By Nicklas Balboa/ The Inertia / October 31, 2024
After living in San Francisco for years, I finally made the commitment to the SOCAL life and moved to San Diego. I bounced around for a few months, and fell in love with Ocean Beach. Something about the graffitied walls, the painted murals, the hippie-esque culture, the homelessness, and the cold surf made me feel at home. But in my heart, there was only one OB.
Growing up in the Bay Area, I always thought that the title OB belonged to San Francisco’s fabled Ocean Beach… but after moving to Ocean Beach in San Diego, I was confused when I saw the OB stickers on every car in town.
After asking friends from home in SF, and local buddies in San Diego, it appeared that everyone was in agreement that their neighborhood was (un)officially called OB. And people less in the know from either pole of the state were unaware that the other side had an Ocean Beach to represent.