On the Promenade

Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is every bit as popular as its Pier.  Throngs of people visit the restaurants and pricey shops that line the streets from Broadway to Wilshire Blvd. especially on the weekend. We were there on Saturday evening after the never-ending Cirque du Soleil performance (review to follow) and we couldn't find any place to eat. That was not because there are few restaurants, on the contrary, there are many but the wait times were unbelievable as young and old played the culinary version of how many people can fit into a phone booth. It was frustrating to have two hungry little girls and no place to feed them.

We have actually visited the Promenade several times. In addition to hundreds of global visitors there are the natives and their dogs, street performers, market day vendors (on Wednesday), and way too many homeless,  beggars and con artists.  The stark contrast between customers carrying upscale store shopping bags--which are NOT PLASTIC and cost a dime each--and the indigent is remarkable. Santa Monica is very welcoming to the hundreds of homeless who sleep on park benches, in doorways and parks; who openly panhandle on the Promenade and course the neighborhood streets like city workers two weeks before an election in Chicago. I expect it is a salve to their Southern Cal Mercedes consciences. The Quickfacts section of the 2010 U.S. Census shows the 2006-2010 median house value to be in excess of $985,000, about double the California average.

I imagine you noticed the "NOT PLASTIC" description above. One should note that shopping bags, grocery and all others, must be paper per city ordinance. If you don't bring your own there is a ten cent charge. This is really a good idea anyway, except when purchasing leaking meat at the grocery store.  Another salve to their conspicuous consuming conscience is the fact the Santa Monica is scrupulously Green.

A day, or evening, on the Promenade is a bit surreal, but makes for interesting people watching. Anyhow the walk is educational. Some of the street artists are quite good, others should keep their day jobs. (Oh, this seems to be their day jobs!) One can pick up all sorts of foreign languages, even Australian. It seems that Southern California is a popular vacation, and business, stop for the Aussies.

Anyway I did promise a review of the Cirque du Soleil show entitled OVO.  It was held in a large tent just below the Santa Monica Pier and it was freezing inside.  The acrobats, tumblers, trapeze artists, and jugglers were wonderful, in the tradition of good circus from all over the world. OVO's theme was lame. All the performers were bugs, insects and spiders, and were creatively, if somewhat obsfucatively, costumed. The sound was deafening while the story line, assuming there actually was a story line, missed by a mile. In addition the show went way too long, beginning at 4 and continuing until nearly 7.  (There are few plays, a small number of concerts, and no operas I would sit still for for that long!)

Time marches on. Only three weeks until we return to the Midwest which has been having terrific weather too. I imagine they have been holding off the blizzards until we return.

Wintering in Southern California

This is our fourth winter in southern California and we are settling in.  Last year we made the move up to Los Angeles County and stayed in Manhattan Beach. This year we are staying in Santa Monica and are closer to our grandchildren.

We are staying 3 blocks from the ocean which makes daily walking in the sunshine more convenient and cheaper because we do not need to feed the ubiquitous meters that blanket Manhattan Beach's downtown. (Although it didn't take us long to figure a way around that.) That said, I really must admit that we like Manhattan Beach and the South Bay area more than Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and Venice. The main plus to SM is the proximity to family.

The holiday press of humanity has lessened although there seem to be a great many people with nothing better to do than spend the day at the ocean. (Do Californians actually work?) The Rose Bowl brings in hundreds of people. It must be a tradition with the Badgers fans to congregate on the Santa Monica Pier en mass, hoping to break some esoteric record.  However there were many Might Ducks around too. Mostly they are gone now.

The piers in Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach are very different. Santa Monica has every square inch utilized in money making entertainment. I doubt that those who throng to the poor man's Disneyland even know they are over water.  Manhattan Beach has a lovely pier with a modest aquarium on the far end. The MB pier allows visitors to stroll its length, looking all the while at the sea and the surfers. One can contemplate the relationship between man and the vast waters flowing towards the horizon. In SM it's cheap thrill and masses of people.

The beaches and "boardwalks" differ too. In Manhattan Beach the walking area is known as the Strand. The walking paths and bicycle paths are comfortably apart. Benches that face the ocean dot the full length of the Strand and the people treat one another with respect.  In Santa Monica the two paths are very close and somewhat confusing. I have no idea if they have a special name for them; only when one gets to Venice (which I assiduously avoid) is it known as the boardwalk.  One must step carefully because the path is covered with sand, which can be slippery underfoot. Although cement walls are common, there are few benches upon which to contemplate the waters, for the reason that the throngs of homeless, while very welcome in SM, are not welcome to sleep on the beach--probably because it's bad for business. The bicyclists, rollerblading enthusiasts, and various and sundry "whatever moves you" folks are downright aggressive and nasty.

The actual beaches differ greatly.  Santa Monica has a mania for cleaning its streets, every week without fail and a steep fine to pay if you forget to move your can. However, it does nothing for its sand beaches. In Manhattan Beach the sand is raked, cared for, and inviting; not so in Santa Monica where the beaches are dirty, messy, uninviting, and too far away from the paths to lend the ambiance we look for at the shore.

Santa Monica is an OK visit, especially if you like a lot of action. If contemplation and relaxation are what you are seeking, try Manhattan Beach which, despite the enormous hills, is much nicer. The folks in South Bay seem to have their priorities straight, enjoying their good fortune, welcoming visitors, respecting their precious southern California setting.