Santa Monica California
City of Santa Monica, CA, USA
Perched on the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica is situated at the crossroads of Pacific Coast Highway and California Interstate Highway 10.
Broad, glistening beaches stretch for 26 miles (42 km) along scenic Santa Monica Bay with three miles (5 km) of coastline within Santa Monica proper. Primary beaches include Santa Monica State Beach and Will Rogers State Beach. Both are excellent for swimming, surfing and volleyball. An extensive beachfront renovation was completed in 1999, including new public walkways, artistic sea walls, landscaping and restoration of International Chess Park and return of original Muscle Beach.
Accommodation
Santa Monica offers 37 hotels with more than 3,500 hotel rooms, ranging from deluxe to budget class. Many properties offer ocean views and are within walking distance of the beach, Pier, shopping and leisure activities. Low-season rates are available from October through March when accommodations can drop as much as 25 percent.
Points of interest
Farmers Markets-Bustling European-style markets feature organic and exotic
produce, flowers and herbs.
South Bay Bicycle Trail- A 22-mile (35 km) paved beachside stretch with
cafes, bicycle and rollerblade rental concessions.
Palisades Park-A cliff-top 26-acre (11 ha) greenbelt perched over the
Pacific with miles of lush greenery and shady palms for walking, resting,
jogging, picnicking and bicycling.
Public Art-Outdoor art is everywhere in Santa Monica, from a variety of
murals to eye-popping beachfront sculpture, sea walls and statuary. More than 30
pieces of art dot the city.
Santa Monica Pier- Oldest pleasure Pier on the West coast, opened in
1909. Pacific Park amusement ride center houses the world’s first solar-powered
Ferris wheel. The Pier also features Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium,
historic Hippodrome and hand-crafted carousel (circa 1922) with 44 hand-painted
wooden horses (adults 50 cents/children 25 cents), dining, amusement games,
shops and a fresh fish market. Year-round entertainment is offered, including
the summer Twilight Dance Series and winter.
Recreation Facilities
Muscle Beach & International Chess Park-Three-acre alfresco gym and
adjoining 80-seat play area for chess enthusiasts. Santa Monica State Beach.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area-150,000-acre (60,702 ha)
facility offers camping, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, picnicking,
nature walks, bird watching, astronomy programs and botany lectures.
Whale Watching-Seasonal guided tours (Feb. - Apr.) can be enjoyed from
adjacent Marina del Rey.
Will Rogers State Historic Park-186-acre (76 ha) ranch of the late
humorist, also in the Santa Monica Mountains, offers weekend docent-led tours of
the ranch house; hiking, stables and free public polo matches on Sundays.
Airports
Los Angeles International Airport is located 8 mi. (13 km) from Santa Monica via the 405 and 10 freeways.
Santa Monica Municipal Airport is one of the major general aviation airports in the nation with a mile-long runway. Charters and sightseeing services are offered by Trans Executive Air Service, jet prop and jet planes are available at Santa Monica Airport.
Official City of Santa Monica website
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