There’s more to this city than its fabled pier that attracts an estimated 10 million tourists a year. Much, much more.
New York City has the Empire State Building, Hollywood has cutout letters strung across a hillside, and Santa Monica has its pier: a single, focus-pulling element that looms large in the public consciousness. So large in fact, that it attracts an estimated 10 million tourists a year. Some come to ride the world’s only solar-powered, LED-covered Ferris wheel. Others come to complete a a pilgrimage that began in Chicago — reaching the western terminus of historic Route 66.
That’s because, if you’re lucky enough to score a $10 pool pass , you’ll have access to the very same pool where Davies hosted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, restored to its Gold Coast glory, complete with green and white marble decking, mosaic pool-bottom tiles and an exquisite hand-painted decorative fish motif.
Giving the park a particularly tranquil feel is its focus-pulling waterscape: three man-made ponds and a gently gurgling waterfall connected by meandering streams. Considered the largest municipal pond in the country, and dating to 1931, it feels barely bigger than a Beverly Hills hotel pool but teems with wildlife; ducks paddling serenely on the surface, a dole of turtles sunning themselves on a grassy outcropping and hummingbirds flitting about on a never-ending hunt for nectar.
There’s the story of the Astro-Nut — a peanut from the restaurant that patron Alan Shepard smuggled to the moon and back aboard Apollo 14, later presenting it to the owner. There’s the small sign near the bar noting that it’s home to the oldest Heineken tap in Santa Monica. There’s the constellation of Hollywood stars that have dined, drank and debauched here since it opened in 1959: Lee Marvin , Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, John Belushi, Jim Morrison and Judy Garland to name just a few.
The narrow alleys connect a rabbit warren of postage-stamp-sized shops that range from the retro-delightfully mundane to the SoCal stylish . Throw in a Goop lifestyle store, a Christian Louboutin boutique and a luxe kid’s store and you’re well on your way toward the rare kind of retro-retail romp that will empty your wallet and feed your soul at the same time., this first and fourth of the month event had been a go-to for locals and design professionals alike for more than two decades.
Inside the airy, high-ceilinged structure, the wide archways and latticed windows allow light to stream in beautifully, perfect for content creators looking to capture that clean food blog shot. Order a turkey sub, a summer lunch that’s equal parts fresh and flavorful thanks to the addition of crispy chicken skin and pickle mayo. And if you ever move away from L.A.? The 20-year-old-brand, which has published six cookbooks, offers nationwide shipping on its website.
Take, for example, the Pole Garage, owned and operated by Drea and David Roers, which has been in business since 2009. Drea Roers was an early adopter of pole fitness, beginning her pole dance journey in 2003. “I fell in love with how pole dancing made me feel: alive, strong and confident,” she said. “In my heart and soul, I needed to share that profound and personal sense of freedom and expression I had experienced.
The American Cinematheque‘s programming is a mix of revivals and retrospectives, with a few first-run special evenings with filmmakers mixed in as well. It’s on the Westside, so you never know who you might see. Robert Redford came here as a kid. Donnie Darko took a date there once. It’s been around for 83 years and, with a little luck, will live to be a centenarian. Oh, and the popcorn’s pretty damn good too.
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