Everything about The Santa Monica Pier totally explained
The
Santa Monica Pier is located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in
Santa Monica, California and is a prominent landmark.
Attractions
The pier contains
Pacific Park, a family
amusement park with a large
ferris wheel. It also has a
carousel from the
1920s, an
aquarium, shops, entertainers, an
arcade, a pub, and
restaurants. At the end of the pier,
anglers may pursue their hobby. During the summer months, a free Thursday Twilight Dance Series is held. Free open-air film screenings occur from early August to late September. The Pier Film Series began in July 2003 with screenings of
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Jaws,
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and
Grease. The next two years had ten screenings each summer on Tuesday nights. The outdoor film screenings were discontinued as of Summer 2007.
History
Santa Monica has had several piers over the years, however the current Santa Monica Pier is actually two adjoining piers that long had separate owners. The long, narrow Municipal Pier opened
9 September 1909, primarily to carry sewer pipes beyond the breakers, and had no amenities. The short, wide adjoining Pleasure Pier to the south, a.k.a. Newcomb Pier, was built in 1916 by
Charles I. D. Looff and his son
Arthur,
amusement park pioneers.
The Carousel was built in 1922 on the Pleasure Pier and features 44 hand-carved horses. It was rebuilt in 1990 inside the
Looff Hippodrome. A
calliope provides musical accompaniment.
The La Monica Ballroom opened in 1924 and closed in 1962. The La Monica Ballroom became home to
Spade Cooley in the early fifties. From 1958 until 1962 it served as a roller skating rink, first as Skater's Ballroom and then Santa Monica Roller Rink.The speed skating club won many state and regional championships.The bridge to the pier and entry gate were built in 1938 by the federal
Works Project Administration, and replaced the former grade connection.
The Looff Pier, then known as Newcomb Pier, was acquired by the city in the 1953. In the
1960s various plans were proposed that would entail removal of the pier. The strangest one called for the construction of an artificial island with a 1500-room hotel. It was approved by the City Council, but citizens formed "Save the Santa Monica Bay" to preserve the pier. The outstanding order to raze the pier was revoked by the city council in 1973. That same year the Carousel and Hippodrome were memorable sets in the film
The Sting, although the story was set in Chicago.
Everclear lead singer
Art Alexakis attempted suicide as a teenager by filling his pockets with weights, getting high on marijuana, and jumping off the pier. He claims the vision and voice of his deceased brother George led him to survive.
In
April 2008, the ferris wheel at Pacific Park went up for auction on
eBay. The starting bid was $50,000 and half of proceeds are to be donated to the
Special Olympics. The ferris wheel was purchased by Grant Humphreys of Humphreys Real Estate Investments in Oklahoma City. The ferris wheel is being packed and shipped to
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.
The pier on screen
Because of the nearby
film industry, the pier and the nearby Santa Monica boardwalk are used for location shoots for
television and
movies. This list of movies at
IMDb is representative but incomplete
(External Link
). The pier is also featured during the fourth and fifth season opening titles to
Three's Company. Also, in the movie
A Night at the Roxbury, the pier can be seen in the background of the beach scene. Perhaps its most famous appearance on screen is in
Titanic or in
Forrest Gump, wherein Forrest runs to the West Coast, turns around and heads back east. There is a
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant on the pier, owned by the film company that produced the film. The pier was a location in the
lonelygirl15 12 in 12 Season 1 Finale. The Santa Monica Pier was also featured in some video games such as
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and
. The entrance to the pier is shown in a
commercial bumper on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Weather
The temperature in Santa Monica is generally lower than inland areas by about 10
°F (6
°C), but that difference can increase to 30°F or more compared to the nearby valleys. Even in the summer months, the breeze can be relatively cool in the mornings and evenings, especially during periods of overcast called "
June Gloom".
Photo gallery
Image:Santa Monica pier.jpg|Looff Hippodrome on the pier
Image:USA_Santa_Monica_Beach_and_pier_CA.jpg|Santa Monica beach and pier.
Image:Santa Monica Pier 2006.JPG|Santa Monica Pier
Image:Beneath Santa Monica Pier.jpg|Beneath the pier
Image:Santa_monica_beach_dehk.jpg| Looking at Santa Monica from the pier
Further Information
Get more info on 'Santa Monica Pier'.
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