Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica

Having been here in my lifetime roughly a dozen times and I'm from New York, I can tell you, it is one of the happiest places on the planet. It has grown immensely. It brings joy to the multitudes of people from across the globe who visit it. Whether you are a beach lover, shopper, swimmer, surfer, amusement park lover, or aquarium enthusiast's, you will have a great day at the Santa Monica Pier in California. It is by far an institution and a destination in Southern California and deserves great recognition for the millions of people over the years that it has serviced. You can get great food here. You can find parking. You can relax I'm fall in love with the blue green water and the magnificent sunsets. In my opinion, the sunsets here are breathtaking. So whether you live in the town, are visiting from afar, or just strolling down Route 1, give this Pier your attention. You will not regret it!!!! A real treasure. A fall treat!

I didn't have long to spend but I really enjoyed the independent musicians and performers along the pier. The carnival atmosphere is fun for the kids and for those who are into such things. I enjoyed seeing the end of Route 66 and liked that they had photo opportunities to capture that moment for those who made that Trek. I enjoyed, as usual, helping people take photos together for themselves so that they don't have a whole bunch of individual ones. I had the amusement of seeing a one-legged seagull hop for caramel popcorn. That was a first. I got to buy a couple of albums from a gentleman named Terry Prince, who wrote some truly inspirational music and sing beautifully. I don't know if he's out there on YouTube or not but here's a photo of his albums. I was here on Thanksgiving weekend and it was beautiful weather. Of course it's a little windy near the beach. But all in all I really enjoyed the trip and it was worth it to walk around and see what was in the area within three blocks. I didn't eat on any of the restaurants down on the pier I chose to eat it true food in the mall up the hill. That was amazing as well. Highly recommend!