Welcome to the OB Rag Readers Choice Nominations for the “Best” and “Worst” Public Infrastructure!
Inspired by the recent Peninsula Beacon Readers Choice Awards for 2016, we decided to run our own nomination / award game – not to emphasis retail services – but to showcase our readers’ views on the public infrastructure that makes up the landscape of Ocean Beach and the 92107 area in general.
Below is a list of the categories of elements (benches, lifeguard stations, etc) of the public infrastructure accessible to the citizens and visitors alike.
How to Nominate
Simply give us your “Best” and “Worst” nominations within the different categories listed below. The categories are numbered, so you can give the category number and your nominations. Please also give us the physical location or address (as best as you can) of your nominations.
You can either write your nominations in the comment section of this article or you can send them to us anonymously to our email address: obragblog@gmail.com . Or you can list them on OB Rag facebook.
If you also would like to “nominate” a new category, send that along as well.
Nominations need to be within Ocean Beach or the 92107 area.
We will keep nominations open for 10 days and nights. Nominations will be closed April 16th.
Nomination Categories – “Best” and “Worst” of
1. Benches – public (not bus benches)
2. Crosswalk
3. Fire Hydrant
4. Intersection
5. Lifeguard Station
6. Mural
7. Neighborhood Park
8. Public Encroachment
9. Restrooms – public
10. Street Light
11. Sunset Cliffs Pocket Park
12. Surveillance camera – public
13. Trees
14. Utility Box – painted
15. 2nd Best Place to Smoke Weed and Watch Sunset
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m only slightly confused (or is it slightly stoopid?)…
We are voting on the best and worst “Lifeguard Station” in OB? I only know of one (and it could use help).
And best/worst fire hydrant? Really?
Aside from that, I love this idea. Wish it were a bit more interactive since listing all of this seems like too much work for this lazy OBcean. ;)
Well, there are lifeguard towers as well. I knew the lifeguard station would bring both praise and condemnation – but what’s your fave tower and least fave tower?
Some really paint up their local fire hydrants.
Sorry about the lack of interactiveness here, but hey …
Best: Editordude quotes worked into the north beach bathroom walls.
Worst: Every McMansion along the 5100 block of W. Pt. Loma
Not sure what categories you’d stick those in, but they’re my picks and I’m stickin’ with ’em.
Oh, and for categories 1/4/15 – the corner at the end of my old block, Coronado & Bacon.
Sunset Cliffs is part of Point Loma
Actually, for Sunset Cliffs, the cliffs themselves start directly South of the pier. The Sunset Cliffs Natural Park begins on the south side of Adair street, as does the Peninsula Planning Group jurisdiction, who has that as its border with the Ocean Beach Planning Group. The Sunset Cliffs Shoreline Stabilization Project began just south of the pier, and crossed right over into Point Loma. Like most things around here, this is a little more complicated than it seems to need to be.
The best of OB: the cliffs from the pier on south to the Navy fence and beyond
The worst of OB: the gentrification and crowding of our beloved hamlet
Best Mural: The octopus on the wall of the old Shades building and the wave behind Hodad’s.
Worst Mural: On the side of Winston’s
Worst Public Encroachment: The Joint
Best Public Encroachment: oxymoron
Thanks for the laugh!!!
How about the “Worst Signal in Ocean Beach?” Without a doubt the one at Voltaire/Sunset Cliffs, particularly going north.
Pier, hands down!
In the 15 items listed, I ‘d say the worst are the restrooms and the cameras and the best is Sunset Cliffs Park. Outside of your list, my best is Dog Beach hands down, there is nothing like it anywhere else. My worst is everything they plan to do to the park at the beach with the veteran’s memorial, the adult workout stations, and the new playground.
I agree with Geoff. The people who decide cannot abide space with nothing on it but people. The clutter of the Veteran’s memorial and everything surrounding it will be the new face of Ocean Beach.
I think Geoff & Nostalgic are on to something. Frank, perhaps you would consider adding a category having to do with private-driven efforts to beautify/improve OB. If not for this posting, perhaps a future one.
OB is blessed with a great many well-meaning, committed, intelligent individuals who devote their sweat, tears and spare time to making OB a better place. But the results of the efforts have been mixed, as Geoff & Nostalgic suggest.
I love the OB Entryway sign. There are other private-driven projects that are equally cool and well-executed.
The Gateway project at W. Point Loma & Sunset Cliffs, on the other hand, was way late and over budget. The original Veteran’s Memorial is a disgrace. In hindsight, one could conclude that it would have been better to have never embarked on either of those endeavors.
I’d like to see your readers vote for their best and worst of what I’m calling private-driven projects (perhaps there’s a better name for the category). Your thoughts, Editor-dude?
OK Frank, I’ll give it a whirl…
Benches: Best = the skate deck bench that sits outside OB Surf and Skate.
Benches: Worst = any bus stop featuring Catrina Russell with a mustache.
Crosswalk: Best = the middle of Newport between Bacon & Cable because it gets me from Nicos to the Harp more quickly than walking to the corner.
Crosswalk: Worst = Voltaire and Cable. Chaos.
Fire hydrant: Best = Abbot & Long Branch because its closest to my house which is made of wood.
Fire Hydrant: Worst = I think they’re all pretty good and necessary.
Mural: Best = *tie* West Side of Teeter and South side of OB Surf Lodge
Mural : Worst = North side of 76 station entering OB with the steroid surfer bro and girl with a broken arm.
Park: Best = Collier for horseshoes and other reasons.
Park: Worst = Ocean Beach (Saratoga) park.
Restrooms: Best = Starbucks (I hear anyone can use their bathroom at any time for free)
Restrooms: Worst = Lifeguard Station (is it even a question?)
Sunset Cliffs Pocket Park: Best = There are no pocket parks on Sunset Cliffs…try Del Mar
Trees: Best = Saratoga Torrey Pines RIP
Trees: Worst = Any Brazilian Pepper Tree (invasive)
4. Worst intersection right now is Santa Monica and Sunset Cliffs because of the giant pothole that you have to drive around.
I literally agree with every best and worse that Jon brought up and you cracked me up dude, lol.
Run into you soon somewhere in OB!
I say:
Benches: Best-Dusty Rhodes Park; Worst? No opinion
Crosswalk: Best-School crossing in photo by OB res: Worst-Sunset Cliffs and Voltaire Hydrant- No opinion
Intersection-Best-Bacon & Niagara; Worst-Sunset Cliffs and Niagara
Lifeguard Station-Best-Santa Monica but needs help; Worst; No opinion
Mural-Best: On north side of Niagara between Bacon St. and Pier Worst: Worst-No opinion
Park-Best: Nature Park Soto St? by Community Garden; Worst-The loss of Voltaire Park own by “World Oil
Encroachment: Best-Hungry Lu’s-luv Kip’s artwork; Worst-OB Brewery, literally dangerous
Restroom: Best-Brighton Worst-Lifeguard Station
Streetlight: No opinion-I like the old looking concrete on Newport
Sunset Cliffs Park: Best: End of Bermuda St. Worst: Any Graffiti on cliffs closer to Pier
Surveillance Cameras: Best: Hugh? Worst: Cameras on Police Shack in Newport Parking lot
Trees: Best; Giant Torrey and smaller Torrey in yard on South side between Ebers and Froude Worst; Neglect of CA live oaks in Robb Field?
Utility Box: No opinion
2nd best place to smoke weed? Where’s the 1st?
Woops, for best tree It is South side on Niagara between Ebers and Froude in yard by
big red wood house.
The worst intersection in OB is easily the one at Voltaire and Ebers. I have lived near this intersection for the last three years, have seen three pedestrians hit by cars, five accidents including two hit and runs, and numerous incidents of road rage. Many people seem to think it is OK to get up to speeds of forty or so MPH when heading down Ebers from Voltaire to West Point Loma. It is an extremely busy intersection with the Fire station, two garages and liquor store on each corner, not only with vehicles, there is a large amount of pedestrian, bicycle, and skateboard traffic as well. Ebers itself is a very busy street, since it is the alternate route to Sunset cliffs to leave OB.
Thanks everyone for your nominations. We are keeping them open until noon on Wed, April 19th. This is your last chance to nominate OB infrastructure that you think deserves an orchid or an onion.