It’s nice to see some good national press about Santa Monica.
Forbes recently published an article titled “Why Everyone’s Heading Back To Santa Monica,” looking at how the city is getting attention again after some challenging years.
The article points to a few things driving the renewed interest. There are several new and renovated hotels, a growing restaurant scene, new events, and efforts by the city to improve public spaces and address safety concerns.
Forbes also highlights the new Ocean Way Festival, a two-day music festival from the team behind Coachella. It will take place next to the Santa Monica Pier and is expected to bring 30,000 to 35,000 people to the city.
The food scene gets quite a bit of attention too. Forbes mentions restaurants like La Monique, Seline, Rustic Canyon, Wally’s, Crudo e Nudo, Xuntos, Holy Basil and Fitoor, along with the Santa Monica locations of Tartine.
And of course, the beach is still the main attraction. The article recommends the bike path, Santa Monica Pier and Palisades Park, along with Montana Avenue, Main Street, the Farmers Market and the arts scene around Bergamot Station.
What I like about the article is that it doesn’t try to present Santa Monica as something completely new. It recognizes what has always made the city special, while pointing out that there is a lot happening here again.
Good to see Santa Monica getting some attention from the national press.