Artists from all walks of life, in conjunction with Downtown Santa Monica participated in AMP (Arts, Music, and Promenade) set-up small booths to showcase their artwork along the Promenade.

Handmade jewelry, handmade winter hats, paintings, and photography were displayed and for sale for reasonable prices.  

One booth included photographs of the local oceans and the tubes inside the waves.  The photographer, when asked how he photographed such dramatic pictures, he said, “I actually get in the water, with my waterproof camera, and take the photo as the wave crashes over me.”

Music lovers can enjoy the atmosphere as well.  There is a live DJ that is pumping out music that appeals to a wide range of listeners.  There are seats arranged in front of the stage where people can take sip a coffee, watch the happenings, and enjoy the musical and artistic atmosphere.

Mayor Lana Negrete was on site to promote the event. She was overheard saying, “This is a fun filled event….that will help generate revenue for local artists and businesses.”

Getting to and from the event is easy. The Santa Monica bound train terminates at 4th and Colorado. It is a short walk from there. You can also exit the 10 Freeway West at 4th Street and turn right. Parking in downtown Santa Monica is easy too.  Public parking lots are located on 4^th and 2^nd streets.

One of the questions that needed an immediate answer was, “what to do with the students?” who were unable to attend the schools in the Palisades.

Lana Negrete, Mayor of Santa Monica, announced the City of Santa Monica, would welcome at least 2,000 displaced students to Santa Monica. The city decided that the vacant building that once housed Sears – near 4th street and Broadway – would undergo an emergency renovation and welcome the students until an alternative solution could be found – or they destroyed schools could be rebuilt.

One Santa Monica resident said he was happy the empty building would now be put to good use. “The old Sears building is in a great location in the heart of Santa Monica,” the man said. “Kids commuting from the Palisades can easily make the drive while those coming from other locations have easy access from the 10 Freeway,” he concluded.

On Tuesday, several thousand students used the – almost always empty – train to commute from their permanent homes or their temporary homes. The Palisades Schools are part of Los Angeles Unified School District. Many of the students at Pali High didn’t live in the Palisades as the school was a Charter school – meaning – kids from outside the area could attend.

At the end of the first week, the students attending school seem to be happy. One student said, “The fires were challenging for everyone and like obviously caused a lot of damage. But we move on. I’m happy to be back at school with my friends.”

One teacher told the media, “We have the experience of teaching online due to Covid, so we transitioned quickly while we prepared for the move to the new building. The kids are really happy now.”

But, before they go, they are looking for a chance at redemption after three straight defeats over the past two days. Yesterday, SAMO fell to Chatsworth despite beating them during the pre-season. Then, the team fell to Mililani High School in three straight sets. And finally, the Punahou team, the favored team in the tournament, defeated SAMO, again in three sets.

Earlier this week, the Vikings played two warm-up games and won both. One of those games was against the Punahou 1AA team. The Vikings are looking for a repeat of the warm-up match.

This is the first time Santa Monica has ever participated in the Clash of the Titans Tournament and we all hope the invitation to play again next year is extended.

As someone once said earlier, it takes a village to move a bunch of teen-age boys from California to Hawaii.

I would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You! to all of the parents, chaperones, coaches, assistant coaches, athletic directors, grandparents, and siblings who all pitched in to make this a successful tournament and trip for the team. I would also like to say Thank You to Punahou High School and the Clash of the Titans Tournament for making the video feed available via the public Internet. Thank you for putting it out there. Thank you YouTube for keeping the Internet free and open.

Now, let’s play ball. The game is set to start at 5:00 pm HST / 8:00 pm PDT.

Thank you!

The Eagles played a physical game against the Vikings. Led by their Outside Hitters, the Eagles were able to get above the net and the blocking hands of the SAMO players.

Although the Vikings were at one point ahead of the Eagles by six points, there were unable to keep the lead and send the play into the fifth set.

“We played a lot of good teams recently and I’m happy with the results,” said Coach Pete Barraza. “I’m looking forward to our league play and believe the boys will do well.”

On Monday, Santa Monica plays the Malibu team in Santa Monica. The game starts at 3:30 pm PST and will be live streamed on www.3rdstreet.tv.

El Segundo will begin their league play next week. This year, El Segundo will play in the Bay League where they will play against Mira Costa, Redondo Union, South Torrance, and Peninsula.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

SANTA MONICA (March 3, 2025) – “The game never stops.” “The only important point is the one that you are playing for now.” “Don’t lose your cool – stay calm and focus.” “It’s only a game.”

These are some of the thoughts that might go through the minds of young volleyball players as they face one another from across the net.

It’s easy to write this but it is different when the serve coming at you is speeding through the air at 45 mph.

During the quick sets, the players are usually jocular. They stay loose. There are hands slaps and good natured joking. They are all friends and during Club Season, there is a lot of mixing and matching and crossover.

On Thursday, the El Segundo Eagles travel to Bay City where they will play against the SAMO High Vikings. The Eagles, led by the always smiling wonder twins, have been recently flying high. Last week they defeated Torrance in three quick sets. Before that, the Eagles soared past Wiseburn – Da Vinci in three consecutive sets at Wiseburn.

The Santa Monica Vikings have been doing a little pillaging of their own. Last week they had three games. The Vikings vanquished Palos Verdes at the end of the week. In the middle of the week they travelled to Brentwood. The game went to four sets but Santa Monica ultimately won. In the beginning of the week, the Vikings sailed over to Torrance where they conquered the Tartars in four sets.

Santa Monica Head Coach, Pete Barraza, was happy with the team’s performance last week. “There are a few things we can work on but we are getting better every game,” he said. “The team played hard last week and I’m glad we can take a little rest before the El Segundo game.”

Last week, middle blocker, Breyon, had several impressive blocks that helped the Vikings defeat Palos Verdes. This players has a few more years of high school to develop as a player. We are expecting good things from him.

Alec Green, the voice of So Cal Volleyball will once again announce the play-by-play for the Thursday match-up between El Segundo and Santa Monica. You can watch the live stream here on 3rdstree.tv.

This post and live stream are brought to you by our sponsors: Yogazan and Pacific Coast Tires

Watch the live stream below.

For those of us who live in the Mid City area, we are very familiar with the intersection of 22nd Street and Arizona Avenue.  It just so happens that the emergency exit of St. John’s Hospital is collocated at this intersection as well.  If you drive by this intersection around 8:30 am you will see the hospital staff jaywalking across Arizona Avenue without any regard for pedestrian or vehicle traffic.  Moreover, hospital patients also cross Arizona at 22nd Street as they return to their cars parked on 22nd Street or on Wilshire Boulevard.

The problem is the lack of crosswalks at this intersection.  There simply isn’t a safe crosswalk for pedestrian to cross between 22nd and Arizona.  Since there isn’t a crosswalk, it begs the question, if the City Council truly cared about the safety of the tax paying citizens and really wanted to make pedestrian traffic fatalities a “thing of the past” in SAMO, shouldn’t the city install crosswalks at this dangerous intersection?

Images courtesy of Google.  

https://livestream.com/IMSINC/events/8576741

This little man has his new @camelbak pack and is ready for an adventure! He couldn’t wait to try it out I wonder how long into our hike before he asks me to hold it ……………………………………..#lennonmichael #readyforadventure #camelbakpack #hydrationpack #travelingmoms #hikingkids #readyforadventure #westvirginiaherewecome #familyadventure #timetoexploretheusa #48statesroadtrip #hikeready #readysethike #hikeitbaby #campkids

A post shared by 3 Little Nomads (@threelittlenomads) on Mar 15, 2018 at 10:14am PDT

WATER

The most important part of any hike and one that people often over look is water. You can never have enough water, and if you are thinking about leaving a bottle at home instead of taking it, don’t. When hiking its a good idea to invest in a Hydration Pack. There are a variety of companies that make the backpacks from CamelBak to Katla Volcano. The packs tend to keep hikers more hydrated with the constant reminder that its with you and the easy access to use it. 

After that, two or three water bottles hanging on your belt loop or the pack are there as a precaution. Your pack will run out and it’s nice to have the backup should that happen. A cooler of water in your car to refill your bottles when you get back will help prevent motion sickness as you get down the mountain.

Once you have your water ready, its time to move on to clothing.

Getting my clothes together for the 3 Peak Challenge this weekend. Group of 15 of us are taking on this challenge for @mariecurieuk which I am sure will help push us through knowing it’s for such a worthy cause. More snacks and gear to pack! #hikinggear #mariecurie #gearlist #clothingforhiking #hikingclothes #jackwolfskin #mammut #sweatybetty #tog24 #gettoggedup #hikeclothes #womenwhogohiking #50shadesofblue #hikinggirlclothes #hikingfashion

A post shared by The Average Hiking Girl (@theaveragehikinggirl) on Jun 20, 2018 at 12:20pm PDT

CLOTHES

Know thy enemy — or in a hiker’s case, the sun. In California, the sun brings on the heat and hiking at its peak hours can be terrible. Don’t make the heat worse by wearing the wrong clothing. If you start in the morning, it may be cold. If you feel the need to put pants on, make them a top layer. There are zip off pants that turn into shorts, sweats over shorts or lightweight hiking pants. As far as a shirt goes, you can pick from a variety of styles. From tank tops to a long sleeve performance shirt, a variety of cool options are available to hikers.

However, remember when hiking at night – bright is best.

Hangin in the clouds today. #hike #hiking #lahiking #socalhiking #malibu #malibuhiking #santamonicamountains #santamonicahiking #mishiewokwa #tripeaks

A post shared by Chasing Trail (@wearechasingtrail) on Apr 16, 2013 at 8:02am PDT

LOCATION AND TIME

It may seem like a small detail, but letting people know where you are is probably one of the most important pieces of hiking. Whether you go with someone or not, you most likely won’t have a signal on the hike, meaning if something happens it’ll be a while before anyone knows something has happened. It’s good to let someone away from the hiking area know where you are going and when you’ll be gone. Don’t be late when you are coming back though. It’s important to be on time when you return so that should something ever go wrong people will know.

Santa Monica offers a wide variety of hiking options from beginner peaks to intense paths. Being prepared will make even the worst of heat and terrains more enjoyable. So pack your bag full of food and water to enjoy your day out exploring some of Santa Monica’s more rural landscapes.

Feature photo courtesy of Malofx’s Instagram. In post photos courtesy of Chasing Trail, The Average Hiking Girl and 3 Little Nomad’s Instagrams.

The pop-up store offers those with a penchant for sweets a gastro journey that is also eye-catching.  Candytopia offers a variety of attractions such as the Museum of Ice Cream and Marshmallow Massive – a pool of sponges that look like marshmallows. However, the candy attraction is unlike anything else visitors can experience anywhere else.

A post shared by Alexandra (@makeupbyzandy) on Jun 11, 2018 at 12:08pm PDT

Unlike Charlie at The Chocolate Factory, customers are encouraged to touch and interact with the displays.  However, eating the attractions that have installed features is against the rules. From sculptures to candy art, the event provides a dream world, in which candy aficionados and lovers can escape.

Patrons are encouraged to enjoy the exhibit and not worry about photos. While tons of selfie opportunities are provided, Candytopia offers free, high-quality images that will be emailed to you once you join the mailing list. However, cell phones and personal cameras are welcome with plenty of candy-related backgrounds provided.

A post shared by evecermak (@evecermak07) on Jun 9, 2018 at 1:42pm PDT

The Gallery includes exhibits inspired by themes like Starry Night, Mona Lisa, and Willy Wonka’s candy factory. Tickets prices are $30 for an adult and $23 per child.  For more information visit www.candytopia.com.

Feature photo courtesy of Candytopia’s Facebook. In post photos courtesy of Evecermak and Alexandra’s Instagrams.