7 Ways to Be a Local While Visiting Santa Monica
While other parts of the world may experience brutal winters and hot humid summers, Santa Monica locals and visitors are fortunate to enjoy bright blue skies, stunning sunsets and cool ocean breezes year round. This near-perfect weather allows for an active lifestyle where endless fun and relaxation is easy to attain. Here are a few suggestions on how to live like a local in Santa Monica:
1. Farmer’s Market – Santa Monica’s Farmers Market has had a tremendous impact on the Los Angeles dining scene over the past 31 years and was named one of the best markets in the United States by Travel + Leisure. There are four weekly farmers markets in Santa Monica, where you can rub shoulders with yoga studen
ts, businessmen, celebrities, celebrity chefs, families and pick up the country’s most unique and beautiful produce, flowers, meats, cheeses, nuts, fish and more.
2. Sunset Happy Hours and Free Concerts at the Pier– Over 60 restaurants offer happy hour in Santa Monica, giving you the perfect opportunity to sample Santa Monica’s award-winning dining at a fraction of the cost, watch a beautiful sunset and meet our friendly Santa Monica residents. View all of Santa Monica’s happy hours, their times and their offers at santamonica.com/happyhour. One of the most popular summertime activities in Santa Monica is the annual Twilight Concert Series at the world-famous Santa Monica Pier! Back for its 28th year in 2012, this free open-air concert series features top jazz, pop and iconic music performances that are ideal for all ages Thursday evenings during the summer. The concerts draw families, couples and friends, who gather both on the pier and on the beach below to picnic and enjoy live music next to the Pacific Ocean.
3. Enjoy a “Biketinerary” – At just 8.3 square miles, Santa Monica is a bicyclist paradise. Now that Santa Monica is home to the nation’s largest full-service Bike Center, visitors can “live like a local” and embrace the eco-friendly lifestyle of this active and progressive community. Once you’ve selected your bike for the day, follow one of Santa Monica’s “biketineraries” and explore the urban beach city’s many unique districts through self-guided tours focusing on arts, wellness, vintage shopping and sustainability. If you prefer a guided-tour, check out Perry’s Legends Beach Bike tour or Pedal…Or Not Electric Bike Tours.
4. Be a Local by Buying Local – Santa Monica has 8 different neighborhoods for shopping, all with their own vibe and flavor coming from the many localswho own small clothing stores, art galleries, restaurants and more. Support these locals by stopping into their businesses, meeting them and buying locally! Learn more at buylocalsantamonica.com.
5. Soak Up the Local Art Culture – An urban outpost for cutting-edge arts and culture, Santa Monica is home to more than 120 museums, art galleries, live theaters and public art displays. Drop by Bergamot Station, Southern California’s largest art complex and cultural center and check out works by local artists, designers and photographers. If performing arts is more your style, check out the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at Santa Monica College or one of the many local performing arts venues.
6. Protect our Beach and Bay – Santa Monica tops the list as a top ten sustainable city in the United States, because we are a progressive and caring community. The beach is Santa Monica’s number one asset, and Santa Monica has worked hard to keep it clean and safe, which is why all Santa Monica beaches have “A” ratings on the Heal the Bay Report Card. Help protect the beach you came to visit by learning more about Heal the Bay and its report cards at HealtheBay.org.
7. Work out – Los Angeles is infamous for beautiful people…and plastic surgery! Santa Monicans, however, are known for natural, healthy beauty, due to an abundance of farm fresh, healthy cuisine and beautiful outdoor spaces, which create a free outdoor gym. Explore more unexpected and even unusual ways to get healthy during a trip to with flying trapeze lessons on the pier or synchronized swimming and stand up paddle board classes at the Annenberg Community Beach House.
Ready to Live like a Local? Book an endless Summer Package at one of these Santa Monica Hotels:
Endless Summer Package at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel – includes
deluxe accommodations, beach cruiser rentals, cocktails, breakfast daily and tickets to ride the solar-powered Ferris wheel.
Viceroy Yoga Renewal Package – includes welcome “Skinny Classic Cocktail” for two, $40 breakfast credit for two per day and one-hour beach yoga session for two per stay.
Oceana Recharge Package – includes spa breakfast for two and a choice of two wellness-themed services (workouts, massage, yoga, etc.).
