Last blog, I wrote about my cousin Shaina and me exploring Hollywood on our recent trip to LA, but now it’s time to talk about Santa Monica.

Even though I make the trip out to LA about once or twice a year, mainly for work but sometimes leisurely, I have never been to the Santa Monica coast, so I was excited to see the beach and the pier.

Shaina’s old roommate lives in LA now, so she picked us up around noon on Sunday to head to the coast. The ride was so relaxing, we drove with the windows down, enjoying the fresh air while taking in my surroundings. We eventually found parking a couple blocks away and made the walk over.

Despite it not being a great day weather-wise, the pier and its surrounding area were packed. Walking down the pier there was a nice breeze blowing, but there was a lot of fog in the air so the view wasn’t as great as it could have been, but I was still able to take some good pictures. To my surprise there were a lot of people sitting on the beach and even in the ocean even though it wasn’t hot out and the water temperature was kind of chilly.

The pier was nice and reminded me of the Wonder Wharf pier from the animated show Bob’s Burgers. I was tempted to buy tickets to go on some rides or play games, but the crowds were a little too much for me, plus I was starving and ready for lunch.

We decided to look up the best taco places around us, and we found one by where we parked. Luckily the restaurant wasn’t that crowded, so we were able to sit right away. Even though I filled up on chips and salsa, I still enjoyed the tacos I ordered.

After exploring Santa Monica, we headed back to the hotel to start packing up and getting ready for our early morning flight. Next time I go to Santa Monica, I am definitely going to go on some of the rides.

— Mary Melnick, social media and editorial coordinator