It’s one of those iconic images: the Santa Monica Pier, with its ferris wheelgiant and roller coaster, extending into the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of America. Films and TV shows often use the pier to represent Los Angeles, and more than eight million people visit it every year to enjoy its numerous attractions, which include an amusement park, an aquarium and a series of free concerts.
TWO PIERS
The Santa Monica Pier is, in fact, made up of two adjacent piers. The first of these, called the Municipal Pier, opened in 1909, and the second, Pleasure Pier, to the south, opened in 1916. Pleasure Pier, as the name suggests, had lots of fun activities and amusement park rides, including a roller coaster and a carousel. It was a popular destination in the 1920s but became less popular a decade later, during the Great Depression, and its rides were sold off.
SAVE THE PIER
In the 1960s and 70s, there were various proposals to demolish the pier, including one that proposed the construction of an artificial island with a 1,500-room hotel. However, the people of Santa Monica established a committee to save the pier for future generations, and they managed to stop the project. In 1983, after it was almost destroyed by a storm, the city began to restore the pier to its former glory.
PACIFIC PARK
Today, one of the pier’s biggest attractions is its amusement park, Pacific Park. It has twelve rides, including the world’s first and only solar-powered ferris wheel and a massive roller coaster. The pier also has the original carousel from the 1920s, a beautiful historic ride with forty-four hand-carved horses and a calliope for musical accompaniment. Other attractions include an aquarium, an arcade, a trapeze school, shops, restaurants and pubs.
MUSIC IN THE FALL
The pier is very crowded in the summer, but it is a popular destination at other times of the year too. In the fall, people go to the pier to enjoy the six-week Twilight on the Pier music programme. As well as a series of free concerts, the event also includes art exhibitions, games and other fun activities.
