By By Dane Roberts Wans On Bookreview
Haven’t you wished there was something you could hand to a friend or visitor that would list and explain the features that Santa Monica has to offer? We have waited a long time for something like this to come along. The only problem I have with this is that it lumps Brentwood, Venice, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Topanga, and Pacific Palisades under the same umbrella. Santa Monica is unique and not “seven towns in search of one,” as the authors call it.
I can envision a person walking around the city checking out the areas detailed in this quality work. For example, there is the section on architecture of the area. You are given a listing with comments on nine great architectural walks and drives, such as; Adelaide Drive in Santa Monica, or the Streamline Modernes in North Santa Monica, as well as Rustic Canyon.
For those of you who enjoy eating there is a listing of restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and farmers markets. Some places listed are; Café Montana, Chez Jay, Broadway Deli. Each place is rated as to price and given a short review.
For caffeine addicts there is a great listing of coffee spots to be seen at, and they are not your usual Starbucks. Hot spots such as The Newsroom at 530 Wilshire Blvd., Abbot’s Habit on Abbot Kinney Blvd., or 18th Street Coffee House on Broadway in Santa Monica are included.
For the serious shopper there is also a listing of fine shops and villages to frequent; such as Barrington Court and Brentwood Gardens.
For the bibliophile there are local book stores such as the Angel City Bookstore & Gallery, Hennessey + Ingalls, as well as mainstream spots such as Barnes & Noble.
For the hiker there is the list of trails you can take, such as Inspiration Point Loop at Will Rogers State Historical Park, the Temescal Canyon Loop and Sandstone Peak. Directions are given for reaching these places.
Reading through this manual you can sense that the authors had fun doing their research. This is the book the city of Santa Monica has needed for a long time. The cities around us have theirs, so why not us?
I found the history section to be well done. I also found the interviews located at the end of each section to set this apart from other books of this type.
Sadly to say, there are spots of information that show the authors did not check their facts. Not that it detracts from the overall usefulness of the book. The main example is the location of the Main Library. In the first fact sheet you come to on Santa Monica the location is given as 1324 Fifth Street. That location has been closed since the Main Library opened at 601 Santa Monica Blvd. in December 2006. Also the information that there are 150 public computers (61 with Internet access) on the first floor is wrong. The correction is that the 70 public computers with Internet access are in the Computer Commons on the second floor. The remaining 80 computers, the ones not connected to browsers, are sprinkled on the first and second floors.
The photographs in this book are top rate. We have Paul Clark to thank for that.
This book has something for everybody. I would suggest that you buy and use this book. It is a good investment.
As we go into the New Year, DANE ROBERT SWANSON wants to wish you the best for 2008. You can contact him at
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 4, 2008. Read the original PDF.