as ever.

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill: Large popular bar with many different areas including Tremors dance club in the back. Can be busy any night of the week, especially Taco Tuesday. Also known for their Sunday Brunch. A favorite spot for the military.

Typhoon Saloon: Large bar that was formerly a bowling alley. Great atmosphere with live bands performing frequently in the back area. Can be busy any night of the week including Wednesday when Steel Panther (formerly known as Metal Skool) performs. Has been popular on Thursdays with $2 well drinks.

Johnny V: Newer large bar, downtown style. Slightly stricter on dress code and pricier than other bars in the area. Has large dance floor. Located just a couple blocks from the sand.

The Tavern: Medium sized bar, 5 blocks from the beach. Popular any day of the week including Monday's with "Shot and a Beer" drink specials.

Bar West: Built on the former site of Margarita Rocks, the only bar on Hornblend. Has downtown style with stricter dress code. Slightly pricier on the drinks, can be busy almost any night of the week.

Plum Crazy: Known locally as "Plum," this popular dive bar is a few blocks from the sand on Garnet. Home of the Philadelphia Eagles. Usually seems to start slow here, but by midnight is usually packed and often has a small line. A great "after-party" spot, has foosball and pool tables.

Bub's Dive: Next to Plum, another popular dive bar. Known for their tater tots. Biker's seems to especially like this place.

Cabo Cantina: Very popular day spot. Has lots of outdoor seating. Beer specials on Mexican beers, bathroom situation is not the greatest. Opens early closes early.

Longboards: Medium to large bar more inland from the rest. Usually more mellow than the other bars but very popular. Live bands often perform.

Silver Fox: More inland on Garnet, near the Vons shopping center. Underground dive bar. Usually has a funky smell and a little older crowd. Known for opening early for those who drink all night. Very crowded on Thursday nights for "$2 You-Call-It's".

Other PB bars include:

The Dog: Dive Bar on Everts

PB Shoreclub: On the boardwalk

Lahaina's: On the boardwalk

Open Bar: On Mission Blvd

Firehouse: On Mission Blvd

PB Alehouse: On Mission Blvd

Miller's Field: On Mission Blvd

Gringo's: Mexican Cantina on Mission and Garnet

Thrusters: Known for great drink specials. Friendly staff and fun atmosphere. Surf/Sports theme on Mission Blvd

Society: Pool hall on garnet

PB Pub: Dive bar

Tropicoso: on Garnet, no hard alcohol

Rocky's: On Ingraham

710 Beach Club: On the west end of Garnet, features live music

Cass Street Bar & Grill: On Cass Street, no hard alcohol but pool tables and good food

External links

* [http://pacificbeach.org/ Discover Pacific Beach website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scGjlQMvJN0 Video of Sunset at Pacific Beach, San Diego, California]
* [http://www.sandiego.org/article_set/Visitors/8/118 Pacific Beach Neighborhood Guide]
* [http://www.PacificBeachonline.com Pacific Beach resources]
* [http://mysandiegolife.com/pacificbeach Pacific Beach Web Portal]

References