Meet NY Larry

People often ask how a kid from the Bronx ended up calling California's Central Coast home. Like most good stories, it wasn't exactly planned.

I grew up in a six-story apartment building in the Bronx, where the Bronx River Park was my backyard. Winters meant sledding down snowy hills, and summers were filled with stickball, handball, and neighborhood adventures.

When my dad retired, our family moved to the North Fork of Long Island—back when it was known as the "poor man's Hamptons." There were potato farms, commercial fishermen, and not many tourists. We had a boat in the backyard, and while Dad headed out fishing in the mornings, I was usually behind the boat waterskiing in the afternoons. Looking back, I realize just how lucky I was.

Life took another unexpected turn after a blind date in San Diego introduced me to Karen. Many red-eye flights between New York and California later—and after surviving the Blizzard of 1984—I decided it was time to trade snow shovels for sunshine.

In 1991, while working in Long Beach, a coworker invited us to Thanksgiving dinner at his sister's home in Grover City (before it became Grover Beach). During that visit, I discovered Los Osos, Baywood Park, and Morro Bay. I fell in love with the area almost immediately. By the spring of 1992, we had moved to Los Osos, and I've never looked back.

When Windows 95 launched, I started my own computer support company, helping real estate offices, mortgage brokers, hotels, and local businesses navigate the new world of computers and networking. I also had the honor of serving as President of Bay-Osos Kiwanis while helping raise my granddaughter—one of the most rewarding chapters of my life.

Today I'm happily retired, but my curiosity hasn't retired with me. If anything, I love this community more than ever.

For years I'd talked about starting a local blog. With encouragement from a dear friend, Baywood Tides finally became a reality.

People often ask where the name came from. Almost every morning you'll find me at the Nautical Bean on the Baywood Pier with a wonderful group of friends affectionately known as the "Baywood Navy." We drink coffee, solve the world's problems, swap stories, and watch the estuary come alive. No two mornings are ever the same. The tides are always changing, the light is always different, and each day offers a new perspective. That daily ritual inspired the name Baywood Tides.

This blog is my way of sharing the stories that make this place so special—the history, colorful characters, local businesses, live music, hidden gems, and the little moments that make Baywood Park and the Central Coast feel like home.

Whether you're a lifelong local, a new neighbor, or just passing through, I hope you'll find something here that makes you smile, learn something new, or inspires you to slow down and enjoy the view.

Thanks for stopping by. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and welcome to Baywood Tides.