Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
175
Secrets of Santa Monica
If you're the t ype of tra veler who eschew s crowded tourist attrac tions, here
are a f ew of m y fa vorite plac es in Santa M onica that only the locals k now
about:
Camera Obscura
It's well named, because even most Santa M onicans don't
know about this truly obscur e attrac tion though they 've passed right b y it
countless times. Located within the Senior Recreation Center in Palisades Park,
the C amera Obscura (which is Latin f or “dark r oom”), is , w ell, a dark r oom
that's round and has a whit e circular table in the middle . Turn the old boat
steering wheel , which turns the o verhead perisc ope thingy , and a r everse
projection of the park , ocean, and a venue is r eflected onto the table (that 's
your car getting a park ing ticket). I t's an ancient in vention that off ers a f ew
minutes of mindless v oyeuristic amusement in a modern w orld. To see it y ou
have to go int o the S enior Center (mmmm, smell that Salisbur y steak!), give
the person at the desk y our driver's license, and get the key t o the C amera
Obscura door locat ed up the stairs t o your right. The whole experienc e is a
bit surr eal, but fun (and fr ee). I t's open M onday t o Friday 9am t o 2pm and
Saturday 11am t o 4pm. 1450 Oc ean A ve., bet ween Br oadway and Santa
Monica Boulevard, Santa M onica (
&
310/458-8644
).
Father's O ffice
If y ou just want t o tuck int o a g reat bur ger and a beer
without having to endure the Santa M onica tourist scene, join the y oung and
beautiful at Father's Office, a small, unpretentious beer bar and grill that offers
40 beers on tap and one of the best bur gers in L.A.— dry-aged sirloin with a
composite of apple w ood-smoked bac on, carameliz ed onion, arugula, Gru-
yère, and Maytag blue cheese on a F rench roll. Addictive french fries are piled
into toy shopping car ts (you'll see). I t's usually standing r oom only on most
evenings so come early if you want a table. 1018 Montana Ave., at 10th Street,
Santa Monica (
&
310/393-2337;
www.fathersoffice.com).
Chez Jay's
It may look like a dump y bar (okay, it is a dump y bar), but it 's
my
kind of dumpy bar. Located on a multimillion-dollar plot of land near the Santa
Monica P ier, this cr eaky classic was opened b y a man named Ja y “Peanuts”
Fiondella, a gray-bearded old-timer who wouldn't sell out to developers at any
price; now that he's gone (may he rest in peace), hopefully it will stay that way.
Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, P eter S ellers, Kevin Spac ey, M adonna, George
Clooney—they've all been regulars at one time or another during the past 45
years. Rumor has it astr onaut Alan Shepar d took a peanut fr om Jay's to the
moon and back (and Steve McQueen tried to eat it). Naturally, there's a jukebox
in the c orner, a marlin mount ed on the wall , peanut shells on the floor , and
well-worn red vinyl booths. I hear they ser ve a great steak but I've never seen
the menu. The place is a bit har d to find—look for the little neon sig n on the
east side of Oc ean Avenue,
1
/
2
block south of the pier . No c over. 1657 Oc ean
Ave., between Pico Boulevard and C olorado Avenue, Santa M onica (
&
310/
395-1741;
www.chezjays.com).
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