Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica

I came here for business and this place has every single store you can imagine. I literally spent HOURS going place to place. As far as prices go, the whole idea that everything is more expensive is not really true. Some stores were the same as I am used to in Delaware. For any workout junkies like myself, I would go to the Equinox Fitness gym right next to there. The trainer Dillon gave me a heck of a workout and offered advice on where else to go around the area. Definitly worth going to! I will definitly be returning to this area once I can get some more money to spend ;)

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There are many restaurants, pubs and shops at the 3rd Street Promenade. But that's not the main reason to go! You have to go for the excellent people watching. From street musicians, to starlet hopefuls, to people from every country on the planet, from hipsters to retired folk, from hotties to middle aged couples, this place has a fantastic variety of people and I love it!. Of course it does have all the shopping and eats you can handle if people watching is not your thing. But come on, your in LA and you don't want to people watch?

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The promenade is 30 city blocks of shopping, restaurants, family and adult entertainment. Third Street was closed from automible traffic in 1965 creating one of the first pedestrian malls. In 1989 the city spent millions of dollars revitalized the area creating a wonderful asset to bring visitors to this area. What is unique about the Third Street Promenade, it is only a couple of blocks from the beach and pier.

Not just a shopping destination, the Third Street Promenade is THE place to hang out in the evenings. You can sit back and relax and take in the multitude of street performers (even in December, there were quite a few), then go to a movie, have dinner, have a coffee and do some shopping as well. Most of the stores I noticed were open until 10:00 pm, or maybe it was just because of the holiday season, I'm not sure.

Watching the young, and obviously talented, Nissim play the piano/keyboard is at first, breathtaking. He is, without a doubt, a force to be wreckoned with. He claims his music comes from GOD. But, upon closer observation, he's NOT the shy, innocent young man he claims. Oh, he's troubled all right. Want to know why? Just go to IONAZ.
com, the gay/lesbian mag for Arizona. He's one of the former gay partyers for the mag. (Nice pics of him and his "friend").And he's Jewish, pretending to be Christian, just to sell his cd's!!! Don't waste your time buying the cd, he claims to have wrote ALL the music and lyrics...(Hint: HE DIDN'T!!!!)

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One saturday night a while ago, I came across a young man by the name of Nissim playing piano on the third street promenade. He was by far the best piano player and singer that I have ever seen or heard live! It is a must see!!!! He writes all his own songs and he has a such beautiful family and 2 kids! It just amazes me that he is devote Christian and lives for God at 27 years old. I know that he is going to go far, and be a huge star one day!!!!

I am not an expert on shopping in Santa Monica, but if you are not eighter I suggest going to the Third Street Promenade, it is a shopping street with a mall at the south end, so you should be pretty much covered for shopping :)

Third Street Promenade is Santa Monica's pedestrian-only shopping district. Friends of ours had suggested Third Street Promenade as a place to visit during our brief time in Santa Monica. She had previously worked in a clothing boutique when she was living in LA and she thought that we'd probably enjoy exploring the shops there. She was right!

The Third Street Promenade's unique in the way that it's pedestrian-only, giving it a much more relaxed atmosphere. Most big-name stores are found here, such as Old Navy, the Gap, Starbucks, Nike, Urban Outfitters, etc. Normally I don't seek out global retail franchises, but I quite enjoyed the atmosphere here and found myself going on an unexpected shopping spree!

In addition to the big name shops, the Third Street Promenade offers an abundance of kiosks selling all kinds of things, from puppets and toys, to hats and underwear! There's also street performers which gives this area a pleasant care free feeling - ideal for window shopping and wandering around.

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3rd Street Promenade was my favorite spot to shop in Southern California. Great shops, from Nike to Armani Exchange, all without that pompous Rodeo Drive glare. The Promenade also has some very nice restaurants on and around it that make this a must visit hotspot in Southern California.

There is a most interesting walking tour through downtown Santa Monica. You will learn about the history, the culture , and the architecture of this unique city.The Docents, all Volunteers, are well informed and most welcoming. They are also local residents. You will learn about how a section of the Sepulveda Rancho became the frontier town of Santa Monica and how it grew into the internationally known resort city it is today. The tour takes about two hours and is a lovely way to spend a morning.