Wednesday, June 06, 2007

A Visit to Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica

The family is so happy to pose in front of the specatcular fountains at the entrance to Pacific Ocean Park. I can almost hear them all saying- Dad! If you take one more photo we will never get in the park before it closes. I am also wondering what is in the Gallenkamp shoes bag...picnic?

Two views of the exit from the Enchanted Forest Ride. The theming at the park was all scrunched up, but seemed to work okay. The little helicopter ride is cute, but somehow does not fit the story book theme of the ride everyone is exiting.

The Flying Carpet ride on it's outside track. Notice the employee sitting on the front seat piloting the ride. There are many days when I wish I could have at least visited this park once, and Freedomland and Pleasure Island...

10 comments:

Dan Goodsell said...

I think that last one is ithe dragon ride. What a great bunch of photos. I love the POP circus stuff you can see from that ariel view - was that taken from the rollercoaster?

glad you made it back

Anonymous said...

Can't say I remember the dragon ride, but I have vivid memories of the Flying Carpet and that wasn't it.

Flying Carpet was a dark ride through scenes from fairy tales. Most impressive was the immense giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, and the treasure room from Ali Baba where the Thieves peeked out from their hiding places in large clay jars.

Dan Goodsell said...

I just looked it up and there was a Sea Serpent Rollercoaster - I have never seen a photo of it so I am guessing this is the back end

Major Pepperidge said...

I also wish I could have visited POP...it looks like it would have been great fun. They had some really original attractions, and being right next to the beach would have been kind of cool. If it was still there I could make the drive in 30 minutes!

Chris Merritt said...

OK - the Sea Serpent roller coaster was the big rethemed one on the pier - this isn't it! I've never seen a photo of this one, nor of the previous boat ride...

What amazing shots of P.O.P. from the end of its run! Are there more in this series? Great stuff - thanks!

Anonymous said...

Tangaroa -
Wasn't there a small coaster in the Fun Forest? Could this be it?

Anonymous said...

I vividly remember riding the Helicopter ride--thanks for the great pics. But I also remember being unimpressed with POP because it didn't measure up to Disneyland.

Anonymous said...

I grew up about 5 blocks from POP. The ride to Mars used to be the Ocean Park Skating rink.
We used to get in free as the one time manager of the rink worked on the back gate. We would walk up and put our hand under the ultra violet light and just like that we were in.
POP was a great place for us kids, especially after they changed the policy and you didn't have to buy the ride coupons. All rides were free with admission except the roller coaster witch cost a quarter. Oh yeah lot's of great memories.

Anonymous said...

The Magic Carpet Ride was a suspended flying ride, very much like the Peter Pan Flight at Disneyland. The flying carpets had canopies above them, and the track above that attached to the canopies. That picture is a small, kiddie canival-type ride that was defintely themed as a dragon.

I loved POP, and went there at least once a year all the time it was open. When they went to a straight admission with no ride tickets, POP was advertised as also meaning "Pay One Price".

After it closed, it just sat there and rotted for years. It was very sad.

Anonymous said...

Came across this photo really late, but can tell you that the little 'dragon looking' ride was in fact in the Fun Forest at POP and it's name was, believe it or not - ready for a drum roll here - the monorail. It was not a coaster, but a simple children's monorail. And that's what they called it.