April 12, 2000

It's time to play the license plate game

For a little coastal city, we get a lot of out-of-staters visiting and passing through. In fact, it was over 20 years ago that I started a little game that taught me quite a lesson about those good folk from across the nation and the world who spend time with us.

The concept was simple enough. I made a little booklet, small enough to fit in my shirt pocket, and I listed the names of all the states, Canadian provinces, American territories, and a few foreign countries. The first time I saw a car license inside Pacifica from a given state or area, I noted the date.

By the time the first week was done, half the states had been spotted. By the end of the third week 41 states and three Canadian provinces had been scrutinized, all the Canadians on the same day.

There were out of state cars in driveways all over town. But we also found them on the move on Cabrillo Highway, shopping center parking lots, and the San Pedro beach parking lot. One of the best places to spot the quarry was Nick's parking lot. Today, of course, the RV park would be a logical place to visit. I'm not sure that would be fair. Too much like shooting fish in barrels.

The big western states showed up early. Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada repeated time and again. Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Illinois, and Arizona were all plentifully represented. One Illinois car was so eaten out with rust I suspected it was really a Pacifica native in disguise.

Roughly one month into the informal survey, I still needed some of the smaller New England states, including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. Delaware, North Dakota and South Carolina were also elusive. In fact, I didn't finish that list of states for three years. Finally South Carolina and then Vermont completed the roster.

Small states send us fewer visitors than large states, but it's obvious New Englanders are least likely to visit the California coast. After all, they've their own scenic coast. What's more, they're farther away than the rest of the country. There are fewer Alaskans, but they are psychologically closer to us, and more of them visit us. We're far more likely to see someone from Barrow, AK, than Barre, VT.

When you see an out of state plate, salute it. Make those visitors feel welcome. Visitors give a stimulus to our economy. Our tourist industry needs the constant encouragement all Pacificans can give it. The McCarthys, Carl and Grace, are responsible for that delightfully simple slogan, "Scenic Pacifica." Those two words say it all, and they say it well. Tourists are our destiny, and our commercial salvation. I've said that before, but it's worth repeating. They're worth the effort to invite them here. They're worth the effort to make them happy. They ask little. Often a simple walk from a Rockaway motel up to a headland is enough to make a permanent and delighted impression. It's important to remember a tourist who's enjoyed his welcome is a tourist who may return. He may also bring his friends or enthusiastically send them in his stead.

Some recent Reactor columns may be found at Paul Azevedo's website, http://www.thereactor.net/ Reach him by e-mail at Paul@thereactor.net