Where the Pacific Coast Highway stretches along the California coastline and into Los Angeles is the City of Santa Monica. Pristine beaches, beautiful hotels and resorts, Santa Monica is a must see for any visitor coming to southern California for relaxation and fun. Located between Venice and the mountains Santa Monica provides exciting excursions for everyone, from rollerblading, to fishing to just laying out.
The main area of interest when visiting Santa Monica is along the shoreline where Ocean Ave is the dominant thoroughfare for which shopping, dining and accommodations all extend off into separate streets. Tall and thick palm trees line the sidewalks for the entire length of Ocean Avenue. Ocean Ave runs in a north/south direction allowing visitors a constant view of the Pacific. Ocean Ave straddles a cliff where below are the beaches and bike paths. Dozens of hotels line Ocean Avenue and face out on to the Ocean affording guests spectacular views. There are a broad range of choices in restaurants on Ocean Ave, from hole in the walls to five star, celebrity driven menus. Several major streets cross Ocean Avenue and take visitors into Los Angeles proper and offer additional opportunities in shopping and dining. These streets include Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd and Broadway.
The 3rd St. Promenade is only 2 blocks inland from the beaches and Ocean Avenue. In the last decade the Third Street Promenade has transformed itself into one of the biggest shopping destinations in Los Angeles. Extending almost half a mile from Wilshire Blvd down to Broadway, the Promenade is a street closed to cars and consists of a brick road, lined by palm trees, kiosks and dozens of high end stores from home furnishings to fashion. On the weekends many street performers come out and perform a variety acts from music to acrobatic stunts as crowds gather and watch. There are many dining opportunities on 3rd Street to chose including pizza and Chinese. There are two movie theaters and a major mall under construction slated to open in late 2010 at the termination point of the Promenade at Broadway. There are many other shopping areas adjacent to the Third Street Promenade including 4th Street, 2nd Street and Santa Monica Blvd.
Jutting out from the beaches of Santa Monica and into the Ocean is the Santa Monica Pier. With a rollercoaster, Ferris Wheel, stalls, aquarium and fishing, the average visitor can spend a day on the pier. The pier is friendly to families and allows for a variety of fun activities. The Santa Monica Pier celebrated its 100 birthday in 2009 and to commemorate the event built a new Ferris wheel; at the top of the Ferris Wheel visitors can get a 360 view of the shoreline, all of Santa Monica and down into Venice. At the base of the pier are many skate and bicycle rental kiosks where the active traveler can venture up and down the coast to Venice.
Santa Monica is a full destination aside from visiting LA. In good traffic, Santa Monica is only less than thirty minutes from Hollywood and twenty from Beverly Hills.
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For additional information on visiting Santa Monica , see Journeycontinent.com and its guide on visiting Los Angeles.
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