By Bill Russell Santa Monica
Glow, the dusk ‘til dawn oceanside where’s-the-palooza — or how to lure tens of thousands of Angelenos to the beach for nothing — concluded at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, July 20. The broken promise called Glow revealed a core hunger in L.A. for community night life à la the park happenings of New York, San Francisco or Paris.
The whole of the art (a bit of it admittedly wily) added up to what one finds on a block of the Venice boardwalk, here spread out over a whole downtown. Okay, sure, there was a movie screen with “art” on it at the pier parking lot. I remember a painted mannequin with light bulbs in her ears or something; an electric ice cube floating on the water, and a giant sprinkler on the beach. A few other things. Oh yeah, and a parade — no kidding, perhaps eight people in it?
From 7 p.m. until 2 p.m., the streets of Santa Monica bulged one facade to another and to the water’s edge with bewildered hordes zigzagging in search of anything. Everywhere, humans. No tents, tables, sugary elephant ears, really no art in most places, nothing to find. Glow was a bull run with no bulls... a march on Washington with no marching... just thousands and thousands and thousands of human being stacked ear to ear.
Meanwhile, the highways and surface streets devolved into parking lots, while Santa Monica cops helpfully pointed arrivals out of town. Thanks to Glow’s impenetrability, a large number of hopefuls gave up a quarter mile out and returned home. Glow, dear Santa Monica, was a fiasco. Still, it was edifying to be there with so many fellow seekers of life. I think that’s why we stuck around as long as we did. It was a glimpse of the free, public community excitement Los Angles craves. Just having people together was the excitement of it.
I hope Glow happens next year, and I hope it HAP- PENS next year. Like... something. Tents, food, art, interactivity, free things to see and do. Los Angeles really, really wants this. Toward that end, here are three suggestions: 1. Do something. 2. Keep your promise. When you say dusk ‘til dawn, don’t shut it down at 2 a.m. At this hour the streets were still human sardine cans as the pitiful little art went dark and Garth Trinidad packed up his CD collection. So much for dancing. 3. Don’t direct arriving traffic out of town. That’s just poo-poo. Have parking... Hollywood Bowl-style parking perhaps: Remote lots with shuttles.
I wager that the enormous numbers who slugged to this craved fantasy far exceeded expectation. The interest demonstrated should be incentive for businesses to join in and invest in substance next time (if there is a next time), and for every nearby restaurant and store to stay open all night. Hey, Santa Monica business people, most of y’all missed out on a whole lotta revenue! Shoulda stayed open. I’ve never seen the promenade packed so after midnight any night ever, let alone at almost 3 a.m.
Of course, the danger is, real money will be spent next year in thirsty anticipation, while everyone will stay away because they remember how lame it was.
Anyway, do Glow again, Santa Monica, and do it right. Good luck!
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 28, 2008. Read the original PDF.