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Any San Francisco Bay Area Old Timers Remember Playland at the Beach? (Original Post) red dog 1 Feb 2019 OP
Oh yeah. alwaysinasnit Feb 2019 #1
Yes, I do. Mr.Bill Feb 2019 #2
Yup still_one Feb 2019 #3
Just before it closed they had a night where it was 5 cents a ride kimbutgar Feb 2019 #4
I think his name was Jeremy Ets-Hokin red dog 1 Feb 2019 #6
Thank you I knew it was et-h something kimbutgar Feb 2019 #7
If I remember right, the construction company was "Ets-Hokin & Galvin" red dog 1 Feb 2019 #9
went to it often, especially right before it closed as Tumbulu Feb 2019 #5
love the Herb Caen line that starts out his column about Playland closing: red dog 1 Feb 2019 #8
So great! Tumbulu Feb 2019 #10
I tried unsuccessfully to post a link to a great SF Gate article with lots of photos red dog 1 Feb 2019 #11
Yep! Adsos Letter Feb 2019 #12
Remember the guy at the top of the slide who made sure anyone wearing red dog 1 Feb 2019 #13
No, I've forgotten that part. Adsos Letter Feb 2019 #14
The secret to the spinning platter was that you had to be the 1st one on, red dog 1 Feb 2019 #15
I remember never ever eating an IT'S-IT at Playland because it was always so damn cold Brother Buzz Feb 2019 #16
Many years after Playland closed, I was living in San Jose, and there was a red dog 1 Feb 2019 #17
I was always liked vanilla. That is, until I discovered chocolate Brother Buzz Feb 2019 #18
Lifting your knees up & planting your sneakers firmly did not prevent you from red dog 1 Feb 2019 #19
Kinda sorta ailsagirl Feb 2019 #20
The laughing fat lady was called "Laffing Sal" red dog 1 Feb 2019 #21
Those were fun days ailsagirl Feb 2019 #23
I agree red dog 1 Feb 2019 #24
You may not agree with this but far more fun than what's out there today ailsagirl Feb 2019 #29
Can I just say I'm jealous of all of you? Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #22
Are you old enough to remember "The Pike" amusement park in Long Beach? red dog 1 Feb 2019 #25
Yes! Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #26
I'll never forget my 2 visits to "The Pike" red dog 1 Feb 2019 #27
I remember it a lot better after reading your description. Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #28
Yeah, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was still in existence in the late 70s red dog 1 Feb 2019 #30
I went on that roller coaster. Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #31
The scariest one I ever rode was at Mariott's "Great America" in Santa Clara red dog 1 Feb 2019 #32
That was cruel! And I laughed my head off. Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #33
Speaking of wearing glasses and roller coasters red dog 1 Feb 2019 #34
I bet he never did that again! Dem2theMax Feb 2019 #35
If I had to pick one ride at Playland that was my favorite, it would be very difficult. red dog 1 Feb 2019 #36

kimbutgar

(20,882 posts)
4. Just before it closed they had a night where it was 5 cents a ride
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 06:36 PM
Feb 2019

I still remember that funhouse and how it could never be now because of the liability. The spinning disc that speeded up and threw you off of it could never happened. Those long wooden slides with burlap you sat on that it you came off it gave one a nasty burn. The split stairs that went in opposite directions. I still have vivid Memories of it. I was mad when that stupid developer tore it down and for over 10 years there was a big hole. To this day I get mad if I hear the name et Hopkins.

Tumbulu

(6,267 posts)
5. went to it often, especially right before it closed as
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 06:37 PM
Feb 2019

my grandparents had a store near it....my mother told us so many stories of the people who worked there while she was growing up in the 20's and 30's.

Nice to see the photos.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
8. love the Herb Caen line that starts out his column about Playland closing:
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:24 PM
Feb 2019

"Since it closes forever today, I decided to give Playland-at-the-Beach one more chance to kill me"

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
11. I tried unsuccessfully to post a link to a great SF Gate article with lots of photos
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:44 PM
Feb 2019

of Playland.

You can Google it if you want:
"Looking back at Playland at the Beach (photos)"

The fifth photo down is a great shot of the roller coaster they used to have there; and the next photo is of a guy standing in front of the Ferrris Wheel who looks exactly like Uncle Junior from The Sopranos.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
13. Remember the guy at the top of the slide who made sure anyone wearing
Sat Feb 2, 2019, 03:30 PM
Feb 2019

tennis shoes took them off before going down the slide?

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)
14. No, I've forgotten that part.
Sat Feb 2, 2019, 06:25 PM
Feb 2019

But it's almost 60 years since I was there.

I just remembered the flat, spinning platter-like thing we sat on that sort of spun us off to the sides. And the rotating barrel we crawled through.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
15. The secret to the spinning platter was that you had to be the 1st one on,
Sat Feb 2, 2019, 06:33 PM
Feb 2019

so you could sit right on dead center, and wouldn't get spun off.

The rotating barrel, the wooden horses that moved, the moving stairs, the mezzanine, where we used to stand right behind the guy who controlled the whole place, including the air chutes near the entrance, where girls who wore dresses had air shot up at them from underneath.

I loved the Fun House!

Brother Buzz

(36,217 posts)
16. I remember never ever eating an IT'S-IT at Playland because it was always so damn cold
Sun Feb 3, 2019, 07:55 PM
Feb 2019

But I love them today



In 1928, a celebrated San Francisco tradition began. George Whitney placed a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream between two freshly baked large old-fashioned oatmeal cookies, and then dipped the sandwich into fine dark chocolate. The delicious combination of savory sweetness was declared by all to be "IT!" That how the IT'S-IT Ice Cream Sandwich was born and got its unforgettable name, being sold in droves exclusively in San Francisco’s own legendary Playland-at-the-Beach for over four decades.



red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
17. Many years after Playland closed, I was living in San Jose, and there was a
Tue Feb 5, 2019, 04:34 PM
Feb 2019

street fair in Downtown San Jose where one guy was selling "It's Its" with either vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
I bought as many chocolate "It's Its" as I could carry back home.

Like you, I don't think I ever bought an "It's It" at Playland.

For me, the best Playland food place was "The Pie Shop," with about 25 different pies for sale, whole or by the slice.

I remember often buying a huge piece of chocolate pie for 35 cents.

Brother Buzz

(36,217 posts)
18. I was always liked vanilla. That is, until I discovered chocolate
Tue Feb 5, 2019, 07:13 PM
Feb 2019

Last summer, I had my first mint IT'S-IT. Definitely a treat when the temperatures are in the triple-digits.


Waxed maple disc, polished concrete, stuffed canvas perimeter bumpers, and an asshole up in the console operating things, including the air jets at the entrance.




Don't forget Laffing Sal.




It was common schoolyard knowledge that one would burn their hand if they touched the wooden rails on the way down.




The secret to staying on was to lift your knees up and plant your sneakers firmly on the surface after it started turning, plus a judicious use of an elbow helped (Did I mention the asshole up in the console?)

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
19. Lifting your knees up & planting your sneakers firmly did not prevent you from
Wed Feb 6, 2019, 06:10 PM
Feb 2019

being thrown off the thing....it only postponed it.

The only way to ensure that you stayed on the whole time was to be the first one on and sit firmly right on dead center.

I remember many times I was in line for it, and a bigger kid would be there at the front of the line, letting everybody go ahead of him.
Then, when the guy in the booth said "No More"..the big kid would stay at the front of the line so he would be the first one on next time, and he would sit right on dead center, and he would not spin off.

Thanks for the photos!

ailsagirl

(22,842 posts)
20. Kinda sorta
Thu Feb 7, 2019, 07:01 PM
Feb 2019

It really was fun

I remember riding down the wooden "slide ride," where we sat on rugs and plummeted

And, as I recall, there were various spots where women/girls would get their dresses blown up

And, finally, the Laughing Fat Lady!

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
21. The laughing fat lady was called "Laffing Sal"
Thu Feb 7, 2019, 08:31 PM
Feb 2019

In Brother Buzz's reply # 18, the second photo down, if you look close, you can see her.

She now resides near the entrance of "Musee Mechanique," the famed collection of vintage penny arcade machines & moving dioramas near Fisherman's Wharf.

ailsagirl

(22,842 posts)
29. You may not agree with this but far more fun than what's out there today
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 07:47 PM
Feb 2019

I don't like to be slammed around in rides!!

Dem2theMax

(9,595 posts)
22. Can I just say I'm jealous of all of you?
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 12:12 AM
Feb 2019

I have lived in Southern California all my life. It sounds like I missed out on a lot of fun!

Dem2theMax

(9,595 posts)
26. Yes!
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 07:29 PM
Feb 2019

It's a little fuzzy in my memories, but I do think my parents took me there when I was a child.

We lived 20 minutes from Disneyland, so we tended to go there more than any other place. That was way back in the day when you didn't have to rob a bank to be able to afford tickets to get in.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
27. I'll never forget my 2 visits to "The Pike"
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 07:41 PM
Feb 2019

It was HUGE!

And all the rides were totally awesome compared to Playland or Santa Cruz, the only other amusement parks in the Bay Area at that time.

The Pike;s roller coaster had two tracks, so 2 different coasters could run simultaneously, (but not side-by-side)...and the ride lasted at least 3 or 4 minutes, compared to the 58-second-long roller coaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

And the bumper cars....the 1st time we went was on a weeknight, not too many people there, and the guy let us ride those bumper cars for at least 10 minutes,,,and the bumper car place was at least twice as big as either the bumper cars at Playland or Santa Cruz.

I loved The Pike!
I actually liked it more than Disneyland.

Dem2theMax

(9,595 posts)
28. I remember it a lot better after reading your description.
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 07:47 PM
Feb 2019

And if the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was still in existence in the late 70s, then I did go there. And that one I can clearly remember.

The old Disneyland was good. I have not been there since I moved further south in the 80s. And I won't go back there. They changed it too much, and I would much rather have my memories of the place.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
30. Yeah, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was still in existence in the late 70s
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 07:57 PM
Feb 2019

and it's still there now, except it's only open on weekends from Sept. to May.
During the summer, it's open every day.

The Santa Cruz "Giant Dipper" roller coaster was the exact same type that used to be at Playland (that was before my time)

Dem2theMax

(9,595 posts)
31. I went on that roller coaster.
Fri Feb 8, 2019, 08:02 PM
Feb 2019

It was more my size. I have a fear of falling, so roller coasters and I don't get along real well.

I did get talked into going on Colossus, the extremely large, wooden roller coaster that used to be at Magic Mountain, which I believe is out in Thousand Oaks.

And I still remember being absolutely terrified!

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
32. The scariest one I ever rode was at Mariott's "Great America" in Santa Clara
Sat Feb 9, 2019, 05:07 PM
Feb 2019

I can't remember the name of it.

This was back around 1980, and I was with my adult nephew.
He refused to go on it until I went on it first, alone.

The damn thing went up, down, sideways and upside down, and I nearly had a heart attack on the damn thing.

After the ride ended, I got off, went over to my nephew and said:
"What a bummer! It wasn't scary at all!'

Then we went on it together, and I waited until the bars came down to lock us in, and then told him:
"I was lying!..This is the scariest ride I've ever been on!"

Dem2theMax

(9,595 posts)
33. That was cruel! And I laughed my head off.
Sat Feb 9, 2019, 05:38 PM
Feb 2019

Okay, I have to share a funny roller coaster story with you.

There was another roller coaster at Magic Mountain, a big iron or steel, whatever they make it from, roller coaster. Can't remember the name of it, but it had some killer loops in it. First time I had been on a roller coaster with loops

Anyway, I have to wear glasses to be able to see. I'm blind as a bat without them. And of course, I had to remove them for the ride or I would have lost them.

I'm on this roller coaster with my younger cousin. I was in my late teens or early twenties, and the younger cousin was probably about 10 years old. She was quite game to go on the roller coaster, and I was the one who was scared to death.

There were two young boys sitting in front of us. And I am guessing they were roller coaster old timers, in spite of their age. They could hear me talking about my fear of this ride, so they spent most of the ride turned around, to watch me and my reactions. I'm sure they had a lot of fun with that. Lol.

The ride started, and we were pulling out of the station, my glasses tucked safely away in my purse. And I could see some white framing up ahead, and I took that framing to be part of the support for the roller coaster itself. This 'framing/support' was painted white, as was the entire roller coaster.

The next thing I know, the roller coaster car starts climbing this white framing. At about that point, I realized it wasn't framing, it WAS the roller coaster, and I was about to pee my pants! Because of my vision, I couldn't really tell where we were going at any moment in time, so the entire ride was one surprise after another. To this day I don't know how I survived it. I never got on that thing again.

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
34. Speaking of wearing glasses and roller coasters
Fri Feb 15, 2019, 05:39 PM
Feb 2019

The 2nd time I visited The Pike Amusement Park in Long Beach, I was with a friend who wore glasses.
For some reason, he didn't take them off for that mammouth roller coaster they had there, and by the end of the ride, they had fallen off his face.

He needed them because they were the only pair he had, so we all walked around the base of the roller coaster, outside the fence, trying to spot the glasses.
That roller coaster was so large, it must have covered more than 4 or 5 acres of land, and despite walking around for nearly 30 minutes, we never did find them.

The Pike was my all-time favorite amusement park!

red dog 1

(27,648 posts)
36. If I had to pick one ride at Playland that was my favorite, it would be very difficult.
Sat Feb 23, 2019, 05:44 PM
Feb 2019

I loved the bumper cars, the Diving Bell, The Fun House, the ride that had "rockets" that went around & around which had a lever so you could go up or down,, or both
(I remember us kids pulling that lever back & forth to make a "bumpy ride"

Our least favorite ride was the Merry-Go-Round.

The only ride we didn't go on was the "Rocket Ship" that was to the left of the Diving Bell.
That one scared us!

I also loved "Laff in the Dark" "Limbo" & "Dark Mystery" (I think that's what it was called)

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