This is just one post in the Other Oceans & Beaches Stories Category

Reopening marks new chapter in Malibu Pier’s history book

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 29, 2008 at 6:25 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

After years of false starts and construction delays, the fabled Malibu Pier — or at least part of it — will reopen today.

Built in 1905, the structure has been the scene of TV and movie filming (”The Rockford Files,” “Gidget,” “Beach Blanket Bingo”) and celebrity sportfishing. It was used as a World War II lookout post. Later, Alice’s Restaurant (inspired by the Arlo Guthrie song) served its famous B-52 cocktail to droves of visitors. But a series of severe winter storms so damaged the pier that it was closed to the public in 1995. In recent years, it has seen limited use by fishermen and other visitors who craved some full-scale amenities to go with the million-dollar view.

Today, a gala fundraiser will mark the official unveiling of a bar and restaurant at the Pacific Coast Highway entrance to the refurbished structure.

Visitors venturing onto the weathered boards will see two wood-sided white buildings with royal blue trim. One is the Beachcomber Cafe (formerly Alice’s), a bar and restaurant featuring seafood and a mid-1940s atmosphere. Across from that is the Malibu Pier Club, which for several weeks has been serving cocktails and lighter fare from a small indoor bar and an outdoor deck.

A TV over the bar shows a loop of home movies shot at the pier during its heyday years ago. Photos of bathing beauties and buff beachgoers from decades past line the walls.

At the seaward end of the pier, construction delays have forced the Ruby Restaurant Group of Newport Beach to push back the opening of a burger joint, now expected to open in August. A bait-and-tackle shop, coastal boat tours and a surf museum are also planned. Two sportfishing boats already operate from the pier.