Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier in California is the famous wooden pier on Santa Monica Bay, west of Los Angeles. The municipal pier opened on 9 September 1909, at first mainly to carry sewage pipes beyond the surf. In 1916 Charles Looff built the amusement pier alongside it, with the Looff Hippodrome, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside turns a 1922 Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel with 44 hand-carved wooden horses; in 1973 the carousel and Hippodrome served as a location for “The Sting”. Severe winter storms destroyed the lower deck in 1983 and damaged more than a third of the pier.

Since 1996 the Pacific Park amusement park, with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, has stood here. In 2009 the pier was officially designated the end of Route 66, and a sign marks the popular photo stop. Beneath the carousel, the Heal the Bay Aquarium shows marine life from the bay, and fishing is allowed without a licence. South of the pier, according to Lonely Planet, are Muscle Beach and the International Chess Park.

The pier is at its best at sunset; in summer, Lonely Planet says, there are free concerts and open-air movie nights. The South Bay Bicycle Trail runs about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south from the pier to Venice Beach; bicycles can be rented on site. The nearest car parks are at the foot of the pier and just north of it and fill up quickly in season; with a bit of a walk, Lonely Planet says, you can find alternatives further inland.