Category: Ocean Beach

Once upon a time, a citizen-created park existed at the busy corner of Voltaire Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. It had been created and then was maintained by folks from the Ocean Beach Grassroots Organization and supporters.

After the departure of the last business at the location – on property owned by World Oil – the lot had become an eye-sore with weeds and trash strewed about. Without authorization from the City or World Oil, OBGO took it over, uprooting the weeds, dealing with the junk, picking up the old asphalt, and planting flowers, trees and bushes. And watering it.

Here are a number of photos from OB’s past … (okay, I threw one current sunset by Jim Grant in there).

Check out the second one – it shows then Police Chief Ray Hoobler personally accosting young people on Long Branch Avenue in 1968. Check out his uniform. Thank you Steve Rowell.

Emotions ran high at the monthly meeting of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council last night as dozens of people — a record turnout, regulars said — filled the small meeting room at the Cabrillo Recreation Center, most of them eager to discuss replacing the park’s recently departed benches.

At the northwest end of Ocean Beach sits a sandy respite known as Dog Beach. Nothing more needs to be said. It is a local wonder, an international destination, and a model for all other ‘dog parks’. Everybody who has a dog has been there. In fact, we kind of glorify the place.

San Diego photographer Jen Wilbur agrees.

Our blogger/ photographer Dave Gilbert has amassed quite a collection of shots of graffiti, cliff or sandstone carvings, and other images of OB that we really don’t want to see.

My partner and I were driving down West Pt. Loma around 1:00 today – Saturday, May 30th – heading east. On the corner of Rialto, two boys appeared to be arguing – one looked to be no more than six or seven years old, the other in his mid-teens.

As we passed, the older one threw the younger to the ground and began pummeling him with fists and kicks to the chest, possibly using some sort of blunt instrument ….

Not all scenes or photographs of OB are scenic or pretty or even worth viewing. Unfortunately, the artistic talents of graffiti artists and people who carve in the cliffs and the sandstone are not very appreciated by the rest of us.

Here are some not-too-pretty scenes of Ocean Beach by our blogger/ photographer Dave Gilbert.

by Frank Gormlie

UPDATE: Saturday, May 30 – 3:45pm: Our blogger Dave Gilbert has just reported that the graffiti on Abbott and Saratoga has been completely removed. Today, he also spoke to a manager at Nick’s At the Pier who told him he would remove that very visible graffiti at Abbott and Santa Monica today.

by Frank Gormlie

The City of San Diego is considering spending $700,000 for a public address system and sound track of barking dogs to drive the La Jolla seals off the beach. An actual member of the City Council has offered to use real barking dogs at a lower price.

Do you have a better idea? Huh? Huh? Can’t hear ya!

Local OB photographer Jeff Stone is at it again. There was so much interest in his first parrot picture, that…

More photos from photographer Jeff Stone. This time Jeff’s at the shore. “Barrel Boy” is Cody, Jeff’s youngest son – that’s the first shot. Nick, in the last shot, is Jeff’s nephew.

We invite anyone who wants to showcase their photos of Ocean Beach in our blog to simply send them to us via email. We need groups of six photos in order to fill up our gallery.

One of our favorite OB photographers, Jeff Stone, has sent us the following images from our community.  We need you…