The Giant Dipper, 1958
I went to the Boardwalk often with my family, but would never ride The Giant Dipper. In 1958, when I was 14 years old, I attended my boyfriend’s graduation dance
Octopus, 1972
We grew up in San Jose and didn’t have a lot of money to spare. For a summertime treat Mom would pack up all 6 of us kids and take
The Carousel, The Rings and that CLOWN!, 1978
No one can forget the carousel! I can remember riding it and being too small to reach the rings. My brother would ride on the horse in front of me
The Plunge Bathing Suit, 1950
My sister and I have always loved to swim, so as kids, mom often brought us to the Plunge at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It sounds silly now, but
The Fun House, 1950
As a kid, my favorite Boardwalk attraction was the Fun House. I loved looking endlessly at my wiggly reflection in the Fun House mirrors – first I looked tall and
Hours in the Fun House, 1966
From the age of 6 years to this day my most memorable moments were when my brother, sister and myself would spend up to 4-6 hours in the Fun House.
Bumper Cars and Walking Charlie, 1951
The girls riding the bumper cars sometimes would get tangled up in a corner, and we would have to untangle them. That’s how we met them. It didn’t hurt us
Silly-Willies, 2005
My first ride on Double Shot was fun but terrifying! My best friend and I were scared to death and we didn’t want to go on it at all. But,
Giant Dipper, 1980
In the early 1980s I had a business meeting with my board of directors in Santa Cruz and we had a rides pass for all those attending the meeting. Only
Laughing Sal, 2005
It all started when I was a kid at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco. Laughing Sal scared the living daylights out of me, but of course I was
A Cruel Aunt, 2001
In 2001 my Aunt Samantha and I decided to head to the Boardwalk. We rode lots of fun rides and I was having a good time until I heard the
The Scarey Haunted House, 1986
When I was around 12 my family would always go to the Boardwalk when we visited our Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin in San Jose every summer. We would have a
The First Ride, 2001
When I finally got enough courage to go on the Giant Dipper, I was terrified. I went with my dad through the hall, wanting to turn back. We got on
Tunnel of Love, 1950
In the fifties when we were dating we used the cave train ride as our ‘tunnel of love’. We had 4 minutes to make out like crazy!! And I don’t
The Proposal, 1987
I have very fond memories of Santa Cruz. My parents owned a restaurant in San Francisco and the Boardwalk was our family get-away. My husband and I would later go
The Patriotic Tank Top, 1969
My favorite activity during the late 60’s, when I was in high school, was to head over to the Boardwalk from San Jose. My high school friends and I loved
