Santa Monica, home of "Baywatch", Pacific Ocean Park, surf and sun! One of our best beach cities to visit in California. One of the amazing founders of the city was Californio landowner Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker (1827-1912).
Her amazing conservation foresight created the beautiful public area of Palisade Park overlooking Santa Monica Bay. When she died Arcadia was one of the wealthiest women in America. #beaches#santamonica#californiacoast
Her great-nephew was actor Leo Carrillo of "Cisco Kid" fame. Carrillo was also an ardent conservationist who helped protect historic and natural places in California . He has a State Park in the area named in his honor.
Guided by Mr. L.A.Tours Tom Sanchez , we also explore the site of he old Pacific Ocean Park (POP) area along with remembering with David Hasselhoff and crew ran these beaches to film the hugely popular series "Baywatch".
For some great info about Pacific Ocean Park Santa Monica History Museum Video:
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I'm excited to be here at Palisades Park in Santa Monica with Tom Sanchez.
And Tom, who is this lovely lady?
This is the one and the only Arcadia Bandini de Baker,
the first lady of Santa Monica, one of the founders of it,
and the most important woman in California in the late 19th, early 20th century.
And she has a famous nephew. Who is that?
Oh, Leo Carrillo. For anybody that watched TV in the 50s.
As Poncho, he played opposite Duncan Reynaldo's Cisco
in the wildly successful TV series, The Cisco Kid.
Say, you haven't said a word in two hours.
He's been riding in so much dust, I got little horses in my throat like you have.
Leo Carrillo's family, including his great aunt, Mrs. Baker here,
were some of the first non-Native American inhabitants of the area.
I mean, you're looking at a vast expanse of parkland.
And why isn't this like Miami Beach, where there's just a bunch of hotels,
or at least rich people's homes? Why is that?
You can thank three generations of the Carrillo family, starting with Mrs. Baker for that.
Even though she was one of the greatest, one of the biggest landowners of the area,
she had the foresight to save parcels of land that could be used for
what she called public purposes.
Later on, her nephew, Leo Carrillo's father,
who was one of the earliest mayors of Santa Monica,
she told him to use one parcel of land to create a cemetery,
and another one for a public park.
And then, Leo Carrillo himself spent 18 years, while he was making films,
he was a member of the California Parks and Beaches Commission,
which is a forerunner of the State Parks Department.
And the Coastal Commission.
And the Coastal Commission, yes.
And he personally spearheaded the campaign to save
Hearst Castle and Anza Borrego State Park.
And also, I know Leo Carrillo was born downtown.
Tell me a little bit about that.
Yes, like all of the California families,
Leo Carrillo was born in what was the ancestral family home,
right on the plaza, right north of Olvera Street.
And that was the, you could imagine, almost like the mayor's residence,
because his father's uncle was mayor of Los Angeles.
Wow.
So, Tom, this is just an iconic image, the Ferris wheel.
Absolutely.
The surf breaking behind us.
You can't get more LA than this.
Yeah, but you and I aren't in our red swimsuits.
What's the red swimsuit connection to this place?
Oh, Baywatch.
Anybody that watched TV 20 years ago?
Baywatch.
So, and you said it was at Leo Carrillo and here.
Yes, yeah.
And tell just quick memories of that show in terms of what happened here.
Oh, yeah, they would film first thing in the morning.
So, all those lifeguards that were supposed to be out enjoying the sun,
they were like freezing at 7 30 in the morning,
trying to get their first shots of the day.
David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson.
So, Tom, Pacific Park is a reference casting us back to Pacific Ocean Park, BOP.
So, tell us, you went there as a kid.
Tell us what used to be around here.
One of my earliest memories.
Yeah, I went on the the basket ride that used to go out
about a half a mile out in the ocean and then it would return.
I was about three years old at the time.
And like, wow, you know, it's good.
The heck out of you.
Oh, and it was only here for a short period of time.
Yes, but there's also many other amusement attractions
that have been out here on this.
Oh, absolutely.
This, you know, there was the original amusement park here at Santa Monica Pier
that closed down in the in the late 60s.
There was the Long Beach Pike, the oldest of them.
There was one in Venice Pier.
So, this whole South Bay was just like a pleasure pier palace.
Yeah, and they used to eat and those were the late comers
because there also were the big bath houses and the joy zones.
They had fun and the ballrooms, too.
A lot of major bands, including Lawrence Welk, got his start.
At the Aragon Ballroom over at Pacific Ocean Park.
Yeah, of course.
Well, here you go, Pacific Park.
Come down and see it here in Santa Monica.
And so here we are.
We have Arcadia to thanks for this beautiful park.
We have Santa Monica, part of the best coasts of California,
just within eyesight here.
And I have Tom Sanchez to thank Mr. L.A. Tours.
Thank you, Tom.
You're very welcome, Pat.
Thanks for having me here.
