My first time exploring The Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade was truly disappointing.
Santa Monica Pier
I expected a beautiful beach surrounded by rides, but when I arrived I was surprised to find something different. The pier was not beautiful, it felt like I was in a horror movie. It was run down, dirty, and a little sketchy.
When we walked through the pier to go to the beach, I felt a little unsafe. Some people looked questionable and the beach smelled weird. It was very dirty and rundown. I have been to many beaches in SoCal and this one didn't hold up.
Bruxie Original Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich Restaurant
In addition to the beach/pier, we went to eat lunch at Bruxie Original Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich, where I ate a 'Cluckin Chicken Sandwich.' Though the decor and surroundings were nice, the food wasn't that great. I thought this sandwich, in particular, was too spicy which I didn't like.
Third Street Promenade
After that, we walked through the promenade which has a lot of beautiful shops. It's a great place to walk through. There was even a guy singing over some speakers, which we swore was Sam Smith's music playing in the background until we walked over and realized it was an actual person singing.
Santa Monica Place (mall)
Right next to the Promenade is Santa Monica Place (a mall) which has even more places you can shop. It's not an ugly mall that you would see anywhere else, it's an outdoor mall with multiple stories. Even if you don't buy anything just walk through it for looks.
Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe
This restaurant is super bougie. The food is all organic and the restaurant has a nice feeling to it. Now having said that, I don't recommend this place. The food cost about $15/meal plus tax and get this... you are required to pay for the employee's healthcare. I'm sorry but that part should be the responsibility of the owners, not the customers. In addition to this, they also expect to get a tip.
Even though the food costs a little more than other breakfast places, the food was not good. Neither I nor my friend liked the food. I got a pancake that tasted bitter. My one friend got eggs with chips, which was just awkward and gross. My other friend got a good burrito but she didn't like having to pay for health insurance. We all agreed next time we would rather go to Denny's.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT SANTA MONICA
Before I finish this post I must tell you the most important thing; there is no parking. Unless you are going to the beach or the promenade, it's hard to find parking. Next, to those places, there are parking garages (most of them give the first 90 minutes for free).
It's very important to look at the street signs next to where you are parking. Even if the sidewalk next to your car isn't red that doesn't mean you can park there. Whatever sign you are parked behind is the sign that applies and there are even different signs on the same side of the street. There are different signs on each side of the street as well... just look. I received a ticket because I parked behind a sign that said no stopping anytime and even though the sidewalk wasn't red I received a ticket. Behind my car was a sign that stated that you can park there unless it was Fridays between 2 AM and 2 PM. The dates and times change depending on where you park.
I recommend trying to find metered parking is possible because of all the confusion.
If you find yourself in Santa Monica then you have a heads up on these widely recommended places. Don't worry I don't like to sugar coat things as you can probably tell. And most importantly check the street signs.
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