The Day at the Pier
Earlier this week we were trying to figure out what to do on the weekend. The weather was great so my wife and I thought, even though it’s January, “Let’s go the the Santa Monica Pier.”
The Santa Monica Pier is located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica and is a prominent, 100-year-old landmark in Southern California. The last time I was like 10 years ago. It was time to head back.
The smell of the ocean and creosote filled the air. The parking lot on the pier is next to the old Carousel Building. The Carousel Building was designed and built in 1916 by Charles Looff, one of the original designers of the Santa Monica Pleasure Pier. It’s been restored a few times and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. With a Byzantine-Moorish style, the building houses one of the few surviving all-wooden Carousels in the world – less than 70 continue to operate today. Painted ponies and chariots, restored in 1990, brings you back to an earlier, simpler time.
Skyler heard the calliope playing and we knew we’d have to start the day here at the Carousel. It’s pretty funny, Skyler get so excited to go on carousels but when he is on it, he gets really serious. We went on a couple of times it only cost $1 for me and Skyler was free (children under five are free).
A surprise to me was once it started up, it hauled butt. Seriously. We’ve been on other carousels but nothing prepared me for the speed at which the Santa Monica Carousel goes. Skyler loved it, with the music blaring, and the speed of going round and round and round.
He still kept his serious face. ”Come on Dad, I’m riding a horse.”
After we made it off the speeding carousel, we headed down the pier to grab some lunch. There are a ton of greasy, carnival stand eateries that line the walk. We jumped into one and ordered the staple, Fish and Chips.
Pacific Park is where all the rides are located. Each ride requires tickets so we bought a few so we could ride the Pacific Wheel. Completely solar powered, it stands 85 feet tall, carries 20 gondolas and sits on the pier. Pretty impressive. We stood in line for a while. Quite comically the least efficient employees were working this attraction but it worked out alright.
There was a nice view of the ocean and the crashing of waves below us that kept our attention on other things rather than waiting.
Ready to board, it’s like he pulls it out of his pocket, The Serious Face.
Over all it was well worth the wait. Only in California can you be at the beach in 80 degree temperatures and spy off in the distance the snow covered peaks of the Southern Californian mountains.
Time really does go by fast. Able to ride the larger kid rides Skyler and I decieded to ride Inkie’s Airlift, A scaled-down Scrambler for children, and then road the ‘off-road’ Pier Patrol – A ‘train’ of cars that run around a beach-themed track, with Skye.
He had a blast, but it was getting late and we were getting into Skyler’s nap time. We finished up and headed towards the car and remembered we wanted to visit the aquarium.
Quickly we found the signs for it under the pier and paid a $5 donation to the Heal the Bay Foundation to go in the aquarium. Saw som Jelly Fish, Star Fish and a few small sharks. Not a huge aquarium or even big for that matter, but it’s nice to see people passionate for a cause. Time was running before we’d reach the point of no return with Skyler so we packed it up and headed out. Skyler fell asleep in the car. It was a fun day.
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