Santa Monica next weekend

July 4, 2011 11:44 AM

What to do in Santa Monica next weekend!

Going to be in Santa Monica from the 7th thru the 12th and wondering if all you good looking people had suggestions for adventures. All in the late afternoon evening - I'm a nerdy art loving foodie drinker. Have at it! Thanks! And if any locals want to show me around, drinks are on me!

posted by AutoPilot83 to travel & transportation around Santa Monica, CA (6 answers total)

You could do a burger tour and get all the best burgers SM has to offer. Father's Office, Umami Burger and Rustic Canyon all have burgers that are varying degrees of justifiably famous. Unfortunate you won't be around on Wednesday since you'll miss the best farmer's market SM has, but the Saturday morning one around 3rd & Arizona is almost as good.

Thursday marks the first Twilight Dance of the summer - free concert on the pier. It's supposed to be some local salsa group which I can't vouch for but the whole Twilight Dance experience is very pleasant.
posted by troublesome at 12:25 PM on July 4, 2011

Umami is great (and I really enjoyed their onion rings). Another plus is that they have free parking although the spot can be hard to find as there literally is no external signage that indicates that you are oat Umami Burger. They have a pretty decent beer menu as well.
posted by mmascolino at 12:50 PM on July 4, 2011

Bergamot Station is a great collection of galleries. It looks like they have a few openings on the 9th, too.

Santa Monica has great public transportation and awful, soul-sucking parking, especially downtown. I'd hop a bus to things like the Twilight Dance series, the Saturday Farmer's Market, and really, downtown in general if you can.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:06 PM on July 4, 2011

Go to the beach just south of the Pier and have a swing on the totally awesome travelling rings.
posted by roger ackroyd at 2:30 PM on July 4, 2011

For tasty cocktails, I love Copa d'Oro (tip: their happy hour deals are great), which is right off the Promenade, or the lobby lounge at Hotel Casa del Mar is perfect for a stopover before or after a walk on the beach.

If you are a sandwich lover, I strongly recommend Bay Cities Deli (tip: order your sandwiches online to avoid a half hour wait at the deli counter).

The Getty Center is a pleasant museum to visit and is open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays - not to be confused with the Getty Villa in Malibu, which is also fun but not open in the evenings.

The stretch of Sawtelle between Olympic and La Grange in West LA is kind of like a mini Little Tokyo and is great for trying some new kinds of Japanese cuisine or just browsing the stores (e.g. Giant Robot).
posted by unsub at 3:16 PM on July 4, 2011

There are tons of great food places and bars in Santa Monica and surrounding areas. For art, I'd swing by Venice for more art and quirky stuff. I'm a stone's throw from Santa Monica and I'd be happy to show you around if you message me and go into further detail about bars and stuff to do in the area.
posted by xtine at 8:31 PM on July 4, 2011