Postcards with Summer Vibes
A Love Letter to the Pike
If summer had a smell, it would be a tangled swirl of hot pavement, cotton candy, salty sea breeze, and just a hint of slightly overcooked funnel cake. And if it had a soundtrack? It would be laughter, screams from the Scrambler, and the click-clack-clunk of a wooden rollercoaster daring gravity to behave.
Lucky for us vintage souls, summer also has a look—and that look comes in the form of two glorious postcards from The Pike in Long Beach, California. Ah yes, The Pike… the wild, wonderful, and slightly chaotic cousin to Disneyland, minus the princesses but with double the thrills.
Every time I hold one of these postcards, I’m instantly eight years old again—squished up next to my sister on the Scrambler as it whipped us side to side like a ride-run renegade. We'd giggle until we wheezed, sticky with saltwater and soda spills, and completely blissed out. The Pike wasn’t just an amusement park—it was our summer ritual, a sacred space where childhood memories bloomed wild and free.
We went every summer with our Mamaw and Papaw, plus the lovely residents from their Board and Care home. Let me tell you, Papaw was fearless—he rode that rickety Cyclone rollercoaster like a cowboy wrangling a tornado. We screamed with him the whole way, convinced we’d fly off the track and straight into the Pacific. It was terrifying. It was epic. It was everything.
The Pike opened in 1902 and hosted its final scream sometime around 1979. These days, it’s a tamer version of its former self—a park with a nod to the past but missing that electric spark. Still, these postcards? They’re time machines. They hold the joy, the noise, the neon-soaked nights, and every ounce of magic we left behind.
So, cheers to sticky fingers, ocean breezes, and rickety rides. To the places that made us squeal with joy and scream with delight. To The Pike, forever our postcard-perfect summer.
Wanna keep the summer vibes going?
Hit reply and tell me your favorite summer memory—or the postcard that instantly transports you back in time. I’d love to hear it.
Browse my eBay shop for vintage gems and postcard treasures: Postcard Chick on eBay
Or take a stroll through sunshine and snail mail over at DearlyPostmarked.com and peek into my postcard world on Instagram: @xoxojarielyn
XOXO, JarieLyn