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I wandered through the complex to the Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), also designed by Gill in 1934. e starkly simple fire station next-door is a Gill building, as is the nearby Oceanside Blade-Tribune building now housing Blade 1936 restaurant. e museum recently received a $30,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant for its current exhibition, Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean. Running until January 19, 2025, it explores the cultural and environmental devastation of the Pacific Ocean. Resort Living Seeking breakfast for lunch, I slid into a table at the High/Low café across from the beach on Pacific Street. Once fortified, I headed up to Mission Pacific Beach Resort's hugely popular pool and Rooftop Bar. Mission Pacific and the adjacent Seabird Resort & Spa both opened in 2021, significantly upping the lodging bar in Oceanside and along the county's coastline. e construction was the largest oceanfront development in San Diego in decades and greatly boosted Oceanside's tourism profile. e two hotels act as one resort with joint signing privileges. Nearby, the "Top Gun House," the historic Victorian from the 1986 Tom Cruise film, now houses High-Pie, where hand-sized pie flavors include apple, cherry, and blueberry. Families appeared quite comfortable at Seabird, with its laid- back beach cottage feel. e art in both hotels was curated by the Oceanside Museum of Art. Back in the lobby I found a seat facing the deck at the Seabird's Shore Room, envying those around the deck's fire pits ordering cocktails and oysters. I kept my eye on the sky and ambled toward the pier as light started glowing. It seemed half the town was headed to the beach. In fact, many folks were coming from the ursday night Sunset Market, a weekly event with food trucks and bands a few blocks up Pier View Way. A sizable crowd filled the beach below on both sides of the pier and surfers posed before the setting sun. As the golden light hovered above the water, lovers, friends, families, and fishermen stared intently. A hush fell as the sun melted into the sea, leaving the sky a burnished coral. I hung around until dark, then joined the amiable crowd leaving the pier. Several gleaming lowriders stopped for the throngs crossing Pacific Street as I made my way to my hotel and the Rooftop Bar. Sleep came easily to the faint sounds of the surf and I had time in the morning for one more coffee on the balcony. en I enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Seabird's Piper restaurant before walking back to the train. I stayed in holiday mode for the whole ride home, and made note that that should the muddle return, all I have to do is hop on the train for O'side. detour destinations TOP The Oceanside Museum of Art's impressive Art After Dark costume parade will take place on October 26 MIDDLE The Victorian house from the movie Top Gun at the Mission Pacific Resort now houses the High-Pie dessert shop BOTTOM Ocean views are highlighted from the pool at The Seabird Resort OCEANSIDE MUSEUMM OF ART & HIGH-PIE DESSERT SHOP: PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIBETH MELLIN THE SEABIRD RESORT: PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SEABIRD RESORT << ranchandcoast.com 112 OCTOBER 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE