The Pike

[DomsMom09]

WOW! Talk about classic, precious memories. It's because of the Cyclone I don't like rollercoasters to this day. lol

[TL250Rider]

This is Fantastic.

Now we have Little Irvine.

Still cool.

Bring back the Jergins Subway.

[Gryphonalia]

Can't blame Disney. Disneyland was built with the intention of being what these old parks were not: Clean and safe. The Pike was run for profit, little was ever put back into it, less was done to make it attractive to families--I remember going as a kid in the sixties and even then it seemed worn and dirty. Today, of course, Disney's level of clean and safe has taken on a rather sinister image as suggestive of what's wrong with the US, but still, the Pike killed itself.

[muspobear]

The Cyclone Racer was demolished the next year: 1968! A coincidence??!! LOL

[muspobear]

We can all thank Good-Ole Walt Disney for the demise of this Great-Park and Good-Ole POP to boot! POP Closed in the fall of 67, than ole Disney worked on killing off the Pike by destroying the Cyclone Racer!

As the ole BOXING saying goes: "Kill The Body And The Head Will Die"! I'm sure you get what I mean??!! Enough said...

[mattsersion]

very well done!

[1oldys]

Great memories, to bad it died a slow death, with the navy pulling out, Disneyland and bigger attractions took over. It was a fun ride while it lasted...

[MrBeach]

I loved going to The Pike as a kid in the late 60's early 70's. It was kinda seedy back then with a whole bunch sailors on shore leave, the tattoo parlors, peep show theaters, pawn shops, and adult movie theaters on Ocean Blvd. My dad just steered me towards the weird and fun attractions like the arcades,fun house, house of mirrors, and the wax museum, (where they eventually discovered a real Egyptian mummy when they were closing it down, that was recently returned to the Egyptian Government).

[DanMan869]

@MrBeach Um, sorry, but--you're wrong. It wasn't an "Egyptian Mummy" but a criminal from Oklahoma named Elmer McCurdy. Google him and "Pike" and you'll read the story of how his body was inadvertently discovered at The Pike by a TV show film crew in December 1976 and that his body was returned to Oklahoma for burial in April 1977. No Egyptian mummy.

[MrBeach]

@DanMan869

My Bad. I confused my dried up corpse stories! But I still enjoyed The Pike as a kid! The TV show was the Six Million Dollar Man.

[fedairIV]

Thanks for the photos. I spent a lot of time at the pike in the 60´s. I remember the cyclone racer, the bumper cars,the diving bell and all the arcades....great memories

[chrismcreynolds]

thanks so much for sharing and bringing back so many happy memories. I was showing my son who will be 40 next month these pictures and he remembered when he and I took a bus from Alhambra to the pike and spent the day. Great just great!

[4lostinamerica]

Thank You, I laughed when I read the comment that there were too many sailors at the Pike, that's the reason my Aunt used to take us kids there! I saw the old hospital where I was born In one of the pictures, it's now long gone. My Grandfather's younger teenage brother was killed on a roller coaster at the Pike. I think it was an old figure eight coaster and it happened in the late 20's, he stood up in the car and was struck in the head by the superstructure.

[jk908077]

Thank you so much for this site. I was born in Long Beach in 1947 and you have helped me relive so many wonderful memories from over the years! What fun we had!

[TL250Rider]

Thank You

This is wonderful

[moonphone]

My big sister used to take me and my nieces to nu-pike every so often back in the 60's. It seemed so much more exciting than Disneyland (to me anyway). It was the real deal. I still remember the Laff in the Dark ride with the laughing couple and the house of mirrors...

[denny906]

As a kid growing up in the 60's every summer me and my best friend used to take a bus from Wilmington to Downtown L.B. to spend the day at the Pike, it was called Nu-Pike back then though. We'd get there before the place opened at 10 a.m. and stay all day and into the night before taking the last bus back at 11 p.m. I still remember us riding the Cyclone Racer especially after dark when the two tracks were being used. What a thrilling rollercoaster at 35 cents per ride.

[TL250Rider]

This is wonderful Long Beach Needs a other Cyclone Racer The real thing.

Thank you for this site

[groovyUtube]

As a Long beach native I remember going there as a kid the place was great except for all the sailors. The new thing Long Beach built and calls The Pike is a total POS. Thanks for posting thoes pics.

[VideoEnthusiast1]

I totally agree with you. The shopping area that now occupies the site of the pike is boring. I was there last sunday and the place was empty, except for a few people. After watching this video, I wished I got to experience the pike when it was there.

[thesethingz]

In the 60's my Dad lived right up the street from the Pike. We used to go on the weekends. I remember my faves were the double ferris wheel, the cyclone roller coaster and the Laff in the Dark with that big laughing lady. LOL! Thanks for the memories!!

[denny906]

When I was a kid I'd ride the PE train into Downtown L.B. and walk down Pine St to the Pike in the late 50's to early 60's. Downtown was alive back then, full of movie theatres, sailors and bars. They used to have Roller Games at the L.B. arena.

[jimmyhd1969]

It was the coney island of the west coast.

[TheBoxingGuru]

Wow thanks so much for posting this! I remember going there as a kid, and I tell my kids about it, and they look at me like I'm NUTS... NOW I CAN SHOW THEM!!!!

[beenmean]

Thanks jerry, I grew up down the street from the nu-pike. It had the nick name the jungle. We were "kids in a candy store".