Sports & Recreation

Playland at the Beach
(San Francisco)
Playland at the BeachPlayland at the Beach

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There are 3 comments for this item.

Posted by Duff at 1:40 pm (PDT) on Sun October 5, 2014   
Thanks, coasterbeing, for that first-hand report about Playland at the Beach. Never got there myself.
Posted by coasterbeing at 9:18 pm (PDT) on Fri October 3, 2014   
When I was a young girl, we used to visit Playland at the Beach. I was terrified of Laughing Sal, and if I remember correctly, there was an alternative entrance to Playland, which had to be used, because I would scream bloody murder and collaspe to a dead weight before I allowed myself to be dragged across Sal's threshold. There was a local children's television personality, "Mayor Art," who brought an episode of his show to Playland and had us peek through a hole in a box to view an "Ant family," I was embarrasshed that I couldn't see them, so I said I did.

In the funhouse, the wavy walkway was fun, the barrel was challenging, and the wooden superslide was intriguing but intimidating. Then there was the spinning disk. I remember watching the older kids slipping off the spinning disk and sliding into what I remember was a low cushioned wall. That disk was ominous. It still haunts me. I think of it as a metaphor for life; no need to explain why--right?
Posted by 241864 at 10:06 pm (PST) on Wed January 30, 2013   
Where the "It's It" ice cream sandwich (vanilla ice cream sandwiched in between two oatmeal cookies, dipped in chocolate) was created...ate many of these as a kid...favorite attraction was the Fun House--crazy mirrors, spinning platforms, wood slides, rotating tubes...Laughing Sal out front scared my younger brother, which made us big brothers laugh!

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