When you think of Oceanside, you probably think of a military town, young men walking around town with buzz cuts, tattoo parlors, and gangs. Unfortunately the seedier side of Oceanside is what makes the headlines, and there is still some violence in parts of Oceanside. But do you know about their fabulous museum, civic center, Thursday afternoon and evening Farmer's Market (with food trucks), beautiful beaches, pier, harbor and restaurants? Yes, Oceanside has all this and much more.
Fran and I recently took our wanderers group on our final outing of the year, a walking tour of Oceanside. Yes, our tenure as leaders of this group is coming to an end, and as much as we've enjoyed planning and leading the group from Encinitas to Chula Vista and many neighborhoods in between, it's time to move on to something else. We began our Oceanside tour in front of the Wyndham Hotel, on Pacific Avenue, right in front of the pier. We walked south for a block to view the historical house that was used in the film Top Gun. It is fenced off now, in complete disrepair, but with an historical site designation it cannot be destroyed. I have heard that the city is trying to get the money together to restore the home and make it into a visitor attraction. Anyway, back to our walk. We next walked north, down Mission, past the Surf Museum (small and seems to be closed most of the time), to Coast Highway 101. We took a quick peek at a delicious French bakery, Petite Madeleine (great for morning coffee or lunch), then walked north on Coast Highway, past the Civic Center (beautiful white buildings) and Oceanside Museum. This museum is a little gem. They have interesting exhibits, changing about every 2-3 months, throughout the year. Docent guides are available, and they have other art related activities throughout the year. Their website is definitely worth a look, and the museum is worth visiting.
Most of the old buildings in Oceanside have been destroyed rather than rebuilt, but the movie theatre still has it's old facade. My friend Regina told me about her visit to an adobe house (I had not heard of it before), and it sounded like another interesting historical site in Oceanside. The city, since the 1800's, has had six piers, and the one remaining is the longest pier on the west coast. The others were all washed away and destroyed by storms. We did not walk out to the end of the pier, but there is a Ruby's Diner there, which would offer wonderful ocean views. We continued our walk, heading back toward Pacific Avenue, then north through the residential section, to the harbor. The area, mostly townhomes and condos, is beautiful, clean and well maintained. Many in our group who had a different perception of Oceanside were surprised.
We arrived at the Oceanside Harbor just in time for lunch. Some of us ate at the Beach Break Cafe and others ate at the Harbor Fish and Chips. Both were delicious, with gorgeous views. We watched stand up paddle boarders, pelicans, boat owners, and squirrels (running around in the rocky area near the water) while we sat under an umbrella and enjoyed fish tacos on a beautiful Wednesday. Who would want to live anywhere else?
One of the special things about the wanderers group that I have always loved so much, is the chance to get to know new people, and get to know better, old friends, as we walk and talk. People seem to break off into groups of twos and threes as they walk along. I had a great time talking to Sue, Mary, Trish and Fran during our walk. We took the beach route back which of course was lovely at low tide. Part of the walk was on the wet sand, the rest of the walk was on concrete on the Strand. Little condos dot the strand area, most are vacation rentals, and we all thought about what a wonderful getaway, right on the sand, those little houses would be. The pier has a few concession stands underneath, and a new Tin Fish (another location downtown) for a great lunch.
If you haven't been to Oceanside lately, revisit it. I haven't even talked about the wonderful bike trails, kayaking areas, and great restaurants that have popped up in the past few years. It's definitely worth your time.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Revisiting Oceanside
When you think of Oceanside, you probably think of a military town, young men walking around town with buzz cuts, tattoo parlors, and gangs. Unfortunately the seedier side of Oceanside is what makes the headlines, and there is still some violence in parts of Oceanside. But do you know about their fabulous museum, civic center, Thursday afternoon and evening Farmer's Market (with food trucks), beautiful beaches, pier, harbor and restaurants? Yes, Oceanside has all this and much more.
Fran and I recently took our wanderers group on our final outing of the year, a walking tour of Oceanside. Yes, our tenure as leaders of this group is coming to an end, and as much as we've enjoyed planning and leading the group from Encinitas to Chula Vista and many neighborhoods in between, it's time to move on to something else. We began our Oceanside tour in front of the Wyndham Hotel, on Pacific Avenue, right in front of the pier. We walked south for a block to view the historical house that was used in the film Top Gun. It is fenced off now, in complete disrepair, but with an historical site designation it cannot be destroyed. I have heard that the city is trying to get the money together to restore the home and make it into a visitor attraction. Anyway, back to our walk. We next walked north, down Mission, past the Surf Museum (small and seems to be closed most of the time), to Coast Highway 101. We took a quick peek at a delicious French bakery, Petite Madeleine (great for morning coffee or lunch), then walked north on Coast Highway, past the Civic Center (beautiful white buildings) and Oceanside Museum. This museum is a little gem. They have interesting exhibits, changing about every 2-3 months, throughout the year. Docent guides are available, and they have other art related activities throughout the year. Their website is definitely worth a look, and the museum is worth visiting.
Most of the old buildings in Oceanside have been destroyed rather than rebuilt, but the movie theatre still has it's old facade. My friend Regina told me about her visit to an adobe house (I had not heard of it before), and it sounded like another interesting historical site in Oceanside. The city, since the 1800's, has had six piers, and the one remaining is the longest pier on the west coast. The others were all washed away and destroyed by storms. We did not walk out to the end of the pier, but there is a Ruby's Diner there, which would offer wonderful ocean views. We continued our walk, heading back toward Pacific Avenue, then north through the residential section, to the harbor. The area, mostly townhomes and condos, is beautiful, clean and well maintained. Many in our group who had a different perception of Oceanside were surprised.
We arrived at the Oceanside Harbor just in time for lunch. Some of us ate at the Beach Break Cafe and others ate at the Harbor Fish and Chips. Both were delicious, with gorgeous views. We watched stand up paddle boarders, pelicans, boat owners, and squirrels (running around in the rocky area near the water) while we sat under an umbrella and enjoyed fish tacos on a beautiful Wednesday. Who would want to live anywhere else?
One of the special things about the wanderers group that I have always loved so much, is the chance to get to know new people, and get to know better, old friends, as we walk and talk. People seem to break off into groups of twos and threes as they walk along. I had a great time talking to Sue, Mary, Trish and Fran during our walk. We took the beach route back which of course was lovely at low tide. Part of the walk was on the wet sand, the rest of the walk was on concrete on the Strand. Little condos dot the strand area, most are vacation rentals, and we all thought about what a wonderful getaway, right on the sand, those little houses would be. The pier has a few concession stands underneath, and a new Tin Fish (another location downtown) for a great lunch.
If you haven't been to Oceanside lately, revisit it. I haven't even talked about the wonderful bike trails, kayaking areas, and great restaurants that have popped up in the past few years. It's definitely worth your time.
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