The Last Bastion Of San Diego’s Bohemian Charm Is Found In Southern California's Ocean Beach
By Will Suphan|Published September 22, 2023
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Will Suphan
Author
Will has been living in Arizona off and on for 30+ years in the Phoenix Metro and Tucson areas. He has traveled all over the state as well as having lived all over the Southwest. He's been writing for OnlyInYourState for one year and has previously written for Digital Journal. Will has a passion for travel and writing and combining the two is what he loves most. He loves solo international travel and has been to Thailand, France, Japan, and Cambodia.
San Diego is often ranked as one of the most beautiful cities in America, with good reason. Lush hills, sprawling canyons, and lovely beaches make it a gorgeous tapestry of nature and culture, especially with old Spanish-style architecture dotted throughout and many old neighborhoods where the houses have a whimsical, funky character. Most who visit this wonderful city go to Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, and Mission Beach, which are all world-class attractions, yet visitors often overlook one of the best parts of San Diego where you can truly get a feel for that laid-back, hippie and surfer vibe that Southern California has been known for throughout the years. If you want the essence of this city Ocean Beach in San Diego is where to find it.
My name is William Suphan, and I spent the best part of my childhood in San Diego. My favorite place to go was always Ocean Beach. This was the late 70s when the hippie culture was still in full swing, and I adored it. In my adult life, I try to visit at least once every year, and I’ve seen so many changes over the decades. I want to share the best parts of it with you so you can experience the magic of Ocean Beach for yourself!
Whenever I take a road trip back to Ocean Beach, my heart soars when I see this view. Seeing the ocean as I crest that final hill brings my memories flooding back, and I can’t help but smile.
The first thing I do is go to the place with the best burgers in the country. Hodad’s has been around since 1969, serving massive, mouthwatering burgers with a laid-back surfer vibe, and it’s filled with decades worth of stickers and license plates.
Seating is quite varied, with booths, stools, tables, and the VW Bus booth where you can sit in the front half of an old Volkswagen Microbus. However, my happy place is one of the seats at the open window where I can watch locals lackadaisically traipsing by and tourists gawking and pointing at all the cool sights.
After scarfing down that juicy burger, I walk a short distance to Ocean Beach itself to watch the waves and get my ocean fix.
William Suphan/OIYS
There’s a concrete wall where people sit and take it all in, and I let my mind drift upon the waves and love watching the seagulls frolicking about.
William Suphan/OIYS
When I see this, whatever stress I may have carried with me ebbs away.
William Suphan/OIYS
Right next to Ocean Beach is Dog Beach, which is the first leash-free dog beach in the nation and was preserved as a community asset in 1972. It’s where people and dogs of all kinds gather, and mingle, and many friendships and romances have blossomed from meeting here.
William Suphan/OIYS
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Once I’ve got my beach time in, I like to walk up Newport Avenue, which is the heart of OB, and see what’s changed since I was last here. There are a few mainstays which thankfully always remain, but so many of the shops, bars, and restaurants last a few years and then are replaced. Locals tend to avoid the newer places that don’t quite fit into the culture here.
The Black has been here longer than any other store. It opened in 1968 as a head shop and was always “in the black” financially. It expanded into a sort of one-stop hippie and counterculture shop with posters, books, clothes, cards, incense, toys, figurines, and so much more. I love seeing the old and the new side by side in this shop which retains a great deal of its original character. It's just across the street from Hodad's.
One of the more popular beach shops is Wings which is in the building that was once the historic theater The Strand. It was the local one-screen movie house beginning in the 1920s.
4948 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107, USA
William Suphan/OIYS
By the 70s, it became an arthouse theater, with indie and artsy films and was the local Rocky Horror Picture Show hangout. Attendance continued to decline with all the multiplex theaters around, and as a last-ditch effort, it became a “blue” theater showing adult films, which caused quite a bit of local backlash, and it was eventually shut down in the 90s before reopening as Wings.
Now that I’ve walked off that burger, it’s time to go get a special treat at Point Loma Seafoods. It’s right on the marina, and while Point Loma isn’t technically Ocean Beach, it’s generally considered part of it as it and Ocean Beach bleed into each other, and there is a lot of overlap.
While there’s interior seating, the best place to sit is outside, where you can watch sea lions playing among the boats.
There is a wide variety of fresh and smoked seafood – and all of it is scrumptious. Many stop in for the amazing chowder, which is bits and pieces of all kinds of things, but my favorite is a chunk of smoked yellowtail. It’s like seafood candy.
As it gets closer to sunset, it’s time for dinner at South Beach Bar & Grille. It has some delicious and filling fish tacos that pair perfectly with a nice wheat beer.
5059 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107, USA
William Suphan/OIYS
It’s a two-story restaurant with a wide outside balcony, and I always try to get a seat up there because the view of the beach and the pier is so lovely; why sit inside when there’s all this beauty?
If I’m in the mood for dessert, Lighthouse Ice Cream has a vast selection of flavors – the Hot Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich is to die for, as you can have any flavor you like in it.
Lighthouse Ice Cream San Diego, 5059 Newport Ave #102, San Diego, CA 92107, USA
Now, it’s nearing sunset, and I’ll walk off dinner with a stroll along the Ocean Beach Pier and watch the surfers catching little waves. They’re not often huge waves, but surfers here make do, and it’s a favorite spot for them.
William Suphan/OIYS
It’s a longtime tradition for locals to gather and watch the sunset together near the pier and at Sunset Cliffs just a few blocks north. People mingle, get a little mellow, and take in the utterly beautiful scene. It’s fostered a sense of community since I can remember, and when you come here, you must do this to get the essence of Ocean Beach culture.
In the morning, I get breakfast at the Old Townhouse Restaurant. Since 1973 it’s been the local favorite breakfast spot and serves simple, authentic coffee shop fare that’s tasty and cheap, and the service is always friendly.
Before I get into the car to head home, I stop once more at the beach, take in the sight of the pier, and smile, anticipating my next trip back to a place that resides in my very cells.
William Suphan/OIYS
Have you spent time at Ocean Beach in San Diego? We’ve only scratched the surface of all the things that make this place so wonderful, so tell us about your favorite place in Ocean Beach in the comments! If you want to stay on the beach, make sure to book a room at the Ocean Beach Hotel! The views are spectacular, and you’re less than a block from Hodad’s and The Black!
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