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Los Angeles Scenic Drives I
Part I-c: Santa Monica
Seeing L. A. like a native
Your Los Angeles scenic drive continues on to the sights of Santa Monica. Start with Part I-a, if you haven't read it.
In this section, you visit —
- Santa Monica Pier (Baywatch, Ruthless People, etc.),
- Santa Monica Pier area restaurants,
- Santa Monica High School (the celebrity factory),
- Dogtown — skateboarding epicenter,
- Palisades Park,
- Muscle Beach (old and new),
- Ocean Avenue (numerous films),
- former home of Academy Awards,
- Santa Monica Beach
- Venice Beach Boardwalk.
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When last spotted in Part I-b, you were headed from Malibu to Santa Monica on Pacific Coast Highway—California Highway One—along the beautiful Southern California coastline.
Anytime works great for this portion of the drive, but around sunset works even better.
Santa Monica
After passing Will Rogers State Beach, you reach Santa Monica.
People don't think of Santa Monica as a celebrity town, but many film and television stars—including Jane Fonda—have lived in Santa Monica, and, as you'll learn, nearly countless movies and television shows have been filmed there.
Entering Santa Monica
From Malibu, Highway One—the Pacific Coast Highway—runs into Interstate 10. You don't even have to watch for an exit.
You'll just be on I-10 for a moment.
Almost immediately, take the Highway One exit off I-10 at Lincoln Boulevard.
Within a block, turn right onto Pico Boulevard.
Dogtown skateboard neighborhood
At the peak of her fame, Jane Fonda chose to live in the much poorer southeastern part of Santa Monica—below Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards—commonly called Dogtown, also known, in part, as Ocean Park.
This area (you're at the edge of it now) spilt over into the adjacent Venice Beach district of Los Angeles—another rough neighborhood long past its prime.
What's so interesting is that you can really say that skateboarding as an extreme sport originated in this part of Santa Monica.
The development of a surfing culture and modern skateboarding techniques in Dogtown, as well as its fascinating social fabric, are brilliantly portrayed in the Sean Penn-narrated 2002 documentary "Dogtown & the Z-Boys."
The 2005 film "Lords of Dogtown" was also based on this neighborhood and young people like Tony Alva who changed skateboarding forever here.
Rising real estate values (at least until recently!) profoundly changed the character of Dogtown. You'll find more of its old flavor in adjacent Venice Beach, but even that is changing, as wealthier and less culturally and politically radical people move in.
Santa Monica High School
As you turn off Lincoln onto Pico, you'll pass Santa Monica High School on your right, which was featured in "Rebel Without a Cause" staring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Better teenage angst has perhaps never been filmed.
Santa Monica High served as a virtual factory for top Hollywood talent.
Former students include Sean Penn, Heather Thomas, Rob Lowe, Gloria Stuart (Titanic), Robert Downey, Jr., Charlie Sheen, and on and on. Not all of these, as you can easily imagine, managed to graduate.
Santa Monica High doesn't show up well from the street. One wonders whether the high chain fence was built more for keeping restless students in or intruders out.
Just beyond the high school, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, home of the Santa Monica Symphony and location of the 2007 Critic's Choice Awards of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, pops up on your right. From 1961 through 1968, the Academy Awards were held here.
Santa Monica Pier
Turn right at Ocean Avenue.
Find parking—not always easily done.
Try turning left into the entrance for Santa Monica Pier, where there's some paid parking adjacent to the pier (although this may be a waste of time on warm days).
Otherwise, park on or near Ocean Avenue and then walk to the Santa Monica Pier entrance ramp at Colorado Street.
One block inland from Ocean, along Colorado Street, you'll come to Santa Monica Place, whose northwest entrance on the other side of the building was used to show the outside of the mall in the high school classic "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Scenes from Terminator II and others were shot inside.
Santa Monica Pier also has been featured in nearly countless films and television shows, as has this entire area of Santa Monica, including
- numerous Baywatch episodes (look for the pier),
- Beverly Hills Cops,
- Down and Out in Beverly Hills,
- The Sting, and my favorite pier scene—
- Ruthless People, with a memorable scene of Bette Midler kicking Danny DiVito off the pier. (Please note that throwing irritating people off the pier, however morally justified, is illegal.)
Santa Monica Pier restaurants
Santa Monica Pier dining goes beyond the usual cotton candy and hot dogs you expect on an amusement pier.
For delicious family dining, I recommend two places reasonably close to the pier:
El Cholo Cafe, 1025 Wilshire Boulevard (enter off 11th Street—see directions to P.F. Chang's below).
Don't let the valet parking mislead you. This awesomely excellent Southern California-style Mexican restaurant is not expensive. Sister of oldest Mexican restaurant in California, with same menu and quality.
Start with the caesar salad, a dish first created in Baja California, and have some "guac." Then move on to a cheese enchilada in a "combinaciones" plate. The blue corn enchiladas are also outstanding. Share some green corn tamales in season. I love everything on the menu, but the cheese enchiladas and their sauce are special favorites. El Cholo uses no lard.
Dine inside, not outside adjacent to the valet parking!
If you're watching the carbs, as I should be, or want a training, vegan, or gluten-free menu, try the following:
P.F. Chang's China Bistro, 326 Wilshire Boulevard. (Exit the pier, turn left onto Ocean, and then right onto Wilshire.)
This location has the consistant quality you expect from this chain. Very moderate cost considering its location. Very vegetarian friendly, with these dishes cooked in a separate area of the kitchen. Extremely busy, but have your meal at the bar when no tables are available.
For faster service, popular regional chain Wahoo's has a branch at 418 Wilshire. Fish tacos and other mostly Mexican treats.
Unlike some beach towns, Santa Monica has many fine restaurants.
Muscle Beach
Walk out to the end of the Santa Monica pier for great views.
If you wish, take the steps down to the beachfront walk below, but do not walk on the beach after dark. (You can also drive down to the beach area.)
On your left, as you face the ocean, was the original location of Muscle Beach.
This area—at first a place to practice gymnastics in the ocean air—evolved during the 1930's into an awesome outdoor gym, which attracted body builders from around the world.
Alumni from one or both Muscle Beach locations include Joe Gold, Jack La Lanne, Vic Tanny, Joe Weider, and—of course—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. An increasing number of female body builders also use the equipment at the new Muscle Beach.
The Santa Monica Muscle Beach was the birthplace of the physical fitness movement in the United States!
Not only did these pioneers culture their appearance, they also put great emphasis on the foods they ate, making L. A. the "health food" (as it was called then) capital of the world. Where else could you enjoy an organic juice bar in the early 1950's?
You now find Muscle Beach along the Venice Beach Boardwalk, some two miles down the beach. If you've always wanted to lift 600 pounds outdoors in view of the public, this is the place to do it. The Los Angeles Parks & Recreation Department provides the equipment.
The multi-purpose outdoor recreation center that includes "Muscle Beach" hosted the memorable opening scenes from the movie "White Men Can't Jump."
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Venice Beach Boardwalk fronts a fascinating neighborhood, one of the most unique in the U.S. What out-of-the-ordinary Southern California characters and behaviors you'll witness.
You may not wish to make fun of these people. With California being the cultural trendsetter that it is, you might find yourself behaving like them someday!
"So jump for joy
Be blithe and gay,
Or weep my friends with sorrow
For what California is today
The rest will be tomorrow"
—the late poet Richard Armour
If you'd like to visit the current Muscle Beach and Venice Beach Boardwalk, take Ocean Avenue southeast from the Santa Monica Pier area. This turns into Neilson Way and then into Pacific Avenue.
When you reach 18th Place, find parking, and walk toward the ocean. If you've driven past Venice Boulevard, you have gone too far.
Although reasonably safe during the day due to the sheer number of visitors, avoid this area at night. Do not leave valuables visible in your car.
The other beaches we discuss are usually significantly cleaner than Venice Beach.
Ocean Avenue
From the Santa Monica Pier ramp entrance, walk or drive down Ocean Avenue toward the west—along Palisades Park—for some great views.
Walk along the cliff side path that overlooks Santa Monica Beach. You'll see Malibu toward your right and LAX airport toward your left, as you look out toward the Pacific.
Ocean Avenue and adjacent Palisades Park are favorite filming locations.
When she won her cash prize in "White Men Can't Jump," Rosie Perez moved into one of the ocean view condos along Ocean Avenue. In "Bringing Down the House," Steve Martin opened a law practice there.
Historic Route 66 ended where Santa Monica Boulevard runs into Ocean Avenue. Bandleader Lawrence Welk once owned the tall office tower at the corner of Wilshire and Ocean.
The Ocean Avenue area—both east and west of the pier—has most of the better hotels in Santa Monica.
Leaving Santa Monica
Interstate 10 reaches the beach under the ramp leading to the Santa Monica Pier.
If you're south and east of the pier, drive up any northbound major street away from the ocean, and then turn left onto 4th Street to reach I-10. If you're north and west of the pier, drive up any major northbound street, and then turn right onto 4th Street to reach 1-10.
Once on I-10, you can return to anywhere in the Los Angeles area.
HOWEVER, why not enjoy BidonTravel's scenic night-time drive? Don't worry if its not dark yet. This wonderful drive starts with daytime sightseeing.
Take I-10 to La Cienega Boulevard and then follow the signs to northbound La Cienega. Drive north to the Beverly Center Mall at Beverly Boulevard.
To proceed from there, go to Los Angeles and Hollywood at-night scenic drive.
Have a super time in Los Angeles!
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Los Angeles Scenic Drives, Part II: Los Angeles and Hollywood at Night
