Gritty Side of Pacific Beach
By Brian Brunkow
22 May 2008
Bring the kids, pack grandma and spend a quality family day along Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach.
Yes, we got your day covered, baby. From the hookah lounges to tattoo parlors to novelty shops the zippy fun never ends. Neon lights blaze block to block in greens and reds and blues and oranges and cast interesting reflections along the sidewalks and store fronts of this well-known street.
Some of the neon lights are actually pretty attractive, others are garish but all capture your attention - I guess a necessity as the beer-buzzed crowd meander their way around this local on a nightly basis.
Pacific Beach is going thru a neighborhood tug-of-war right now - with the $4 million dollar McMansions next to classic '20's style beach bugalows next to the worn out and battered apartment complexes housing seasonal surfers and transiants there is an odd mix along the social-economic scale in this neighborhood. The revolving door and ever changing beach crowd wants to keep the "unique" PB flavor as is; however, the true "residents" want to raze, reconstruct and change the perception of PB as a party town to a family town.
We'll see what happens.
