This past week, Q-line asked: Is the Westside entertainment scene a bummer or just a giant in a slumber?
Here are your responses: “ WEDON OT NEEDANYMORE so-called hip entertainment in Santa Monica. We have enough of it already. Including horrendous traffic and an overflow of people on the weekend. If one is so in need of night clubs, go to Hollywood. Please don’t pollute Santa Monica any more than it already is.”
“HERE ON THE WESTSIDE, WE DO have quite a few movie theaters. As far as plays are concerned, we have the Geffen place up in Westwood. We have the Getty and the Hammer, but as far as major museums, unfortunately we don’t have much in that category.”
“SANTA MONI CA I S N OT I N A slumber. And by comparison, has always been a bummer. The Hollywood of today is a mere shadow of its former self.”
“WHAT’S A BUMMER IS HOW MUCH the elitist entertainment scam costs Santa Monica. Our crass intelligentsia entertainment gurus North of Montana and in Ocean Park don’t like the traffic blocking their Volvos on the way to the Hollywood Bowl or the Chandler Pavilion. The traffic is a result of our greedy progressive leaders allowing too many people into this state. To rectify this, Santa Monica College has a new $32 million not-enough-parking theater that now costs $45 million. Why? Tax payers have been bilked into this plus millions of dollars to refurbish Barnum Hall at Samohi. Why do we need both? Seems our bogus educators can’t spend other people’s money fast enough. Then there is the OPCC-funded councilmem-ber support for almost free housing to artists of little or no talent. Oh Santa Monica, where art thou gone?”
“THE PICKINGS ARE SLIM TO NONE regarding Westside entertainment. We have a lovely ocean without boating and a pier for entertaining kids. Sadly, I see nothing on the horizon except more of the same: A boring entertainment bummer.” “ CERTAIN LY THEWESTSIDE entertainment scene is a bummer. Hopefully the Madison Campus project will help with that. Refurbishing and enhancing the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium would help a lot. I think allowing the entertainment venues to stay open later would be helpful. The most overwhelming entertainment you get now is the comedy you see at City Council meetings.”
“HOPEFU LLY, WE ARE TH E GIANT who is going to stay in a slumber for a very long time. We have a lot of traffic problems on this side of town. Until we get some lightrail, hopefully we won’t attract more people to our side of town.”
“IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE NIGHTLIFE here, please move and leave us alone.”
“THE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT SCENE on the Westside is really dead. There really is not much happening and I’m not really sure why.” “ THEREREAL LY ISNOEXCUSE why the live entertainment scene in this part of town is as boring as it is. There hasn’t really been a good rock club in Santa Monica since the Music Machine closed. There is no reason why there can’t be as much happening in Venice as there is in Silverlake. I don’t understand why the Pico neighborhood why the same scene infrastructure as there is in echo park. I don’t see why the city can’t do more to make a good music scene in this town.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2007. Read the original PDF.