We went to Santa Monica on April 4th 2016 after attending the Iron Maiden concert the night before at the Forum in Inglewood.
Deciding to park near the 3rd street promenade turned out to be a good plan as street parking spots are few and far between. This portion of 3rd street is closed to vehicle
traffic and full of shops and restaurants. There are several parking garages near, and the signs as you drive in are very informative: they tell the number of current spots available and on what level. These are updated in near real time as we noticed one of the signs on the level change when we parked.
Opting for a spot to eat near the promenade before heading to the pier, fearing that the restaurants near the pier and beach would be over-priced fair food, turned out to not be the best plan. Originally headed for one of our favorite guilty pleasures: tacos we stopped at the Country Kitchen. It was okay, but I was hungry and was unable to concentrate on my choices. I chose a rice bowl that was very average. Had I taken the time I would have chosen one of their other very nice looking items, such as the gluten free eggs benedict that is very much something I would enjoy: it read like a caprese salad with poached eggs. Brick had a blueberry lemonade that was very good, and a deliciously messy burger with tater tots.
After a rather underwhelming brunch we headed down to the promenade. I immediately spotted a homemade gelato spot right in the middle of the walk–okay it was a cafe as well with some Panini sandwiches, but I have a thing for ice cream.
As well as some truly decadent chocolate and other creamy flavors, they offered a wonderfully tart lemon sorbet that I accompanied with a blackberry sorbet. It was delicious and really hit the spot. While enjoying our frozen treats we met some people with a Lab who had recently come from the beach. Brick is a sucker for man’s best friend and was feeding the dog his ice cream right off his spoon. A little ways down the promenade we came across a fountain of what Brick referred to as projectile vomiting dinosaurs and finished our ice creams there.
Leisurely meandering back towards the west we came to Ocean Blvd. complete with all the stores and hotels that you would expect to see on prime real estate facing the Pacific Ocean. In addition, many food trucks parked along the curb (remember the over-priced fair food decision earlier): the smell was so enticing. Having already eaten resistance was not as difficult as it would have been. I could not even handle the thought of a bacon wrapped hotdog similar to the one we enjoyed after the concert the night before. The beach is really pretty, but deciding that shoes full of sand was not something we were ready for just yet we continued onto the pier.
The Santa Monica pier is located at the end of the famous Route 66. There are a few nice restaurants on the pier and, of course, the normal fair food that you would expect. Also, a few carts with things like fresh fruit and tamales–sigh I wish I had been hungry. Several musicians and street performers were along the walk. Most were actually really good and I enjoyed listening to their music.
The Santa Monica pier has an amusement park complete with a roller coaster and ferris wheel, and an arcade as well. 
At the end of the pier sits a Mexican restaurant and a fishing area. The view here is really nice. There are some stairs that lead to a small alcove belonging to the Mexican restaurant–it is a nice place to get out of the wind and look out at the ocean. The beach looked more and more inviting and we ventured onto the sand. Walking along the beach we met a few tourists and discussed the state of our space program. We continued under the pier at times sticking our feet in the cold Pacific water.
Happy hour was calling and we decided to enjoy a glass of wine (or 3) and a cocktail at Ristorante al Mare–an Italian restaurant located on the Santa Monica pier with 3 levels of outdoor dining. The wine list was very nice, and Brick enjoyed his lemon drop martini. We enjoyed some grilled Ciabatta with homemade butter. The butter was very creamy but needed more salt. Next was the Polpo Arrosto–a lovely and delicious dish of lightly breaded octopus on a bed of mashed potatoes mixed with pesto.
Amature trapeze artists at the Santa Monica beach.
After our appetizer we continued to walk along the Santa Monica beach and came across some acrobats practicing on mats set up by the sand. A brief nap was had on some bleachers, and it was time for more adventures. There were several pieces of exercise equipment constructed on the sand that reminds one of a more adult version of a schoolyard playground–ropes to climb, bars to cross, rings to swing on, and nylon ratchet straps attached between posts to act as tight ropes. The majority of people using the equipment were amazingly proficient. I was not so graceful. I don’t think I made it more that 2 feet off the ground on the ropes, and only made it across 2 of the rings. I blame the wine. I did a bit better on the tight ropes, but still managed to embarrass myself.
It was getting close to dusk which means a sunset. A walk to the top of the cliff provided a slightly obscured, yet still beautiful, view of the sun setting over the ocean.
The temperature began to drop so we moved back to the promenade away from the ocean wind. We stopped in several stores before happening upon a couple playing Connect4 within a tavern–the Commons Ale House. Our competitive sides got the best of us and a few games were played while enjoying a couple craft brews. Our day was full and it was then time to leave.
Brick later discovered that he had left his sunglasses at the Commons, but fortunately they were retrieved the next morning.
