8 Green Days in the Beautiful Beach Town of Santa Monica, California

 
Santa Monica, California is a small, exciting, significant beach city. Within its 8.3 square miles, it hosts over 8 million visitors a year, boasts of the iconic Santa Monica Pier, is home to celebrities, locals and noteworthy architecture, powers 100% with renewable energy, is on track to be 100% self-reliant for its water needs and promotes healthy living in a number of ways. So, if you truly want to immerse yourself in the local ethos, start by planning your visit, without renting a car. The city makes it easy for you!
 
8 Days in Santa Monica Without a Rental Car
Renting a car for a vacation in Santa Monica is a fruitless, costly endeavor. Since the city is so compact, parking can be expensive and vehicular grid lock can prevail, particularly during “rush hour,” from 8-9 am and then again from 4-6 pm. Of course, getting to a popular destination by car at any time will almost always include a slow, frustrating section of time wasted inching forward (while the bikes, scooters and even pedestrians pass you by).
 
The nearest airport is LAX. Simply catch a 25-minute ride (taxi or ride-share, your choice) for about $30-$35 to Santa Monica. Once you are in Santa Monica, you can rent a bike or an e-scooter, starting at just a dollar, or take the bus or a ride-share taxi. There are many wide, bright green bike lanes to make your ride or scoot easy and safe. Some hotels offer free bikes for your commute around town. Walking in the downtown area near the beach, or on Montana Ave. or Main Street, is a vacation in and of itself, with interesting restaurants, cafes, designer shops, artists, street performers and stunning views every step of the way. 

​Here are just a few suggestions for your 8 Green Days in the beautiful beach town of Santa Monica, California.
 
Day 1: Biking on the Boardwalk.
Day 2: The Beach.
Day 3: Celebrity & Architectural Sightseeing.
Day 4: View of the Century. The Penthouse at The Huntley Hotel.
Day 5: Farmers’ Market and Yoga.
Day 6: 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place.
Day 7: Saturday Night: The Getty Center. Los Angeles Opera (Placido Domingo!).
Day 8: Malibu Nature Hike.
 
And here are more details on each suggestion.
 
Day 1: Biking on the Boardwalk.
The bike path along the beach actually runs 22-miles from Santa Monica down to Torrance. So, if biking with a view of the ocean is your idea of a great time, try the marathon full-length challenge. What I love about biking on the beach is that there is an attraction at every turn. Of course, the crashing of the waves and the view are bucket-list nirvana in and of themselves. Choices of fun on the way include: surfing, walking in the sand, playgrounds, the Annenberg Community Beach House, the Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park rides and arcade, Venice Boardwalk and more. My friends and I used to bike or blade with our kids down to Marina del Rey for a quick bite of brunch early weekend mornings. The paths are still pretty empty until about10 am, even in the summer.
 
Day 2: The Beach. Now that you’ve biked the length of the beach, you surely have seen something that you want to dive in more deeply. Do you want to challenge yourself to swing the rings near the pier? Have a swanky meal at a beachfront hotel? Draw your name in the sand? Try bodysurfing or boogie boarding or take a surfing lesson?
 
Day 3: Celebrity & Architectural Sightseeing.
Celebrity sightseeing is not guaranteed, but possible, in La La Land’s beach city. Many of the elite live North of Montana and in Rustic Canyon, so the best places for spotting the rich and famous are on Montana Avenue or at one of the restaurants on Entrada Ave. If you don’t want to spring for an expensive meal at Ivy By the Shore or Giorgio Baldi, tempt fate to deal you a hand of fame by doing “The Stairs.” There are wooden stairs (170 steps) that start at 526 Adelaide Drive and cement stairs (188 steps) at 406 Adelaide Drive. (Yes, just steps apart). Young and old, athletes, models, actors, firemen, moms and gardeners all congregate for their free fitness regimen on the stairs and the grassy verges on Adelaide Drive. How can you spot a celebrity there? They are more likely to be wearing a baseball cap to hide their identity!
 
In addition to famous people, you can see a few world-renowned architectural and design wonders, many of which were designed by Frank Gehry. There’s the Norton House in Venice (Gehry), The Gehry Residence, the Binoculars Building on Main Street (Gehry, with Google tenants), The Penthouse and Casa del Mar.
 
Day 4: View of the Century. The Penthouse at The Huntley Hotel.
There is nothing more spectacular than sunset at the Penthouse restaurant and bar, located at the Huntley Hotel. There are gorgeous, breezy cabanas and a 180-degree view of the shoreline from Malibu down to Palos Verdes. Drinks and snacks are more affordable during Happy Hour (4-7 pm, Monday-Friday). If you want a bar cabana, arrive at least an hour before sunset to get the best seat, or reserve the cabana in advance.
 

Day 5: 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place.  
If you want to continue your night life after sunset snacks and drinks at The Penthouse, then consider the many options within walking distance, including the 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place. The Bungalow at the Fairmont Miramar is a popular lounge bar for the fashion forward glitterati, while the Miramar pool lounge is a bit more low-key. The 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place offer street performers at every turn, with shopping, movies and restaurants.
 
Day 6: Farmers’ Market.
There are many farmers’ markets to choose from across the city, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, offering fresh, local, organic produce. California supplies produce to all of the United States. However, this is your chance to get it just days from off the vine or tree. Taste the difference. It’s amazing! Organic farmers distinguish themselves with a flag to make it easy to see them from afar. Santa Monica is a plastic-free city, so be sure to bring your own canvas shopping bag or backpack.
 
The Wednesday and Saturday morning markets are at the 3rd Street Promenade, meaning you can follow-up your shopping with a walk to the beach or pier, or sightseeing at the outdoor malls. If you bike or ride an e-scooter, you’ll save a lot of dough on parking, and likely get there faster than if you try to drive and park. 

​Day 7: Saturday Night: The Getty Center. Los Angeles Opera (Placido Domingo!).
Los Angeles has become a cultural center of the world. The Los Angeles Opera features Placido Domingo as its executive director. Placido stars or directs in at least one opera each season, and oversees the artistic vision of everything that hits the stage. Book your experience in advance to ensure that you get the best possible seats. 

The Getty Center features treasured art housed in the stunning architectural design of Richard Meier. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday night is to book an 8:45 pm dinner at The Getty Center restaurant, and arrive at the museum around 5:00 p.m. (Of course, there is enough to see to arrive at 10 am, too.) Saturday nights The Getty Center stays open late – until 9:00 p.m. The restaurant is open even later. Not that many people know about the extended hours. So you have the museum to yourself, almost like it’s your own castle. On Saturday night, you can see more at The Getty Center in a few hours than you might see normally in an all-day visit, where you have to crane your neck over a sea of heads to get a close look at your favorite famous paintings. Some paintings that you don’t want to miss include masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet, Rubens and Degas. The museum is well-known for having collectible photographs, and features a timeline of great art from early Medieval to modern and contemporary.
 

​You can get to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (where the Los Angeles Opera is staged) from Santa Monica more easily by train than by car or ride-share.
 
It’s an hour and 15 minute bus ride to The Getty Center from Santa Monica, so a better option would be to ride-share or carpool.
 
Day 8: Malibu Nature Hike. If you’re interested in seeing Malibu and hiking the trails of the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains, this is a day-trip that might be worth renting a car for. There are so many outstanding hikes, from the easy Lower Loop of the Malibu Creek State Park Trail, where you’ll see everything from rock climbers to arid wildlife, to Leo Carillo State Park, where you’ll find barnacles, muscles, sea urchins and sponges in the tide pools, and kite surfers on the waves. You might stick to the world-famous Surf Rider Beach, next to the Malibu Pier, where you can grab a bite at Nobu (celebrity-studded) or Malibu Farm, which serves fresh, local, organic fare. Geoffrey’s Malibu, which is closer to Leo Carillo, offers an unforgettable outdoor dining experience overlooking the Pacific Ocean (expensive), while Neptune’s Net offers the Catch of the Day and beer to surfers, bikers and locals.
 
Whether you want to try the posh life or the beach bum experience, there are plenty of choices in Malibu, California. 
 
 
The interesting thing about opting for a green vacation in Santa Monica, California, is that it will save you a lot of time and money, and likely add to your pleasure factor immensely. You’ll spend less time in the car looking for a parking spot, and more time immersed in the experience that you came for. With all of the savings on gas, car rental and parking, you can splurge on one more life-long memory – whether it is a celebrity-chef meal or the opera. (The Getty Center is free!)
 
 

Other Blogs & Websites of Interest:
Santa Monica Powers With 100% Renewable Energy. 
The Earth Gratitude Project.
7 Green Days in Rome.