Santa Monica Born - Val

Santa Monica Born

I was born in 1952 at Santa Monica Hospital. My father and mother lived in Santa Monica on Pearl St. near 14th prior to my birth. My parents had met in Venice where my father worked at many of the Roller Coasters that lined the beach side and my mother at an ice cream palor in Ocean Park. The coaster on POP was the same coaster that my father had worked at years before it was put on the Ocean Park Pier. Coming from South Dakota, my father settled in Santa Monica in the early 1920's, living at boarding houses and working as a "carnie". My mother grew up in Venice for the most part, as my grandfather worked for the Al G. Barnes Circus that wintered in Venice. He bought a house Carroll Canal and is buried along with my grandmother in Woodlawn Cemetary.

I lived in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga before returning to Santa Monica where I was born and have lived since 1976. Iuse to roller skate in the old ballroom on Saturdays and also rode the go karts that use to be down near the Merry go Round. The rides on the trams down to Ocean Park were always fun too. I also played the many games and fished off the pier in my younger years. I graduated from Olympic High School in 1970. It seemed like the 70's were a changing point in the pier and the people that frequented it. I spent time at the old Cheetah Pier whiched housed a club named "The Beach House". Good rock n roll and lots of cool people hung out there. I ate at Sinbads with my Dad quite a bit too and later at the Boat House.

Val Streit