Thanks for the note. That's terrible...was last out there for work in 2016. Ran down to the pier in the am and ate at the pier restaurant in the pm. Beautiful location. I hope the recovery and rebuild is quick. California piers were built tough.
We lived at 316 1/2 (converted garage) and then 316 South Myers while I was stationed at Pendleton. Rent was so much that we didn't have much money left, spent a lot of time at the pier and on the beach. Sorry to hear this.
Adding nothing to the conversation since 2015....
What a shame. Last summer I deeply enjoyed a three-week TDY that had us visiting MCAS Pendelton, Point Loma, and NAS North Island. The mission fell over the Juneteeth weekend so our ~8 pax detachment all pitched in on an Oceanside Air BnB to enjoy the 4-day just a nudge north of the pier and 2 blocks from the beach. A liquor store called Pappy's was across the street and a burger/burrito/everything joint called Angelo's was two blocks northeast. We had a great weekend, and enjoyed walking that pier.
I hope they get it all fixed up and back to how it was!
I grew up in O-side in the 70's. Attended OHS. Dad was a career Jarhead. Our house was in the valley, across from the Drive In theaters on Mission Ave.
I used to skip class to go hang out at the beach on nice days. Skateboarding, biking, body surfing. All my grades suffered for it except P.E. The football coach was my P.E. teacher and he gave me A's even though I cut P.E. a lot.
My rich uncle, who owned a restaurant in Pasadena, had a house on the cliff right above Roberts Cottages (the little pink cottages on The Strand). His house had a great view of the pier.
I remember in the late 70's and early 80's, when storms busted up the pier and there were hunks of it dangling in the water. The city council put an initiative on the ballot to replace the pier with a concrete one of the same length. It was shot down - too many poor Marine homeowners would have had to pay for it with their property taxes.
There used to be a smoked fish shack about midway down their pier on the right side. It mysteriously caught fire and was boarded up.
It was rebuilt in the late 80's and isn't the same pier I grew up with. Also, back in the 70's, I never saw any pelicans in O'side. Last time I was there, there were pelicans everywhere.
Thankfully, it looks like the fire was confined to the end of the pier.
Keep Oceanside sketchy.