Total Pageviews

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Main Street, Santa Monica (Part III)


This is Part III of a three part series on walk up Main Street, Santa Monica last July. Click here for
Part I and Part II.

The Omelette Parlor - and my destination for breakfast with a group of co-workers from the summer.


Fun place - I highly recommend it. Our group was meeting at the outdoor patio out back.


Heat lamps for the outdoor patio -
in July?

This being Los Angeles they were cranked up high - at 10 o'clock in the morning.

When I asked the staff if we could, um, turn them off, the lady next to us said "no, keep them on, it's cold".

Huh?

Overcast? Yes. Cold? No.


This past summer my wife and I helped staff a student leadership project - these are the staff and interns we had the privilege of working with for six weeks. Getting together at The Omelette Parlor was a final breakfast together.


Afterwards, I had a few more minutes and wanted to explore a bit more of the Santa Monica/Venice neighborhood. This is a different view of Main & Rose - where I had started earlier that morning.


Looking back northwest. You can see the green and blue "welcome to Santa Monica sign" - meaning I had crossed over into Venice, technically part of the city of Los Angeles.

Venice is part of the City of Los Angeles - Santa Monica is it's own separate city.

Confusing, I know. Subject for yet another blog post.


Venice was originally designed to look like it's Italian counterpart - complete with canals, gondolas, and covered colonnades. Most of the canals were filled in the 1930's. A few of the original buildings survive, including this renovated building with recently painted columns.


Exhale - Center for Sacred Movement.

Not sure what this is all about, but it reminds me of the Yoga Center down the street.


The Firehouse - a local restaurant - across the street at Main Street Rose Avenue. It has mixed reviews on Yelp. What I really wanted to see what up ahead.


The binoculars building!

Yeah!

I had seen this in many pictures, and even driven by several times, but up till now, had never had a chance to stop and see it.


Here's their website:
www.thebinocularsbuilding.com


The Binoculars Building was designed by world renowned and Los Angeles based architect Frank Ghery and was completed in 1991. The entrance to the underground parking garage is located by driving through the middle of the two binoculars.


I cross the street for another view. According to
this Los Angeles Times article, Google recently signed a lease with the Binoculars Buildings, making it it's Los Angeles headquarters. Somewhat fitting.


Looking northwest and back towards Santa Monica.


The Clown Building: Main Street and Rose Avenue. Their current tenant includes a CVS Pharmacy.

Weird.

Strange.

Odd.

Welcome to Venice.


A closer view of The Firehouse, located directly across the street from the Clown Building.


The streetscape looking northwest up Main into Santa Monica.


Yet another pricey boutique. Main Street reminds me a lot of Abbot Kinney, a similar street located about a mile away in Venice. Click
here or here for links to a couple previous blog posts on Abbot Kinney Blvd.


Mishkon Tephilo, a conservative synogogue located where Venice meets Santa Monica.

According to their website, their byline is "Devotion by the Ocean" and is another facet to the huge and diverse Jewish community on the westside of Los Angeles.

As an aside, if you're looking for a church in the immediate area, I highly recommend Pacific Crossroads Church, meeting a mile and a half away at 16th Street and Pearl Street in Santa Monica. It's affiliated with Redeemer Presbyterian Chuch in New York City.


I cut through the alley from Main Street to 2nd Street. That's my car at the end of the alley (I've since sold it).

A final view of Santa Monica - this time looking north up Ocean Avenue.

I can't think of many other communities where you'll see a pink Mini Cooper out and about.

But then again, I can't think of many other communities like Santa Monica (or Venice).

© 2011 www.experiencingla.com


.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Z--that is a pink Smart Car, not a Mini. Your point still stands, but Smart Cars tend to have some wacky colors--I see a tomato red one around my town all the time.

Gene