Customer Reviews

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: The Early Years - Never a Dull Moment

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I'm a longtime resident of the Santa Cruz area who has visited the boardwalk amusement park a number of times over the years, usually when out of town friends visit. It's an amazing place, and this book provides a rich and fascinating history on how it came to be. In fact, this book provides a wonderful view of how our relationship to water and amusement parks has changed over the years. I was especially taken by the picture this book paints (and pictures it includes) of the earliest days of the boardwalk area.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has ever enjoyed the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, or to anyone interested in learning more about the history of Central and Northern California.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: The Early Years -- Never A Dull Moment by the daughter-father writing team of Chandra Moira Beal and Richard A. Beal, is a captivating collection of black-and-white photographs and thoroughly researched records that combine to paint a magical picture of the Santa Cruze California board walk of yesteryear. A nostalgic, poignant, and engaging presentation packed with curious minutiae of detail, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is highly recommended -- especially to those of us old enough to have memories of our own of the boardwalk's simple beginnings as a wooden bathhouse on the beach and its evolution and transformation into a contemporary City of Santa Cruze-based multi-million dollar business operation.

Anyone who is interested in the history of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk needs to have this book. It is packed full of all kinds of historical facts and it has over 160 black and white photos. The detail is amazing. It was fun and informative.

This book is a fantastic primer to become familiar with the rich history of Santa Cruz and its famous boardwalk. It will mesmerize you with recounting of events and beautiful historical pictures. I hope they make a movie of it some day.

As a local resident, Santa Cruz Boardwalk has been a fun destination for us for the last two decades. As I started reading the Santa Cruz Boardwalk book, I could not put it down. It is the most comprehensive historical recounting of the events assembled in one place. Meticulous details of the historical events, key characters that influenced and shaped the boardwalk, and wonderful photos provide a rich and fascinating journey through time. If you have ever been to the boardwalk or plan on going there, read this book to fully appreciate the beauty of the boardwalk.

Do you enjoy the fun of an old-fashioned seaside holiday - strolling along the beach, splashing in salty waves, building sandcastles, sun and fresh breezes, suntan lotion and bathing suits, the thrill of the roller coaster and the romance of the carousel, dancing on warm summer nights ? Read this book, and you'll be transported back to the happy days when Santa Cruz was young, and you'll get to know the the people who made the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk the magical event it still is today.