If approved, this long wide open sandy beach will be covered with a huge outdoor showpiece in 2028 for the Los Angeles Olympic sand volleyball matches. The proposed arena will be near the widest part, which is near the long pier and Ferris Wheel amusement section. Hello, Our mom was born in Santa Monica and then moved three times until she ended up in Long Beach with us in tow. When asked about he little kid days, it was a blank. She remembered more from the time she moved away around age 3 to the arrival at the trailer court in Long Beach in 1946. My brother and I got used to driving on PCH through the Santa Monica area. With such a Long Beach type long shoreline, one would think it would have tons of surfing spots. But, this area has side currents running deep in the ocean off shore and close to the shoreline. It does break on west/northwest swells, but the quality is not the best around... For public access, the beaches are relatively empty, except for those sandy spots near the parking lots interspersed between the big homes and structures. Mostly private homes and sports clubs. If one could get a parking spot along the highway when it was allowed, then a walk through the trails to the beaches gave you a full view of totally empty sandy beaches and small rollers lapping on the shore. The areas near the homes and clubs were usually roped off and private. Although that (roping off) was later deemed illegal. (In So Cal, no one owns the sand up to the mean high tide line and the water. But, no one actually complained in the old days. These days, it is all public right of way. The most recent beach/sand/pubic hassle was in Laguna Beach with the homeowner roping off the sand area in front of her house, as private. But, the authorities received complaints and the rope was taken down due to public domain rights… ) Santa Monica has such a large beach sand area that most want to be near the water anyway. But, it is a long walk from your car to the actual water. Jnaki The dark line in the top of the water/sand photo is the Santa Monica Pier, the official end of Route 66. As a pier, it should have some surf. Sometimes it does and other times it is just one big wall crashing as one long white water rolling up to the shoreline. It is just not a destination surf spot. The pier is for visiting and enjoyment being out on top the blue water. And the endless views up and down the coastline. If one is shopping/dining in the Santa Monica Downtown, the steep road coming down the cliff side is the main entrance from that area to the PCH highway going North. Going South on the same road leads to the cross town freeway through downtown Los Angeles. Note: The city officials once wanted to make a small boat harbor next to the pier. It looked good on paper, but in real life, a disaster waiting to happen. During the winter season, the storms hit the coastline and come down the coast with a fury. Bringing surges and swells that roll up the sandy berms. The current gets swept under the pier going South to Venice Beach. During the Summer, when the swells reach the pier, they are moving North and also sweeping under the pier causing or would have caused tremendous damage to small boats anchored or docked there. So, that idea was canned. A huge marina was built just down the beach in Marina Del Rey. The largest in California. Note 2: For the upcoming 2028 L.A. Olympic events, Santa Monica is pushing for the outdoor volleyball events to be held near the pier. What a nightmare that will be. Traffic overload on PCH from Marina Del Rey Harbor in the South to well past Malibu to the North. It is supposed to be car traffic free, bus transportation, but, it will be crowded, definitely on the freeway and surface streets. Good Luck… at least, the sporadic summer waves from the West will not smash up the tourists and/or Olympic event visitors. Ha! But, up the coast facing South is the famous Malibu Surfrider beach. It is always crowded when the Southern Hemisphere swell is running along the coast. So, the visitors will also make it MORE crowded, if they can fight the traffic jam, just getting a few miles up the coastline. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
