Exclusive | Skateboarding legends swarm Santa Monica 50 years after California culture changed forever

Exclusive | Skateboarding legends swarm Santa Monica 50 years after California culture changed forever

Pioneers of modern skateboarding gathered on the Santa Monica Pier Thursday night to celebrate 50 years of the culture that is now synonymous with California. In the mid-70s, a group of young men from Dogtown — a local nickname for Santa Monica, formed the Z-Boys skate team at Jeff Ho’s Zephyr surf shop. The legendary … Read more

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

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

Santa Monica bar brimming with historic charm to shutter after 20 years

Santa Monica bar brimming with historic charm to shutter after 20 years

Santa Monica’s party is over at one of its best known watering holes. The Victorian — the sprawling, three-story Main Street mansion where generations of Angelenos have danced, downed cocktails and stumbled through last call — is closing after 20 years of serving espresso martinis and basement DJ sets. “After 20 incredible years, The Victorian … Read more

A massive Swiss Christmas village is coming to Santa Monica — complete with Alpine chalets and melted cheese

A massive Swiss Christmas village is coming to Santa Monica — complete with Alpine chalets and melted cheese

Forget surfboards and sunscreen — Santa Monica is bringing the spirit of the Alps to the Pacific this holiday season. The city’s iconic pier is set to transform into a sprawling Swiss-inspired winter market, bringing a taste of the snow-covered peaks to one of Southern California’s famously sunny beaches. The European-style holiday bazaar will transform … Read more

Exclusive | I was told I’d never walk again — now I’m trekking 6 million steps from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Santa Monica Pier

The odds have never meant much to Fergus Farrell. In 2018, the Irishman was given a 5% chance of ever walking again after a workplace injury left him paralyzed from the ribcage down. Nearly six years later, after a grueling recovery, he’s hitting the open road for a 3,000-mile trek across the US — entirely … Read more

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

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

Met Her at a Bar to open in Santa Monica as fans erupt

Met Her at a Bar to open in Santa Monica as fans erupt

Santa Monica will soon get a new breakfast and lunch spot as Met Her at a Bar plans to launch an outlet on Main Street. The café with a neighborhood vibe, serving “authentic Belgian waffles and Colombe coffees,” will open its doors to customers in August this year. Owners Mindy and Vinny Kinne, a husband-wife … Read more

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

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

Why Santa Clara County is going door to door looking for Costco purchases

Why Santa Clara County is going door to door looking for Costco purchases

Santa Clara County agricultural officials have launched an unusual door-to-door tactic to track down approximately 1,300 grapevine and desert willow plants sold at Costco locations in California that may be carrying a destructive invasive pest. The unusually aggressive effort zones in on customers who purchased these plants between April and early July 2026. Officials are … Read more

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

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

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

Fans rage at insane Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria prices ahead of its Santa Monica opening

Fans rage at insane Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria prices ahead of its Santa Monica opening

Fans of the iconic “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” will need to shell out some serious cash to chow down at the first official franchise pizzeria in Santa Monica, with prices outraging many. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria (1444 Third Street Promenade Santa Monica, CA 90401) opened with a soft launch last week, ahead of … Read more

LA wins big at elite food awards — as Santa Monica spot steals best California chef crown

LA wins big at elite food awards — as Santa Monica spot steals best California chef crown

Los Angeles’ restaurant scene had a big night at the 2026 James Beard Awards, with some of the city’s most acclaimed chefs and restaurants being crowned with major awards at the “Oscars” of the food world. The annual awards ceremony, held Monday night at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House, recognized excellence in the food and restaurant … Read more

Iconic Santa Monica bar brought back from the dead — with all the glory of its legendary edge

Iconic Santa Monica bar brought back from the dead — with all the glory of its legendary edge

One of Santa Monica’s most legendary nightlife institutions has officially returned from the dead. Circle Bar, the dimly lit Main Street haunt that reportedly served everyone from rock icon, Jim Morrison, to pioneering author, Truman Capote, finally reopened a few weeks back after nearly three years of sitting dark. Circle Bar’s comeback arrives as Santa … Read more

Santa Monica’s beloved Pacific Park celebrates 30th anniversary

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

Beach bus program will take SoCal residents to Santa Monica for just $6 round trip

Beach bus program will take SoCal residents to Santa Monica for just  round trip

Southern California residents have a ticket to ride — all the way to the coast and back, just in time for summer. A seasonal Beach Bus service connecting Antelope Valley to Santa Monica officially returned on Monday, giving residents in Palmdale and Lancaster a cheap escape from the high desert heat for less than the … Read more

Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride hits Santa Monica

Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride hits Santa Monica

Since it started in 2012, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride has raised over $60 million for men’s health. Dan Abraham is riding for his 12th year. He says he is riding for men’s health, suicide prevention and prostate cancer awareness. Kris Noble rode in the event for his first time. Noble is a one year cancer … Read more

Dine like a Dodger at this elevated Santa Clarita deli owned by Mookie Betts’ former private chef

Dine like a Dodger at this elevated Santa Clarita deli owned by Mookie Betts’ former private chef

The latest cult sandwich spot in Los Angeles isn’t tucked inside a trendy strip mall or an influencer trap — it’s hiding in an industrial corner of Santa Clarita, next to warehouses and storage units. Chef James Dalton — the longtime private chef to Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts — quietly opened Table 504 last week, … Read more

Insane brawl breaks out between Santa Cruz black belt surfer and bodyboarder over petty lineup gripe

Insane brawl breaks out between Santa Cruz black belt surfer and bodyboarder over petty lineup gripe

It’s supposed to be all peace, love and perfect sets — but one Santa Cruz session turned into a shoreline scrap straight out of “Point Break.” A wild early-morning clash between two surfers at the famed Steamer Lane was caught on camera, showing tempers flare from a brief smackdown in the sea to a full-on fight … Read more