Monicas

Exclusive | Santa Monica’s secret, charming ‘Gilmore Girls’ shopping district is thriving just blocks from retail apocalypse 

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Exclusive | Santa Monica’s secret, charming ‘Gilmore Girls’ shopping district is thriving just blocks from retail apocalypse 

It’s a tale of two Santa Monicas. With quaint boutiques, bustling cafes, friendly shopkeepers and pampered pooches galore, the charming, thriving shopping strip on Montana Avenue has quietly become Santa Monica’s unofficial new downtown — a breezy, beautiful retort to the doom and gloom of the beach city’s beleaguered traditional retail core. Barely a mile … Read more

Exclusive | Struggling Santa Monica’s sudden bakery boom – with $7 croissants and 45-minute wait times

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Exclusive | Struggling Santa Monica’s sudden bakery boom – with croissants and 45-minute wait times

The early bird gets the croissant. While many Santa Monica businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, a handful of wildly popular bakeries are bucking the trend — drawing pastry obsessed customers out of bed before sunrise and selling out of their buttery creations by lunchtime. The city’s latest success story is Matilda, which … Read more

Viral rendering reimagines Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade as lush green shopper’s paradise

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Santa Monica’s once-gleaming Third Street Promenade could use a breath of fresh air, and one tech entrepreneur is giving the world a peak at what full-blown botanical overhaul might look like. Tech founder Raad Mobrem took to X to share a striking, utopian rendering of the iconic open-air shopping corridor, reimagining the struggling concrete pedestrian … Read more

Santa Monica’s sneaky new tactic to catch unruly cyclists — it’s a California first with $93 fines

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Santa Monica’s sneaky new tactic to catch unruly cyclists — it’s a California first with fines

They’re robo-cops. Santa Monica has become the first city in California to crack down on bike lane violations using security cams powered by artificial intelligence. The initiative targets vehicles that illegally park that stop or park illegally in the cyclist’s side of the road, forcing peddlers into the street where the risk of an accident … Read more

Santa Monica’s iconic Gap store to be torn down, replaced with homes

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Santa Monica’s iconic Gap store to be torn down, replaced with homes

Southern California’s very first Gap store is packing up its khaki trousers and denim jackets for good soon, swapping out retail history for high-density apartments. The historic storefront on Wilshire Boulevard and 20th Street in Santa Monica is set to close July 23, after several decades of operation. “Gap has been proud to be part … Read more

Exclusive | The biggest surprise at Santa Monica’s pricey Teenage Ninja Turtles pizzeria isn’t the nostalgia

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Exclusive | The biggest surprise at Santa Monica’s pricey Teenage Ninja Turtles pizzeria isn’t the nostalgia

Los Angeles’ food scene just got a major dose of ’90s nostalgia with the opening of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed pizzeria in the heart of Santa Monica. Foodies are already buzzing about the premium prices — with full pies ranging from $39 to $54 — but the bigger question is whether the experience is … Read more

Santa Monica’s beloved Pacific Park celebrates 30th anniversary

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Santa Monica’s beloved Pacific Park celebrates 30th anniversary

Santa Monica’s iconic Pacific Park is officially turning 30, marking three decades since amusement rides returned to the famed Santa Monica Pier for the first time since the 1930s. The beloved oceanfront attraction celebrated the milestone Tuesday with a birthday-themed light show on its world-famous Pacific Wheel, displaying “Happy Birthday” messages, anniversary graphics, and a … Read more

Inside Santa Monica’s boozy street drinking plan to save struggling outdoor mall

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Inside Santa Monica’s boozy street drinking plan to save struggling outdoor mall

Finally some good news about the Third Street Promenade area of Santa Monica, which has seen rampant closures in recent months and years. Mayor Caroline Torosis told the California Post the Entertainment Zone model that allows for open alcohol consumption, adopted in the summer of 2025, is working. “We’re testing out what works and what … Read more

The empty storefronts haunting Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade

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The empty storefronts haunting Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade

A Santa Monica product designer is putting hard numbers to what locals have long known in their bones: nearly three in 10 storefronts on the Third Street Promenade sit empty. The designer built an interactive map tracking occupancy along the corridor, and the numbers aren’t pretty — 28.5% of storefronts are vacant, a bleak snapshot … Read more