Santa Monica, California

:For the Philippine municipality, see Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte

Attractions and cultural resources

The Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome (AKA carousel) is a National Historic Landmark. It sits on the world-famous Santa Monica Pier first built in 1909. The La Monica Ballroom on the pier was once the largest ballroom in the US, and the source for many New Year's Eve national network broadcasts.

Related Topics:
Carousel - National Historic Landmark - Santa Monica Pier - 1909 - Ballroom - New Year's Eve

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The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was an important music venue for several decades and hosted the Academy Awards in the 1960s. McCabe's Guitar Shop is still a leading acoustic performance space. The Cheetah was a famous nightclub. Bergamot Station is a city-owned art gallery compound which includes the Santa Monica Museum of Art. The city is also home to the Santa Monica Heritage Museum.

Related Topics:
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - Academy Awards - 1960s - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Bergamot Station - Santa Monica Museum of Art - Santa Monica Heritage Museum

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Santa Monica has been the site of many notable births and deaths due to its hospitals, St. Johns Hospital and the Santa Monica Medical Center. The municipal cemetery in Santa Monica is Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery.

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The oldest theater in the city is the 1912 Majestic, aka Mayfair Theatre, closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Aero Theater (now operated by the American Cinematheque) and Criterion Theater were built in the 1930s and still show movies. The Santa Monica Promenade alone supports more than a dozen movie screens.

Related Topics:
Theater - 1912 - 1994 Northridge earthquake - American Cinematheque - 1930s - Santa Monica Promenade

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Palisades Park sits on the crumbling bluffs overlooking the Pacific and is a favorite walking area to view the ocean. It features a camera obscura. For 48 years local churches and the Police Association assembled a twelve-stop, drive-through story of Christmas along the Palisades Park. The sheds were open to the street side, covered in chain link fencing. Inside were dioramas of the Holy Family made from donated store mannequins, many with inappropriately fashionable features or missing limbs thinly disguised by clothing or palm fronds. In 2001 the city decided to temporarily end the practice of allowing private groups to place displays in city parks, but in 2004 the Christmas displays returned.

Related Topics:
Camera obscura - Christmas - Mannequin - 2001 - 2004

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Santa Monica is known for having a large population of British and Irish expatriates, which accounts for the numerous pubs in the city. Bars are as likely to show English Premiership games as they are American football games.

Related Topics:
British - Irish - Pubs - English Premiership - American football

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The Santa Monica Rugby Club is the 2005 Division 1 National Champion of their sport.

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