PLEASURE PIER

METRO

HOLLYWOOD BURBANK AIRPORT (BUR)

Approximately 25 mi/38 km northeast of Santa Monica in Burbank 818-840-8840 hollywoodburbankairport.com

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT (SNA)

Approximately 50 mi/80 km southeast of Santa Monica 949-252-5200, ocair.com

LONG BEACH AIRPORT (LGB)

Approximately 30 mi/49 km southeast of Santa Monica 562-570-2600, lgb.org

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LAX)

Approximately 8 mi/13 km south of Santa Monica 855-463-5252, flylax.com For info on the current LAX projects, visit lawa.org/ connectinglax.

ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (ONT)

Approximately 56 mi/91 km east of Santa Monica 909-544-5300, flyontario.com

BY TRAIN AND BUS

AMTRAK

The national rail passenger service operates out of Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. 800-872-7245, amtrak.com

METRO

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) operates light rail via three stations and bus service that connect to Santa Monica. 323-466-3876, metro.net

BIG BLUE BUS

The Rapid 10 express bus connects Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles. 310-451-5444, bigbluebus. com

BY AUTO

Pacific Coast Highway (California 1), Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10), Santa Monica Boulevard (Historic Route 66) and Wilshire, Olympic and Pico boulevards run through the City of Santa Monica.

While You’re Here

BANKING & CURRENCY

Most banks are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; some open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and close by early to mid-afternoon. Automated teller machines (ATMs) are located at banks and inside many stores, restaurants, clubs and other businesses (service charges and other fees may apply). Some banks in Santa Monica will exchange foreign currency; some restrictions (including limits) apply and fees are charged. Currency exchange is also available in Downtown Santa Monica at:

A PLUS CURRENCY EXCHANGE –WESTERN UNION

1424 Fourth St., Ste. 403 310-394-7211 Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; closed Sunday

CURRENCY EXCHANGE INTERNATIONAL

395 Santa Monica Place Level 2, 310-393-7444 Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

TRAVELEX CURRENCY SERVICES

(inside U.S. Bank) 201 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste. 101, 310-260-9219 Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday

LOCKERS/ LUGGAGE STO RAGE

SANTA MONICA

BIKE CENTER* 1555 Second St. 310-656-8500 thebikecenter.com/ luggage-valet Check website for hours. $10 per item. All bags must be collected by closing.

RESOURCES

EMERGENCIES

For crimes in progress, fires and medical emergencies, dial 911. For non-emergency police dispatch, dial 310-4588491. For non-emergency fire dispatch, dial 310-458-8660.

HOSPITALS

JOHN WAYNE CANCER INSTITUTE AT PROVIDENCE SAINT JOHN’S HEALTH CENTER

2121 Santa Monica Blvd. 310-315-6125 saintjohnscancer.org

PROVIDENCE SAINT JOHN’S HEALTH CENTER

2121 Santa Monica Blvd. 310-829-5511 newstjohns.org

UCLA MEDICAL CENTER, SANTA MONICA

1250 16th St., 424-259-6000 uclahealth.org

COMPUTER & ELECTRICAL STANDARDS

U.S. electrical current is 110/120 volts AC. Most hotels offer high-speed Internet access, wireless service and multiple-line phones in guest rooms.

IDENTIFICATION

Carry a legal photo ID at all times. This is required for airline travel, admission to some attractions, proof of legal drinking age (21 in California) and other situations.

TIPPING

Tipping for many services is customary. Gratuities are rarely included in your bill.

RESTAURANT, BAR, TAXI AND LIMO SERVICE

18 percent–20 percent of the bill

HOTEL DOORMEN AND OTHER SERVICE PERSONNEL

$1–$2 per transaction

HOTEL BELLHOP

$1–$3 per bag

HOUSEKEEPING STAFF

$2–$3 per night and $1 more for special services

HOTEL CONCIERGE

$5–$20 for special service, depending on the service

VALET PARKING ATTENDANTS

$2, when car is returned to you

AIRPORT SKYCAP

$1–$2 per bag

TIME ZONE

Santa Monica is on Pacific Standard Time, which is eight hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (-8 UTC). Daylight Saving Time (-7 UTC), known locally as Pacific Daylight Time, is observed from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.

BEACH & SURF CONDITIONS

Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica–based organization dedicated to the environment of Santa Monica Bay, offers weekly updates to its Beach Report Card (beachreportcard. org), including water-quality forecasting. Surf conditions are available at surfline.com and at santamonica.com/ santa-monica-weather. Flags mark the designated swimming and body-boarding area. No surfing is allowed between two of these flags. Lifeguards place the flags to designate the safest area in which to swim. Depending on the season and activity, two flags may be crossed at one point to designate the dividing line between swimming and surfing areas.

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY

SMOKING

In California, it is illegal to smoke tobacco, marijuana or e-cigarettes in restaurants, bars, theaters, auditoriums, museums, public buildings and within 20 feet of the entryways, operable windows and air ventilation intakes of city, county and state buildings. Santa Monica further prohibits smoking in public-service waiting areas (e.g., bus stops, ATM queues), parks and outdoor dining areas; at the Third Street Promenade, libraries and farmers markets; and on beaches and the Santa Monica Pier. For information on cannabis, see page 28.

DRIVING

For freeway updates, visit sigalert.com.

SEAT BELTS

Drivers and passengers must wear seat belts at all times. Children under 8 years old and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall must use a child safety seat.

CELL PHONE HANDS-FREE DRIVING

California law prohibits drivers from holding mobile devices while driving. To use a device, it must be mounted to the

windshield, dashboard or center console so as not to hinder the driver’s view, and allow for hands-free/voiceactivated features and apps.

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or drugs (DUI) is a serious offense in California. A person is legally drunk with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. Alcohol consumption is illegal for anyone under 21.

TRAFFIC RULES

Except at pedestrian scrambles when the “walk” light is on, or unless otherwise posted, drivers are allowed to turn right at a red light after bringing the vehicle to a stop as long as foot, bicycle and auto traffic are clear. Cars are not permitted in bus lanes, except to make right turns, which are restricted during peak periods by posted signs. Drivers are required to pull over to the side of the road for law-enforcement and other emergency vehicles with lights and sirens on.

PARKING

Carefully read and obey signs and parking meters for hours of operation and day and time restrictions. Keep valuables out of sight in the trunk. When booking hotels, ask about parking availability and fees. For a comprehensive parking map and realtime parking availability at Downtown and beach lots, visit smgov.net/parking. Also, get real-time parking availability via the SM Parking and ParkMe apps. ✺

MAIN VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER

Santa Monica Visitor Centers SHOW YOUR SANTA MONICA SPIRIT

Get mementos of your trip even after you’ve returned home. Visit Shop Santa Monica at santamonica.com/store.

THE SANTA MONICA VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS ARE YOUR SOURCE for all things Santa Monica. All of our Visitor Centers provide friendly and knowledgeable staff; Visitor Guides and Maps; and information on attractions, hotels, dining, museums, galleries and entertainment. At our visitor information locations, you will find a full display of free visitor information; Santa Monica gifts and souvenirs; tickets to area attractions; and pre-loaded TAP cards for purchase. Stop in! We would love to meet you.

VISITOR CENTER LOCATIONS AND HOURS

MAIN VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER

2427 Main St. Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

PIER SHOP & VISITOR CENTER

200 Santa Monica Pier (located in the Carousel Building) Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Hours of operation may be extended or shortened due to special events or staffing needs.

VISITOR INFORMATION KIOSK

1400 Ocean Ave. (located in Palisades Park) Open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

MOBILE VISITOR CENTER

Locations vary

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

310-393-7593 800-544-5319

SANTAMONICA.COM

info@santamonica.com

SHOP SANTA MONICA

santamonica.com/store

THEN & NOW Pleasure Pier

Charles I. D. Looff, amusement park pioneer and builder of the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876, imagined and developed Santa Monica’s now-famous Pier.

The first phase of the Santa Monica Pier’s transformation from municipal utility to pleasure pier was complete by 1917 (above) and included the erection of the Looff Hippodrome carousel building, which remains an attraction today (inset). The historical photo from the Stephen Raul Anaya Collection is one of a series of rare images, plans and drawings of proposed structures that chronicle the Pier’s development. Images from the collection can be seen merged with current comparison images in Michael Murphy and Jens Lucking’s award-winning book, Santa Monica Pleasure Pier: A Look Back to 1917 From Today (Immaginare Press, 2019).