True confession: I am not much of a beach person. I don’t lay out on the sand to get a suntan. I don’t swim in the ocean. I don’t play beach volleyball. Nor do I surf. But I like being near the cool blue Pacific. (Except for one period when I lived in Las Vegas I’ve always lived very close to the ocean.)
As it turns out the beach areas of Southern California are ideal for someone like me. There are miles and miles of walkways, many lined with bikini shops and restaurants and take-out joints and bike rental stands. There are also oddball entertainers–funny and wacky–scattered along the way.
And then there is the Santa Monica Pier with its funzone sticking out into the Pacific, pointing toward Hawaii.
The Pier is open 24 hours a day, although the rides, carnival booths, aquarium, trapeze school, and cafes are only open during the daytime–some into the evening. If you want to go for a quiet stroll at midnight, you may find you have company on the Pier. One of the local TV stations shows it live during their late night weather report and most of the time there are people on it.
It is, in my opinion, one of the best places to people-watch and take photos. In fact, these photos taken a while ago have inspired me to visit the Pier again soon. So this is Part One about the Santa Monica Pier. (Be sure to read the captions!)
