Understand
Mission Beach is located on a narrow strip of land between the ocean and Mission Bay, only a few blocks wide. It leads from more upscale Pacific Beach to the north to Belmont Park with the famous "Giant Dipper" roller coaster at its south end. It gets funkier the further south you go on the ocean-side boardwalk, though gentrification is slowly creeping through the area. It is a somewhat tamer version of the L.A. area's famous Venice Beach. It's population soars in the summer with out-of-town surfer dudes, dudettes, wanna-bes, and "Zoners" Arizona residents trying to beat the heat, packed like sardines into expensive, often beaten-up but who cares? summer rentals.
Pacific Beach (http://www.pacificbeach.org/) P.B. for short is one of San Diego's many beach towns, bordered on the south by Mission Beach and Mission Bay, to the north by La Jolla, to the east by I-5, and best of all, to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Dotted with restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as clothing stores, beachwear stores, surfboard, bike and rollerblade rental places, it is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon, of which there are plenty. Many P.B. residents are in their 20s and 30s, as a result of the booming nightlife. P.B. is dominated by Garnet Avenue, a large commercial street that runs from the 5 freeway west to the Pacific Ocean.
