Del-Mar Travel Guide
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Just up the coast from La Jolla, Del Mar is a community with about 4,500 inhabitants in a 2-square-mile municipality. The town has adamantly maintained its independence, eschewing incorporation into the city of San Diego. It's one of the most upscale communities in the county, yet Del Mar somehow manages to maintain a casual, small-town ambience that radiates personality and charm. Come summer, the town swells as visitors flock in for the thoroughbred horseracing season and the county's San Diego Fair.
Del Mar began in the 1880s soon after tracks for the Southern California Railroad were laid. Several resorts came and went, notably the Stratford Inn, built in 1910 and popular with early Hollywood royalty. The arrival of electricity (from the city of San Diego) launched a building boom in the 1920s. But the history and popularity of Del Mar are inextricably linked to the Del Mar Racetrack & Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. (tel. 858/753-5555; www.delmarfair.com), which still uses the fading aura of Hollywood celebrity as a marketing hook.
In 1933, crooner and actor Bing Crosby owned 44 acres in Del Mar, and added a stud barn for his thoroughbreds; in 1937 he turned the operation into the Del Mar Turf Club, enlisting the help of Pat O'Brien and other celebrity friends (like Jimmy Durante, whose eponymous street borders the racetrack grounds). Soon, Hollywood stars like Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Harry James, Betty Grable, and Bob Hope were regulars, and Del Mar experienced a resurgence in popularity. During World War II, racing was suspended. The club housed paratroopers in the horse stalls as well as marines taking amphibious training on the beach; aircraft assembly lines were even set up in the grandstand and clubhouse. Crosby sold his interest and moved out of the area just after the war, but the image of the racetrack -- and the town -- was set. You'll still hear the song Bing wrote and recorded to commemorate the track's opening day -- "Where the Surf Meets the Turf" -- played twice daily, before the first race and following the last post. A new grandstand opened in 1993, built in the Spanish mission style of the original structure; it features more seats, better race viewing, and a centrally located scenic paddock.
Today, just as popular as racing season is the San Diego County Fair, more popularly known as the Del Mar Fair and held next to the racetrack. Livestock competitions, garden shows, carnival rides, and hundreds of exhibit booths draw thousands of visitors for the 3-week event, held from mid-June to early July. For more information, call tel. 858/793-5555 or see www.sdfair.com.
