Located at the end of Garnet Ave in Pacific Beach, CA, Crystal Pier is a long wooden pier which debut in 1927. The pier’s main attraction, Crystal Pier Hotel, features 29 blue and white cottages built in the 1930s. The cottages extend to about the half way point of the pier. Patrons can park their cars next to their cottages and listen to the rumble of the waves below them. For those who don’t want to be directly over the water, some of the cottages are directly over the beach near the entrance. For hotel reservations, go to www.crystalpier.com.
Although there’s a hotel on the pier, Crystal Pier is open to a public during daylight hours for sightseeing and fishing.
At the pier’s entrance is the historic “Crystal Pier” sign, as well as the famous Pacific Beach Boardwalk, which stretches for 3 1/2 miles along the beach from North Pacific Beach to South Mission Beach. Also at the entrance is a palisade park on the north side with stairway leading down to the beach. This is a center of activity with shops, restaurants and hotels nearby.
Tags: Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach, Pacific Beach Pier, San Diego
Oceanside Pier
By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life
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Oceanside Pier is a long, wooden pier on the north end of Oceanside, CA, about two miles south of Oceanside Harbor. On a clear night, the lights of Oceanside Pier can be seen far down the coast – as far as La Jolla.
About half way out along the pier is a bait and tackle shop. The pier is a popular fishing spot, as are all the public piers in San Diego County. Sometimes, the pier gets crowded with people fishing, but they fish along the sides, near the railing. The wooden walkway is wide enough for everyone.
The pier makes for a nice walk, especially on a sunny day. As you walk out along the pier, the beach, beachgoers, homes, and swimmers subside in the distance. At 1,954 feet, Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the west coast. Why go there in the first place. Well, it’s a chance to get outdoors, take a long walk, and breath in some fresh, sea air.
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Tags: "California Piers", "Oceanside Pier", "Wooden Piers", Oceanside