A Quiet Spot on the Santa Monica Beach and Pier

Spending the day in Santa Monica on the beach or pier makes it possible to experience:

• Roller coasters
• Rollerblading
• Swimming
• Crowded parking lots
• Quiet places

Even though Santa Monica's beach and pier is a hub of activity for games, rollerblades, groups of Frisbee-throwing and volleyball-playing athletes, it is possible to find a quiet expanse of beach about one mile north of the pier and before reaching Will Rogers State Beach.

Starting at lifeguard tower 7 to the north and above, the beach is less commercial and while accessible there is wide, open sand. Now it's not to say there's complete solitude and while there will be noise, this section of the beach is relatively peaceful and the crowds are smaller and relaxed.

Reaching this section of the beach is possible by a few ways:

1) park in the lots at the pier and walking north along the surf. The lots are just under $ 8.00 for parking.

2) Park on surface streets above the bluffs, walk down the steps and across the PCH overpass. Look for spots between Santa Monica Blvd (California Route 2) and Wilshire Blvd starting at Ocean Avenue or a block back at 2^nd street.

The walk may also be about a mile. But it could be preferable on days when cars are waiting to access the lots off PCH and surface streets near the pier.

3) A small lot soon after Interstate 10 turns into PCH Highway 1 is available in a left-hand turn lane. Be careful since there's not a stoplight at this lot and turning against traffic requires patience.

4) Rent a bike or ride your own. Taking a bike is easy and makes parking at this area of the beach the most simple. Bike rentals are available south of the pier toward Venice and north toward Will Rogers State Beach.

The waves along the beach are relatively mild and it's not a good spot for surfboards but it's fine for body surfing, skim boards and boogie boards.

After spending a few hours, regardless of where you've parked there are plenty of shops and restaurants as well as arcade games and rides on the pier - including a tame roller coaster and a solar-powered ferris wheel that has over 160,000 led lights.

While this quiet spot is a bit out of the way, it's still close to enough attractions to make getting to the center of activity relatively easy. The walkway/bikeway is close by, volleyball nets, and there are restrooms and showers for washing off the sand.

While it's not exactly back-to-nature, and this is certainly one of Southern California's most popular beaches, a beach-goer can find calm in an area close enough to Santa Monica's entertainment.