Ocean Beach, a small beach community a few miles northwest of downtown San Diego, is about as unpretentious as San Diego beach living gets. Sunny days are punctuated with the occasional jet roaring overhead, the barking of happy dogs partying at Dog Beach, waves pounding the coastline of Sunset Cliffs. It’s a place where Halloween and New Year’s Eve are high holy days, and the O.B. Chili Cook Off, the Christmas Parade, and the 4th of July fireworks show are annual traditions. In many ways, it’s kind of a quiet sleepy place that time forgot. It’s one of the few places left in San Diego (or the rest of the country for that matter) where the shops are locally owned and managed, and there isn’t a Baby Gap and a Pottery Barn on every corner. Well, at least not yet. A few years ago Starbucks moved in, and it caused quite a controversy. Many communities would welcome a Starbucks – it means gentrification. For OBecians, it means homogenization, something that for the most part has not taken firm root in this beloved little community.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Geographically speaking, Ocean Beach is a simple place to figure out. All the stores and restaurants are centralized along Newport Avenue and down around the beach by the foot of the Municipal Pier. Take a stroll out to the end of the Pier on a stormy winter’s day, and watch the surfers battle the sea from the comfort of an indoor cafe, or join a beach volleyball game in the midsummer sun. Bonfires abound during summer months. Local watering holes like Newport Pizza, Sunshine Company and Gallagher’s – where you can sometimes catch a great local band – attract locals and visitors alike. For a more upscale experience, as well as a great sunset, Nick’s is a great dining spot.
