My Santa Monica ... I am about to start packing up and getting my act together to return to school. Here's a picture of Main Street, which is one of the cutest streets - it's kind of like a cross between Union Street and Fillmore Street in San Francisco, with a beach vibe. I really love this area - it's somewhat LA, without being totally LA. I feel like if the universe would combine a dash San Francisco and toss in a little Hawaii, it would pop out Santa Monica. The surf is a little lacking, but up and down the coast there are surfing options.
The location is very central to most places - 20 minutes to work (barely any LA traffic), 20 minutes to the airport, 10 minutes to Westwood, 15-20 minutes to Brentwood. Hollywood I have steered clear from, as well as some of the other hotspots. I like where Elisabeth and I live - it's our quiet little space in a mad city. AND we are four blocks from the beach, which I try to get to at least once a weekend.
Here's a picture of the beach as you walk up - one thing that's great about it is the length and depth of the beaches - tons of sand ... lots of water. There's a path for bikers and for walkers/runners along the beach as well, which makes for lots of pleasant walks.
This weekend marks the last weekend I will be down here - I will be a little sad to leave ... just when you get used to your routine, you change it!
Michelle Tom (Amato) is in town visiting, as she is planning to move out here in September/October. Michelle and Alex couldn't stay away from the West Coast!
I leave to return to school on Sunday, which means a lot of packing and a lot of shopping required ...