“If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A.”

I’m pretty sure it’s a universally agreed-upon fact that no true Angeleno would ever come out to Santa Monica Pier on Labor Day weekend, save those who work there or somehow enjoy pushing their way through throngs of people along the boardwalk. Since I can’t really count myself a “true Angeleno”, though, I appear to have missed that memo, because come Labor Day, there I was, pushing my way through throngs of people along the boardwalk.

A relative calm before the insanely crowded pier truly begins.

Crowds aside, the pier is truly charming – old-timey arcades, festival rides, and funnel cakes galore. Kitschy souvenir shops sell Route 66 memorabilia and fresh fruit vendors hawk cool bundles of mangos at passerby. Musicians play the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA” and street performers dance for curious onlookers. The atmosphere is nostalgic and youthful at the same time – full of the sounds and smells and sights of summers past, present, and future.

Unfortunately, I saw very little of the pier itself in an attempt to avoid the aforementioned crowds by heading down to the beach; and although finding a place to pitch our towels took some effort, my friends and I eventually found the struggle well worth it. The water was cool but not cold, making it perfect for the heat of the day; the waves carried us in and out of the ocean with every swell. Coming from the Bay Area, the bulk of my experience with beaches comes from Santa Cruz, where the waves are monsters that actively try to kill anyone who dares to swim, and the water feels like it came straight out of the side of a melting glacier. Testing the waters of sunny Southern California, then, was an incredibly exhilarating experience.

A few interesting facts about Santa Monica Pier (all of which I learned today):

“There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich…” -Bubba

1. The Ferris wheel is solar-powered and one-of-a-kind (showing that Santa Monica, unlike Los Angeles, at least attempts to be eco-friendly).
2. The bridge and gate were built in 1938 by the WPA (one of the New Deal programs instated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt).
3. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was created for the company of the same name in the movie Forrest Gump, and not the other way around (I learned this looking at a menu for the restaurant on the pier).
4. The pier has been featured in movies such as Titanic, Iron Man, and Hannah Montana: The Movie (probably the most diverse group of films that any acting set has ever seen).
5. USING SUNSCREEN DOES NOT GUARANTEE FREEDOM FROM SUNBURN. This I know.

Something about the summer sun must make people insanely hungry, because we were willing to wait for an hour to eat at Del Frisco’s Grille, which made a mean Cali Chicken Sandwich and also served brunch at all hours of the day (Red Velvet Waffles, yes). My recommendation: head out there, but (as with everything else) not on Labor Day weekend.

Perfect post-beach food!

What can one  do on Labor Day, then? Hopefully I’ll find out next year.