Saturday saw the return of the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival as thousands of spectators watched hundreds of competitors from age 9-70+ honor the once popular Southern California sport of paddleboarding, according to Surfline. more ›

Now that city councilmembers have banned smoking on the Santa Monica Pier, up next is replacing the 1939-built bridge that connects to Ocean Avenue, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. The project would cost an estimated $8 million, but the cast-strapped city, which has placed a sales tax measure on the November ballot to recoup some money, may get $7 million in federal funding. A recent inspection found the bridge to be "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete," scoring a "sufficiency rating" of 30.6 out of 100, making it eligible to receive funds under the Highway Bridge Program more ›

Santa Monica city leaders should really just ban smoking throughout the whole city. Is the process of of slowly hacking away at bits and pieces of the city -- the latest was to ban smoking 25 feet within an apartment or condo building window or door -- really that efficient? more ›

How often do you use the restroom in a public place and leave thinking: "Wow, this restroom deserves an award!" more ›

A car chase ended with a splash late last night when the suspect waded into the water near the Santa Monica Pier. The LAPD had been in pursuit of a man they suspected was driving a stolen SUV since about 11:30 p.m. last night. During the course of the chase the suspect drove in loops through Beverly Hills, ultimately opting to head to Santa Monica via Sunset Boulevard. "There he walked out on the jetty, jumped down into the sand and went into the ocean," explains LA Now. The authorities talked him out of the water and he was taken into custody. more ›

Once a popular sport at the Santa Monica Pier dating back to the 1940s, paddleboarding is riding a comeback wave with a competition to kick off the summer on June 12th. more ›

Tomorrow is the 83rd Anniversary of the numbered highway system that gave birth to Route 66, among others. In honor of that, the long-debated ending point of the famed auto-passage will find itself at the Santa Monica Pier in a 9 a.m. ceremony with a parade 66 vintage cars and motorbikes (it begins at Santa Monica and Lincoln) and the unveiling of a replica of the "End of the Trail" sign. more ›

Longtime comedian and actress Elizabeth Beckwith has put pen to paper for her first book, "Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation" which will be released tomorrow by Harper Paperbacks. As a new parent, Beckwith drew upon her own upbringing in creating this guide which Barnes & Noble should bundle with "What to Expect When You're Expecting". more ›

To go along with our wordy look at the 100 years of history of the Santa Monica Pier, our LAist Featured Photos pool just happens to be brimming over with images of the iconic landmark that we couldn't keep to ourselves. more ›

On September 9th, the Santa Monica Pier celebrated its Centennial. Fireworks lit up the sky and thousands of people gathered to honor a landmark that seems to be synonymous not only with Santa Monica, but with Los Angeles, and our love affair with having fun at the edge of the Pacific Ocean more ›

Just a quick reminder, tomorrow is the pier's 100th birthday. Wish it well or join the festivities tomorrow night beginning at 6 p.m. more ›

X Games 15 started today and runs through Sunday at Staples Center and the Home Depot Center. Watch live 250 of the world’s best athletes competing in BMX freestyle, moto X, skateboard and rally car racing. Still on the bill this afternoon: Skateboard Vert Women's Final, Skateboard Street Women's Final, BMX Freestyle Park Elimination, Skateboard Big Air Final and Moto X Step Up Final. X Games events at the Staples Center require tickets ($20) for entry at 4 p.m. Home Depot tickets range from $10-$20 for all-day entry (starting at 10 a.m. daily). http://espn.go.com/action/news/story?id=4212508 more ›

Okay, so we're in the midst of the foggy grayscale grip of some serious June Gloom, but beneath those misty, low-hanging patches our landscape still has some of the most kick-ass coolness to offer Angelenos. So get outdoors, dammit! Take a hike, take a walk, take a run. Explore a park, some mountains, or a body of water. Just dress for the occasion, wear the right shoes, and be safe. Enjoy our amazing outdoors on National Get Outdoors Day. It's your duty! more ›

Spend you Sunday celebrating Earth Day and our oceans at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, where today from 11-6 they will have displays, presentations and activities focusing on environmental issues for which Heal the Bay is advocating will give visitors a range of areas for involvement. If you want to help pitch in, you can sign up for a beach cleanup between noon-3:30 and gain free admission to the museum for your participation. Special exhibits inside the Aquarium will highlight the environmental problems of marine debris. Artist “Deb Ris,” will display samples of her work, composed of trash found in the marine environment, along with many more special presentations and opportunities to interact with marine life. Lots of other kid-friendly activities, too. more ›

There are plenty of ways you can reach out and connect with Los Angeles' vast and fascinating history beyond the confines of our weekly LAistory column. Whether it be through joining a preservation group, taking a walking tour, visiting a museum or historic site, or opening up the pages of a book, LA's stories are often within our grasp. For LAistory, while we like to do the writing and photo-taking (or finding) ourselves, we, too, draw inspiration from our interaction with the city's resources, which is why LAistory is taking a brief pause today to give a shout out to a couple of publications that give us--and can give you, too--a better understanding of where we are and where we came from. more ›

FILM TALK: Director Wayne Wang will discuss his films Princess of Nebraska (2007) and Chinese Box (1997) in between a double-feature screening of the two, beginning at 7:30 pm at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Princess is a new film where Wang examines the young generation of China, following “24 hours in the life of Sasha, a young Chinese woman who is four months pregnant and travels to San Francisco to have an abortion and confront her lover's male friend.” And you may remember Jeremy Irons in Chinese Box as a Brit ex-Pat in love with two women in Hong Kong before the handover to China. more ›

The GLOW festival started at sundown Saturday night and didn't stop until after sunrise Sunday morning. The event was hosted by the City of Santa Monica and The Santa Monica Arts Foundation. It was sponsored by local businesses including The King's Head Pub as well as larger corporations. more ›

As dusk was falling over Santa Monica Pier on Friday night, Ronnie Renner was rising. The motorcycle daredevil broke the Guinness World Record for highest air ever attained on a quarterpipe, which had been constructed near the pier's ferris wheel and roller coaster. A pair of towers, each 55 feet tall, were used by the crowd to estimate the height of each attempt. A team of surveyors used reflectors and lasers to confirm the official measurements. more ›

This past weekend, the Green Apple Festival (MySpace), billed as "America's Largest Earth Day Celebration," was held in eight cities across the country (with the exception of Washington D.C., which was reportedly rained out), including here in Los Angeles. more ›

A few weeks back I promised to continue the photo essay of my next-door neighbor, the Redondo Beach Pier, where there is always something weird and wonderful to see and do. The Fun Factory is the next best thing to a cheesy, down-the-shore/midway arcade. Sure, Santa Monica Pier has its Ferris wheel, calliope and similar games of chance, but The Fun Factory has such an extensive jumble of bizarre coin operated artifacts, games, kiddy rides, crane machines, fortune tellers, pinball machines, vintage video games and whatever else you can think to stick a token into, that it just wins the prize for coolest, redemption palace in LA county. "Redemption" is how they describe those novelty amusements that devour all your laundry money. By the way, this 300+ game space can be enjoyed even on the most blustery of days, as it is an indoor attraction. Neener-neener-neener, SM Pier! more ›

In remembrance of the many lives lost in the 2004 South Asian tsunami, the public is invited to gather at a candlelight vigil with representatives of Sri Lankan organizations on Dec. 26, 6:30 p.m. at the Santa Monica Pier. Prayers will be offered by several religious denominations (Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim), followed by a moment of silence. Participants will release flowers into the ocean as the memorial service comes to an end. more ›

It’s a beautiful, wonderful day! Why, you ask? Have they pulled the troops from Iraq? Is America’s Next Top Model going to be syndicated twice a night, every night? Has the retail industry decided that Christmas should just be about spending time with family and loved ones, and yanked their holiday marketing bonanzas? No…it’s even better. For those of you who missed it this morning…Dunkin’ Donuts coffee will now be available for purchase in... more ›

A mysterious email appeared in our inbox this morning, notifying us of a Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby being held at the Santa Monica Pier tomorrow morning (check-in begins at 9am, you can register here through the Thrillist website). The event is being hosted by Maria Menounos, and the lucky winning team will receive a two-year supply of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, revered by many as the morning brew of choice. But wait just a... more ›

Redd Kross, Santa Monica Pier, 1982 Redd Kross @ The Echoplex The Bronx, The Mercy Killers @ Safari Sam's The Polyphonic Spree, Rooney @ Henry Fonda Yo La Tengo @ The Ivar Dropkick Murphys @ The Wiltern Jon Brion @ Largo Mezzanine Owls, The Black Kites @ The Echo Dax Riggs @ Spaceland Ferraby Lionheart, The Hundred Days @ The Bordello Low Vs Diamond, Something For Rockets @ Viper Room The Monolators, Correatown, Frankel,... more ›

That's an average of 90.1 mph for the 2,794 miles between Classic Car Club in Manhattan and the Santa Monica Pier in California. Get this, and no traffic stops, no tickets (that would cost a detrimental 15-minutes). Feel bad now about getting pulled over recently? more ›

About the Above Photo: "Every Sunday from sunrise to sunset since February 15th 2004, a temporary memorial is erected in the sand just north of the pier at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles and at Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara, California and other locations around the country by local chapters of Veterans For Peace (VFP) and volunteers. This memorial is known as Arlington West... By the end of July 2007, using the U.S.... more ›

World Wide Spies, Protection, Plans to Leave, The Drowning Men, Frantic Taste @ Safari Sam's more ›

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco would probably prefer it if you didn't talk on Wednesday Spinal Tap @ Avalon, tonight Joss Stone @ Greek, tonight Metal Skool, Shapes of Racecars @ Key Club, tonight Stevie Wonder @ Santa Barbara Bowl, Tues Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda, Tues Wilco @ Greek, Weds. The Like @ Spaceland, Weds Los Lobos @ Santa Monica Pier, Thurs Kronos Quartet @ California Plaza, Thurs Mat Kearney @ House of Blues,... more ›

Daniel Johnston at SXSW, 3/07 more ›

Bluesy, smokey, growly, and deep -- Patti Smith the original She-punk poet, commanded the Santa Monica Pier last Thursday night. Her voice was clear and the sound was fantastical. Her stage banter was absurd and somewhat drowned out by the rumblings of the mostly parental type fans in attendance. I’m pretty sure there was talk of tacos, but I’m definitely sure there was discussion of oatmeal. Patti thought she was at a festival, but hey,... more ›