Pismo Beach, Pismo Beach, California

Pismo Beach, Pismo Beach, California


When I was living in northern California in the 1970's the line between northern and southern California was somewhere south of San Luis Obisbo.  Heart Castle that was definitely northern California.  Pismo Beach was definitely southern California.

Now in the 1970's southern California was just not northern California.   Southern California was into parties, land development, stealing water, and conservative politics.  Yes, in those days it was the home of Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Senator George Murphy.  Anyway, anybody that was hip and cool in those days just did not go south.  My loss.

Pismo Beach is a great little beach town.  Several good restaurants and lots of ticky tacky shops.  It is a perfect town for doing nothing except wandering around town.  Even better, there is a pier right off the center of town.  No fishing license required.  You can even rent a fishing rod for $4.60/hr.  Probably cheaper to head to Wal-Mart for that rod.  The entire time I never saw anybody fishing, so maybe this is the off season.   Shopping and fishing from a pier have a lot in common you never know what your going to catch.  Fishing, however, is much more relaxing.

It is the off-season at Pismo Beach.  The lifeguard stations are all lined up in the parking lot instead of the beach.

The town does have a great, informal seafood restaurant called the Cracked Crab.  For $75 you get a very large bucket of crab and choice of other seafoods.  Served with boiled potatoes and sausage.  We saved the sausage for breakfast.  Pre-planning is highly recommended.  Yes, we ate a light breakfast and passed on lunch and in the late afternoon showed up for the bucket feed.  The bucket is upended on your table and you are furnished with MANY implements to attack the seafood.  Good, inexpensive wine list.  An hour or so later we finally managed to finish that bucket.  Good seafood, cooked right.  Expensive for $75 but well worth it.  Oh, great key lime pie.  After all it is a seafood place.

There is also a killer cinnamon bun place.  It is called Old West Cinnamon Rolls.   Forget those Cinnamon Bun places in the mall.  Those are barely edible.  This place is about great BUNS.  You will never buy buns in a mall again.

We walked there for breakfast.  That is one of the great things about Pismo Beach.  Perfect for walking or riding a bicycle.  With all the places to eat walking is a good idea to work off breakfast, lunch or dinner.

We never did get around to Splash Cafe.  So no reviews, but it is on our list for next year.

The beach has a very little slope, which creates a large firm beach walking area as the tide comes in and out.
In town walking followed by a long walk along the beach.  The only downside is that dogs must be on leash. Both Bugaboo and Snowpatch loved the beach, but they did not like the leash law.  Oh well, somewhere there must still be a leash free beach.

A perfect town for doing very little of importance.  That might be the best reason for going.  It is, unfortunate, that I thought I had important things to do rather than visit Pismo Beach in the 1970's.   Don't wait 40 years for your visit.