I used to ride my skateboard down there from Gardena. Man that was an all day job. I actually made the trip down there yesterday because I had a hankerin for some Zeppy's Pizza. Nex time I'm in the South Bay, I'll have to take a trip to Castle Park's arcade.
As far as what it used to be like, it seemed to be pretty much the same. I remember there being way more games(but it could just be one of those memory things). It was always jam packed and they still had the Rides and other amusements (fortune teller machines, puppet show machines, rides, etc.). I remember that arcade as being the one that had Space Ace. There were 2 arcades at the Pier, the other one was underground and was much cleaner.