Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 20.

Santa Monica, California.

As a reminder, the two reasons I went on the 1995 backpacking trip across the USA were, first, the mental and emotional therapy I needed after the 1994 volunteering disaster in Israel. America 1995 played a major role in healing the three aspects of the human soul: mind, emotion, and spirit. The second reason was to hike the Grand Canyon on a second attempt to build a lasting photo album after suffering a camera failure on my first visit in 1978.

However, my third visit across the Atlantic included locations I hadn't visited in the initial trip in 1977, nor in the second in 1978. They were in Phoenix, Arizona, the home of the Papago Botanical Gardens, which is a semi-desert populated with cacti of various species. Then there was San Diego, which was not only the best modern city I have ever visited, but I also experienced the best hostel stay of all time. Then there was my visit to Santa Monica, the coastal district of Los Angeles. Indeed, I have visited downtown Los Angeles in 1977 and 1978, including a day spent at Long Beach, but my first stop at Santa Monica was in 1995.

Waves roll along Santa Monica Beach, California.

Normally, I don't believe travel enthusiasts have much interest in city blocks. However, I was taken aback by the enormous changes to the city skyline of downtown Los Angeles within the 17 years between the two visits in 1978 and 1995, respectively. Therefore, I include a snapshot of the city skyline I took in 1978 and from the same spot in 1995. In 1978, the key building which dominated the skyline had a structure resembling a broadcasting tower. In 1995, the same tower was dwarfed by the shimmering Delliote Building and the nearby white Cali Edison DTLA.

But I shouldn't have been surprised, as the City skyline of London followed Los Angeles in similar development. The Walkie-Talkie is one example overlooking the River Thames, along with the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin - modern skyscrapers that have broken away from the "boring" high-rise cuboids to include curves and slopes, which have earned them their well-known nicknames.

The few days I spent in the Los Angeles area also had vivid contrasts. One day, I felt like an ant among tall, shimmering skyscrapers as I walked along 6th Street, nearing Pershing Square, a one-time English-style garden and recreation centre featuring a fountain in the middle of a circular pond. That too had changed as it was concreted over, and although the circular pond was retained, by 1995 it was overhanged by an ugly structure in the name of art. 

On the other hand, one afternoon, Santa Monica Beach was the scene of filming the detective movie, Charlie Grace, apparently a B-rated movie similar to the more famous 1970s hit Starsky & Hutch, but with less verve. As far as I'm aware, unlike the dynamic duo, Charlie Grace never made it onto UK television screens. Yet, to watch the filming taking place without being told to move away was a new and unique experience. I even had a chat with one of the crew members during an interval, and I found out that although people were walking along the beach and minding their own business, all were actors conforming to the script.

Downtown Santa Monica is centred around 3rd Street Promenade, a traffic-free thoroughfare lined with shops, malls, and eateries. Along the centre of the street were sculptures made from hedges, and one in particular stood out. It was that of an extinct Triceratops. Unlike the streets of downtown Los Angeles, where pedestrians were few and far between, here at 3rd Street Promenade, many pedestrians sauntered along at a leisurely pace, adding life and bustle.

Hiring a bicycle was also a highlight in Santa Monica. There was a cycle hire kiosk on the beachfront near the pier. From there, I was able to ride on one of those magnificent cycleways that ran along the coast like the one linking Mission Beach in San Diego to La Jolla. Santa Monica dominates a sandy strip of beach, extending from Little Venice to near Malibu. At Little Venice, the beach came to an abrupt end at Marina del Rey, which runs parallel with Ballona Creek. Hence, one has to go over a mile inland to cross the creek and proceed southwards. However, it was in 1997 when I rode the full distance into Malibu town from Santa Monica.

To me, Santa Monica was a beautiful stop, with an abundance of palm trees lining the esplanade in particular. Otherwise, the coastline of Santa Monica bears a resemblance to the East and West Cliffs of Bournemouth, a popular holiday resort in the English county of Dorset. And yes, there are palm trees in Bournemouth.

This photo album contains pics of my 1995 visit to Santa Monica, and also a couple of pics of Downtown Los Angeles, and how the skyline of 1995 compares with 1978.

Click here for the Index to the main Biography, which covers Weeks 67-70.

Photo Album of Santa Monica.

Facing South towards the Santa Monica Pier.

At the HI AYH Santa Monica.

Palm Trees are abundant here.

Palms flourish in a shopping mall.

Inside another shopping mall.

3rd Street Promenade.

Triceratops sculpture on 3rd Street.

Palm Trees line the esplanade clifftop.

Like in Bournemouth, the sand here is also raked.

Palm trees. I love them!

Walking along the Esplanade.

Facing the other way.

View of the coast from the pier.

Hiking along the coast.

Another view from the pier.

The pier is the terminus of Route 66 from Chicago.

A quiet scene northwest of Santa Monica.

I hiked north to Rustic Canyon, outside Santa Monica.

Further into Rustic Canyon, a rich man's estate.

Heading back south.

South of the pier, towards Little Venice.

I hired a bicycle.

Little Venice Fishing Pier.

Posing at the pierhead.

Palm trees at Little Venice.

Heading towards Malibu on the bike.

Palm trees line the coastline.

They even grow on the beach itself.

Evening scene from the pier.

Sunset at Santa Monica.

The filming of the detective drama, Charlie Grace.

First take. C. Grace is played by the actor on the right. 

This TV camera was used for filming.

After the interval, a 2nd take.

The filming continues.

Grace meditates on how to solve the crime.

All the walkers here are actors.

The final take.

Packing up. The show has ended.

Downtown Los Angeles, 1978 and 1995.

Pershing Square in 1978.

The skyline in 1995, taken from the same spot.

Pershing Square in 1995.

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Next Week, a visit to Disneyland. After 17 years, has anything changed there?