My mom and dad were in high school when they started dating in the 1960’s. They would hitch-hike from Santa Clara to Santa Cruz and play at the Boardwalk all day.
When they had us kids, they would pile us all into the family car (a Pontiac Firebird!) and we’d make the trip over the hill to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
I remember watching marionette shows in the Casino Arcade and eating salt water taffy until I was sick to my stomach! I loved the Round Up and the Tilt-A-Whirl! My dad would hoot and hollar like a lunatic when he’d ride the Dipper! Standing below, my mom and I could hear him causing a commotion on that thing!
I remember the pure exhaustion on the ride home. I remember feeling sort of numb from laughing all day, enjoying the sting of a slight sunburn, and coming down off the sugar high…
Now that I’m a mom, I’ve created lasting memories with my two little girls. We used to live in Santa Cruz, so we went almost every weekend (love the Season Passes!), but sadly we’ve relocated to Texas and we still remember the fun times at the “BW”! I’m currently planning our return!
