weekend driver san diego _ the great coast route_ old highway 101 beach cruise can’t be beat

7/27/2019 Weekend Driver San Diego _ The Great Coast Route_ Old Highway 101 Beach Cruise Cant Be Beat

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June 23, 2005 | 0 Comments

The Great Coast Route: Old Highway 101

Beach Cruise Cant Be Beat

John Daley is an unapologetic booster for U.S. 101.

Its one of the three great highways in the world, hes happy to tell visitors to his 101 Cafe, a

1920s diner at the corner of Coast Highway and Wisconsin Avenue in Oceanside.

Current maps dont show U.S. 101 in San Diego County; in fact the city of San Diego is the largest

in the nation that no longer has any old U.S. highways. Its old U.S. routes now end miles away

U.S. 395 near Hesperia, U.S. 80 in Texas, and U.S. 101 in downtown Los Angeles.

Its fairly easy to find pieces of all three in thecounty, but no communities have embraced the

old highways like those along the coast that

were once connected by U.S. 101. Daley (a

third-generation Osider) and several other

folks along the route have founded the

Highway 101 Association. It has a nice web site

and has worked to have Historic Highway

signs posted along the five cities north of San

Diego. The groups oral history project, which

end Driver San Diego | The Great Coast Route: Old Highway 101 B... http://weekenddriver.com

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included an interview with Daleys mother,

Dolly, was featured in a May 29, 2005 story in

the San Diego Union-Tribune.

For todays drivers, its a treat for the eyes.

And heres a secret traffic has become so

busy on Interstate 5 that it can actually be

faster taking the old coast road. Plus, no drivein the county has more restaurants.

I like to start at Oceanside Harbor, with its

quaint, mini-Seaport Village, and drive south.

Even sportfishing with the Helgrens, if you like.

That way, the ocean is on my side of the street

and I dont have to look across traffic to enjoy

the view.

The small harbor is the only one betweenMission Bay and Dana Point, so its a popular

stopover for small craft cruising north or south.

There are sportfishing and charter operators,

several restaurants and shops. Nearby is the

wide Oceanside Beach, where well turn onto

Pacific Street to cross the mouth of the San

Luis Rey River. Pacific Street washed out

during storms in 2005 but has been rebuilt.

Like much of Old 101, Oceansides pier area

and downtown have been revitalized in recent

years. The pier dates to 1888 and today boasts

that it is the longest on the west coast.

Downtown Oceanside may look familiar to

viewers of the Veronica Mars TV show.

Exterior locations include Oceanside High

School, on Mission Avenue, and the Brooks

Theater, on Coast Highway. Its also home to

the California Surf Museum (312 Pier View

Way, 760-721-6876).

A bit further down Coast Highway (once

named Hill Street), is Daleys 101 Cafe, located

at 631 South Coast Highway. Opened in 1928,

its gone through several incarnations over the

years. When John Bushie Graham ran the

place from the 1940s to the 1970s, there was

car hop service, but today, youve got to go

101 Cafe

Would you buy a Renault from

this guy?

Twin Inns in Carlsbad.

Postcard of the long-gone

Noah's Ark Restaurant in

Leucadia.

Postcard of George's back in the


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inside to eat. The traditional American fare of

burgers, fries and shakes is well worth a visit.

One unexpected remodeling to the 101 Cafe

came the morning of June 6, 2006, when a

driver plowed into the southeast corner of the

diner, damaging the mural along Wisconsin

Avenue. Daley and his crew didnt missopening and had the place patched up quickly.

Around the cafe is some of the road

archaeology that gives the old highway so

much character. Next door is the Coast Auto

Court, a 1923-vintage motel.

Across the street is an old Chrysler-Dodge

dealer; nearby, Studebakers were once

sold.Oceansides southern border is the BuenaVista Lagoon, one of three lagoons along the

route and the only one thats filled with fresh

water. The folks at the Buena Vista Audubon

Society have a small museum, a viewing area

and offer tours (2202 South Coast Highway,

Oceanside, 760-439-2473).

A vintage bridge takes Old 101 into downtown

Carlsbad, where the road changes name to

Carlsbad Boulevard, runs through the grounds

of the Army-Navy Academy (open since 1936)

and past Magee Park. Its worth stopping for a

bit in this area, as theres so much history. The

cliffs overlooking the beach are just a block

west, while on the east side of old 101 is the Alt

Karlsbad Spa and Neimans Restaurant.

The spa (2802 Carlsbad Blvd., 760-434-1887)

is one of the reasons there is a Carlsbad. In

1882, farmer John Frazer dug a well on his

property and discovered the water, which was

compared to waters at the spa in Karlsbad,

Germany. The spa became a tourist attraction,

allowing Frazer and partners to develop the

area. One of the homes built is currently

occupied by Neimans Restaurant (300 Carlsbad

Village Drive, 760-729-4131), which was once

known as the Twin Inns.

day.

Route and Info

From June 2005

GPS Tour

Download GPS coordinates to your

portable navigation device.

Video

Weekend Driver on

KGTV-10 drives down

Highway 101.

The 2006 Beachin 101Cruise.

Woodiefest 2006:The 26th year that

woodies gathered in Encinitas.

Vintage VWs at Torrey Pines: Just a

day on the road for the local club.

Distance

About 30 miles from Oceanside Harbor

to Solana Beach.

Difficulty

Easy, with some traffic possible.

Directions

Interstate 5 to Oceanside Harbor Drive

exit. Continue west to Oceanside Harbor.

Left at Pacific Street.

Left at Mission Avenue.

Right at Coast Highway (S-21). Continuedown Old Highway 101 through

Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, Cardiff-

by-the-Sea and Solana Beach. Road is

called Carlsbad Boulevard in Carlsbad,

Coast Highway in Oceanside, Leucadia,

Encinitas and Cardiff-By-The-Sea;

Highway 101 (north and south) in Solana

Beach.


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Tags: column, Highway 101, Road Trips

Author:Jack Brandais

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Just south of Carlsbad Village Drive, the old

highway swings toward the beach, taking a

place at the top of the cliffs. Its a dramatic

vista, especially on a clear day, looking south to

Leucadia along the Pacific.

And its a great spot for cruising just sitting

back and enjoying the drive. If curves arentyour cup of tea, this cruise along Old 101 is

perfect, as much of the speed limit is 45 mph or

less.

Past the Encina power plant, the road widens

and divides, into a freeway of sorts that was

built in the late 1940s and early 1950s. South of

the Palomar Airport Road overpass, highway

historians can see four incarnations of the

Coast Highway: the 1920s route now used forparking; the 1930s improvement, today used

for the southbound lanes; the 1940s and 50s

improvements that added northbound lanes;

and if youre standing on the right hill, the

1960s Interstate 5, just to the east.

In South Carlsbad is the first of two great

camping spots along the way, the South

Carlsbad State Beach, and in Cardiff-

By-The-Sea, the San Elijo State Beach. Bothoffer bluff top camping and are very popular

year-round.

As the road climbs a short hill into Leucadia,

look to the right and the site of the former

Barkers Noahs Ark restaurant. Built in 1946,

the ship-shape eatery is long gone but was a

landmark on the drive south from Los Angeles.

Old postcards note that it is 100 miles south of

Los Angeles and 30 miles north of San Diego.The site is currently occupied by another

restaurant.

Much of Leucadia dates back to the Old 101

days. Of particular note are: the Log Cabin

Apartments, an old motel; the old gas station

now occupied by Scotts Automotive; the

Leucadia Roadside Park; and Cap n Kenos

restaurant. The towering eucalyptus trees lining

Left at Lomas Santa Fe Drive.

Right at Stevens Avenue.

Left at Genevieve Street.

Left at Stevens Avenue.

Right at Via de la Valle to Interstate 5.


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the highway are also rooted in the Old 101,

once again called Coast Highway.

The old Encinitas train station found its way

here in 1975, just ahead of the wrecking ball.

Its now a Pannikin coffee house.

Encinitas is next on the drive, with its nowbustling downtown. The La Paloma Theater

opened in 1928 and continues to anchor the

north end of the strip; Swamis Beach and the

Self Realization Fellowship mark the south.

Explore the shops in between, including the

1980s vintage Lumberyard.

If you take a trip off the highway, look for the

boat houses at 726-732 Third Street, which

were built by Miles Kellogg in 1929. A nearbypopular eating spot is the Potato Shack Cafe,

120 West I Street.

Old 101 now returns to the blufftop and passes

the campgrounds ofSan Elijo State Beach.

What shopping there is in Cardiff is on the east

side of the railroad tracks which parallel the

highway. If youre looking for great goodies,

check out VG Donuts (106 Aberdeen Drive,

760-753-2400).

For something more substantial, up ahead is

another one of those 101 oddities, the Cardiff

Restaurant Row. Fancy dining on the beach has

evolved over the years, beginning with George

Beechs restaurant in 1916. Legend has it that

Beech built his cafe with lumber leftover from

the old kelp processing plant. The Chart House

is now on the site, with a half-dozen other

restaurants nearby.

Heading into Solana Beach look for Fletcher

Cove Beach and the downtown area of Solana

Beach, before heading east over Lomas Santa

Fe Drive. The train station (which replaced Del

Mar as an Amtrak stop in the 1989) includes

below-grade tracks and award-winning

architecture. Just east of the tracks is Cedros

Avenue, known for its collection of interior


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design shops and the Belly-Up Tavern.

Our route today is heading over to Eden

Gardens, the collection of fine Mexican

restaurants just north of the Del Mar

Racetracks back stretch. A Latino enclave

dating back more than 60 years, Eden Gardens

is known forTonys Jacal, Fidels, Don Chuyand the other restaurants serving some of the

best food around.

From there, its a quick trip to Via de la Valle

and Interstate 5, or back to old 101 south to

San Diego. Beach, fair and race track traffic

can be heavy in this area.

Oceansides Daley says this drive is one of the

three best in the world. So what are his otherpicks?

Ill let everybody else choose the other two,

he says.


weekend driver san diego _ the great coast route_ old highway 101 beach cruise can’t be beat

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