Pismo Beach: Hollywood Punchline

By Pat Sullivan

Pismo Beach is a tourist destination with a raucous history covering the turn into the 20th century, Prohibition, the Roaring Twenties and World War II. Once known as the "Clam Capitol of the World,'' Pismo to this day boasts a reputation as a punchline in shows ranging from cartoons to television series to stand-up comic routines.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pat Sullivan
• Release date: Aug 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463230466

Pat Sullivan

Pat Sullivan is a native of San Francisco, a career journalist (United Press International, Rolling Stone Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle), co-author of "Football's Greatest Quotes,'' primary author of "The Book of Golf Quotations'' and author of "Promotion Day,'' a fictional short story based on his experiences growing up Catholic. He lives in Central California with his wife Bonnie and their poodle-mix Fast Eddie.

Book preview

Introduction

Pismo Beach (population 7,785) on California’s Central Coast offers a magnificent, 6.9-mile expanse of sand punctuated with a long pier over the breakers. Orange, pink and lavender sunsets create shows almost daily. Motorists on nearby U.S. Highway 101, the route between San Francisco and Los Angeles, enjoy stunning views of an often-glistening Pacific Ocean.

Just offshore pelicans fly in V’s and dive, cormorants splash. Farther asea migrating whales can be seen spouting and breaching. Onshore, four-star and three-star hotels line the cliffs alongside excellent restaurants featuring seafood. Pismo Beach in the 21st century is an easy, welcoming slice of California paradise.

This short book, an easy pool- or beach-read, will fly and dive and splash elsewhere. While bowing to the present, the focus will be on portions of Pismo’s past—a past that has given the place its notoriety and, yes,