Santa Monica Pier

I love seaside boardwalks where you feel the wind on your face and smell the salt of the ocean.  It has a way of erasing the cares of the day and putting a smile on your face. 

Since we came to California for a funeral it was just what we needed. We loaded up in our rental and headed west to the Santa Monica Pier. 

I think I love these types of places because I'm not a huge fan of sand. I don't like how it gets EVERYWHERE. And I don't particularly like how it feels. The exception to this last part would be Caribbean sand. But at the boardwalk you can enjoy the ocean without walking on the sand. Near my home we have a beac town called Seaside that has one. I love it for its boardwalk, Tilt-a-Whirl, candy store and oceanview hotels. 

I've also been to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. And now I've been to Santa Monica. Santa Cruz definitely ranks #1. It's pretty fantastic. They have a huge assortment of rides, tons of great food and just watching the surfers there can take up the whole day. 

Santa Monica had its own highlights as well though. I loved Zoltar from the movie "Big".  

The views from the Ferris wheel were incredible. 

And the view of the beach with the many brightly colored umbrellas just made me happy to see. 

We had a great day and the beach accomplished its goal: taking our cares away.