holla westsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

(via nytimes)

there's an informative article on my new hometown in today's new york times...here are some highlights:

+the ferris wheel @ the pier is out of commission from may 5th to may 22nd. plan your saccharine-sweet marriage proposals accordingly.

+the galley, a surf&turf "restaurant with a heart" on main street, opened in 1934 and is santa monica's oldest restaurant. have not been. yelpers gave it 3.5 stars out of 5.

+lots of frank gehry work in SM. when you come drop dollars @ the pier, take a detour eastward to 22nd & washington to check out his quirky symbiotic steel-glass-greenery-wood pad.

+adelaide drive in northern SM is another hot spot for touristing architects.

some insider tips from me:

+if you're looking for late night grub, your best non-dennys-ihop option is swingers. great chai, tasty choco-banana milkshake, loaded vegan blue corn nachos (don't forget to add soy chorizo).

+the beach path that starts in SM goes all the way down to hermosa beach, great for a couple miles of running on the sand or swerving your bike around roller-bladers. you'll pass through venice (spur of the moment tattoos!), el segundo beach (stinky + trailers + fire pits), redondo beach (volleyball nets!), & manhattan beach (surfer boys).

+the SM public library is a gorgeous building that loans out cds and dvds (5/week!), hosts family-friendly movie screenings, and has a peaceful enclosed open-air courtyard where you can snag a quick sandwich or espresso. if you've got zilch vacation time left to come out west, their image archives also offer up some amazing photos (see below) from 1875 to present day.

Shoo Fly Landing built in 1875, destroyed in 1879 - E.G. Morrison


Ocean Avenue and Adelaide Drive, after 1900 - Security First National Bank Collection


Ferris wheel, Pacific Park an amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier opened in 1996. Photographed 2001 by Cynni Murphy