Customer Reviews

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: A Century by the Sea

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The pictures make this book! It would have been great if there were a few more pictures of the various rides.. but thats not what this book is about. From 1800s to 2007, it's all in here!

This book touched my memory of what was, and added a lot of history for me of what I did not know of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. I spent 18 summers growing up in Santa Cruz and this boardwalk played a roll in those summers. My meager money budget was spent on my favorite things - the merry-go-round and its brass rings, ski ball, and the fun house, where one could spend hours on the saucer, walking the barrel, or waves, and on the giant slide. When I would forgo the fun house I would opt for a treat and another merry-go-round ride on one of those beautifully carved horses. Occasionally I would choose the plunge or the sand beach itself and the San Lorenzo River, where I learn to swim, as it flows into the bay. This book covers the different decades of the boardwalks existence very well. I am now 70+ and feel blessed I was able to experience this boardwalk.

Having been born and raised and still living in Santa Cruz, this book brings back so many memories. It is a beautifully illustrated book with so many wonderful colored pictures. A wonderful souvineer book for anyone to have of a very unique place.

This book is wonderful. Full of photos, fun facts, little-known information, it is a true treasury of information concerning the Boardwalk. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever gone to the Boardwalk and has lasting memories of this great place.

I am a big fan of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and vacation there every summer! I thought this book was excellent since it captured all of the Boardwalk history and displayed lots of excellent photos. I bought this book for my 10 year old nephew and he loved it! He and grandpa keep thumbling thru it together.

I know I've talked about it here before (I mean, I took a nice big long trip there a year ago) but I can't express enough how much I love Santa Cruz, California and it's Boardwalk. There's just something about it that keeps drawing me in and even now, I have a craving for Santa Cruz. It's been a year. I need to go again.

I was lucky enough to be in Santa Cruz in 2007 when they had their official centennial (it was also my first trip there) and I've been back nearly every year since and they continue to celebrate a century strong by the sea. While the Boardwalk and Municipal Wharf have kept up with the times, there's just this feeling in the air that keeps it all anchored in history. If you can appreciate that nostalgic feeling, then not only would you love Santa Cruz, you'd love this book as well, even if you've never been there.

The Lost Boys was what first introduced me to the Boardwalk and my love of seaside amusement parks blossomed from there. I've done research on a much closer seaside park, Coney Island, from it's beginnings until it's current state (unlike Santa Cruz, unfortunately, Coney Island is being eaten up by developers and slowly dismantled). So of course, why wouldn't I dive into Santa Cruz's history as well?

While A CENTURY BY THE SEA doesn't go into great detail about the Boardwalk's past, it offers enough of a glimpse into history to get a feel for what the area used to be. It shares not only company stories (the Seaside Company, that is) but stories from locals as well and it just roots you further in the nostalgia. And they're told as if someone were sitting across from you just talking about history. Nothing pretentious or showy about it. It just is what it is. The photos only add to all that is awesome about this book, bringing to life the past and showcasing how the Boardwalk morphed into what I've seen these last few years.

It's evident that The Santa Cruz Seaside Company takes great care in preserving the history of the Boardwalk. There is an unabashed pride simmering in the pages that's almost tangible. You can grab hold of it and actually feel the history of the Boardwalk. As someone non-local that has been there, I can root the history to its current map but even if you haven't, and you have a love of history, you'd be able to appreciate, and maybe even love, the fun times that this book relives.

If you have any interest in boardwalks or seaside towns, or want it to feel like summer no matter what time of the year it is, pick up A CENTURY BY THE SEA and relive the history of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and roll around in its present. Then book your vacation because after reading this, if you've never gone, you'll want to remedy that as soon as humanly possibly. Just an FYI, there's a Chili Cook-off in October and a Clam Chowder Cook-off in February. Just saying.