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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » Los Angeles
Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California kisses the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States of America. It is surrounded by Los Angeles, with Pacific Palisades and Brentwood north of the city and West LA and Mar Vista to the east, and Venice to the south. It boasts a bustling population of 88,000 and was named for St. Monica of Hippo by the Spanish who were the first settlers of the area.
In the early 1900s, the Pacific Electric Railroad was used by people in the area to easily commute to the beaches from all over Los Angeles. With this ever advancing mode of transportation, competition for beach activity became fierce, and there arose something of a pier revolution. Santa Monica was in the heart of this competition, and thus was born five piers, all with plenty of rides and amusement activities to draw tourists and locals alike to spend money on the coast. The last remnant of this historic competition, The Santa Monica Pier, was built in 1909, and is still home to many exciting rides and carnival attractions.
Visitors to the Santa Monica area will want to experience the Pier and its carousel, which is a National Historic Landmark. The nearby Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was one of the most important venues for music and theater for many decades, even playing host to the Academy Awards for a few years in the 60s. McCabe’s Guitar Shop is not only a thriving store, but a viable and preeminent spot for acoustic performance. Bergamot Station houses the Santa Monica Museum of Art and not far from there is the Santa Monica Heritage Museum. Shoppers will want to plan a visit to the Third St. Promenade, a major outdoor shopping district, geared toward pedestrian and window browsers.
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