Pacific Beach, the town

July, 2018

There actually is a small town/village called Pacific Beach.  It’s right next to (north of) the campground and has two small grocery stores, a gas station (gas, diesel, and propane), two antique shops, a shuttered restaurant that overlooks the ocean (we should buy it!), another cafe-type restaurant a couple of blocks from the ocean that seems to be doing well, a post office, a fire department, a kite shop (no surprise there what with the ocean winds that are common on the beach), at least one very nice art gallery, some other small businesses, and a surprising number of full-time residences surrounding this village, as well as a good number of part-time residences and rental units.

There is also a rather large military-owned conference center that seemed a bit worn but it is in use, including a small open area that would accomodate several tents or self-contained RVs.  It was perched on top of a large hill/bluff that overlooked the ocean, what a view!  Immediately south of that facility were 12-15 homes (two photos below) that were also military-owned and could be rented by military personnel for vacations.  Those homes also had a front-row seat with a view out over the ocean.

The people in Pacific Beach were exceptionally friendly.  I filled the truck’s gas tank as soon as I arrived in town and then again a few days later just before I left.  I bought groceries in both of the stores during my six days here, as I always do when I go to an area that depends on tourists for income.  I bring most of my food but I always plan to buy locally as well.

And I walked through the residential areas of the village looking at homes and rental cottages.

Here are a few photos from my two-block walk to “town” from the campground.

A large and very nice B&B home with three rooms for rent upstairs.  They had a great view of the ocean!

Just a cute little cottage (above) for rent a couple of blocks from the beach.

The Sand Dollar Inn maybe had seen better days, but still the sign said “no vacancy” when I walked by.  From the number of cars parked outside, and from the screaming kids that I could hear inside, it did seem to be full of paying customers.

This cottage above was a private home about a block from the beach.  The upstairs room/loft had a nice view of the ocean.

Ah, yes, a seagulls and drift-logs sculpture, so frequently found in beach communities.  I rather liked this one with its weathered look.

Pacific Beach is a friendly little town, busy all day long seven days a week in the summer.  One of their annual events is the “Chocolate on the Beach” festival, held in February (it’s held indoors at the local high school).  It’s a fundraiser for several local non-profit organizations in several surrounding small towns and has grown from a one-afternoon event into a four-day event.  Besides all manner of all things chocolate, there are all sorts of crafts and arts and businesses that participate, including businesses from all over the State of Washington.  One of the most popular silk-screened sayings on shirts and napkins and hats is:  “My blood type is chocolate.”  I can relate to that!