Pacifica
Our neighbor to the north will soon get a little closer when the Devil's Slide tunnel is completed at the end of this year. It is where a lot of Coastside residents head to to shop for certain items, dine in a variety of restaurants or be entertained at venues not found on the Coastside. It is also a very popular destination to for surfers and anglers. Pacifica is a string of communities hugging the coast, each with it's own flavor. Here are a few items that make it unique — and a few of the most popular places to visit.
What’s in a name?
Is that a castle?
Before Adobe was a software company
Pier at the ocean
While Pacifica is Spanish for “peaceful,” the city’s name actually has less romantic roots. It is the result of a contest in 1957 to name the newly incorporated community by the Pacific Ocean. The inspiration was an 80-foot sculpture by Ralph Stackpole, commissioned for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. Two models of the sculpture remain, one at City Hall and the other in the City Council chambers. The Sanchez Adobe was built in the 1840s from timbers salvaged from a Spanish wreck at Point San Pedro. Today it is the second oldest structure in San Mateo County and has been a brothel, a hunting lodge, an agricultural shed and farm laborers quarters. These days it’s a tourist destination, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. (650) 359-1462, 1000 Linda Mar Blvd., Pacifica.
The first church
The Little Brown Church was Pacifica’s first place of worship, built in 1910 and right along the old Ocean Shore Railroad line. The city of Pacifica purchased it some time ago and it served as a police station for a time. Now, a fundraising campaign mounted by the Pacifica Historical Association aims to make it a museum. Learn more at pacificahistory.org.
Yes, it is. San Francisco rail magnate Henry Harrison McCloskey built the behemoth at 900 Mirador Terrace after his home in the city was damaged in the 1906 earthquake. It’s modeled after wife Emily’s Scottish childhood home. Like the Sanchez Adobe, it has a somewhat sordid history, including service as a bordello and speakeasy before serving as a U.S. Coast Guard barracks. The castle, now in trust, is sometimes open for tours. (650) 355-0272. The 1,140-foot L-shaped pier has a name — the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pacifica Pier. (Harkins was the pastor at Little Brown Church.) But you don’t need to know the name to ask a local how to get to the pier. The span attracts fishermen from all over the world and the anglers catch jacksmelt, white croaker and striped bass from the pier. You might also see a whale, if you’re there the right time of year. Open daily, 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather allowing. (650) 738-3760.
FALL/WINTER 2012-2013 Coastside Guide 59