The Promenade, or Prom, as it’s called by the locals, is a 1.5-mile-long boardwalk along the beach. In my opinion, it’s a major part of what gives Seaside its distinguished resort flair. The Promenade is one person’s credit. His name is Alexandre Gilbert. He was a land developer and Mayor of Seaside in the early 1900s. He donated the strip of land along the beach to the city specifically for the purpose of building an esplanade for the enjoyment of the Seasiders (or Seasidians, or whatever they are called) and visitors alike. And enjoying it they are!
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This is the "epicentre" of the Promenade. It’s a turnaround at the point where the main thoroughfare of the city – Broadway Street – hits the beach. There is nowhere to go from here, so your only option is to turn around.The turnaround sits almost at Prom’s middle point, from which the Promenade stretches in both directions.There is a monument on the roundabout that claims to signify the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were the leaders of an expedition, which crossed the continent from east to west in 1804-1806. Right before that the USA bought French Louisiana, a huge chunk of territory across the Mississippi River, constituting ¼ of the current (!) contiguous USA. (Contiguous means the main landmass of the US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Sometimes it is also called “the lower 48 states”).The Louisiana Purchase doubled the US territory and cost the Americans 15 million dollars ($600 BILLION today). Naturally, they were curious what they bought for all that enormous money. So they decided to go and look. President Thomas Jefferson formed a special army unit, Corps of Discovery, consisting of some 30 men, and sent them across the continent to see what’s out there. The group was led by 2 officers - Captain Lewis and Second Lieutenant Clark.They started off from a military compound Camp Dubois on the Mississippi River in present-day Illinois, right on the pre-purchase border of the US. After a year, they reached the Pacific. They built a fort at their final encampment, called Fort Clatsop, to establish the US presence in the region. After spending a winter, they returned to the United States proper the way they came. That track is now a revered American Heritage thing - Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.During the winter at Fort Clatsop, the members of the expedition built and operated the saltworks (an installation for boiling ocean water to make salt for the return journey) on this exact site, presumably. Since Fort Clatsop was some distance away from the ocean, and the saltworks was right on the beach (as depicted on the pedestal right there), Seaside decided that it gives them the right to say that the expedition technically reached the Pacific here. Hence, “End of the Trail”.The locals enjoying Prom.This is how the Promenade looks for its almost entire length - a balustrade with lampposts.The Promenade goes along the edge of the dunes, effectively separating them from the town.A fancy houses right on the Promenade. Houses like this are all guesthouses and B&Bs now.Nothing special about this hotel, except that I love the golden trimming on the roof. The colour is not photoshopped. It is really bright yellow. [Just adding some drama here.]The turnaround at night.A cute little working model of a lighthouse right on the Promenade.I made this video specifically to show that the lighthouse is really working, with reflector turning and everything.There is a small Aquarium right on the Promenade. If you are interested in watching seals and other aquatic creatures, feel free to visit. The only thing that interested me, though, was this blue whale skeleton, exhibited in the window. By the way, did you know that the lower jaw of a blue whale (called mandible) is the largest bone on Earth?Press ESC to exit
