Solo Female Traveler visits Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica pier

Hello Life Travelers! Once again, I decided to go on a mini work/vacation, and I went to none other than Santa Monica Pier in California! As a solo female traveler, I find it very important to make time to practice being alone. Spending time alone is most definitely a form of self-love. How else can you learn what makes you happy if you don’t spend time with yourself to figure it out?

Santa Monica Pier : A place to take in the scenery

As a person who needs solitude in order to reset, I find it most satisfying when I can go to a place that is next to a body of water. The breeze, the sand, the sound of the water, and the birds flying is all I really need.

I can be in solitude and still be surrounded by people. I actually prefer having people around me who aren’t necessarily interacting with me. Santa Monica Pier was the perfect place to be alone. I started off by purchasing new sunglasses. I like to feel good by looking good.

Even if there was nothing else to do, Santa Monica Pier has an excellent view that would still make the trip worth it. I turned away from the crowd and just took in the impressive view of the hills and the ocean.

I went to LA on Veteran’s Day weekend for a huge dance competition, but I only went to the competition for one day. I just wanted to see certain people that I had not seen in a long time. I didn’t really care to be there on the second day, watching people dance all day.

Sounds crazy right? I’m a dancer, I should love watching people dance right? Lol, I used to eat and breathe dance but not anymore. I guess my priorities have changed, or maybe I’m just not into the politics that come with participating in certain events within the dance community. Maybe I’ll talk about that in a future post.

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I really enjoy doing things that no one else does. I guess I’m a rebel. I like to do my own thing sometimes. I left the hotel with my friends to go to the competition, but once we got there, I got a ride over to the local mall, I had some lunch, then I called an Uber from there to the pier. I was focused on spending the day with me.

Anyway, Santa Monica Pier had a display that was made with crosses for Veteran’s Day. It looked really nice.

The cool part about Santa Monica Pier is that there’s something to do, buy, eat, or look at in every part of the Pier. There were some cool artists either dancing, singing, or playing instruments. Even the little souvenir shops looked interesting.

It was pretty full of people on this day, but I was still able to find solitude and me time amidst the huge crowd of visitors.

There’s a mini carnivalesque park in Santa Monica Pier!

This was definitely one of the coolest piers I’ve visited. I just had to walk through this park and see what was inside. I didn’t ride any of the rides or play the games, but there was something to do for everyone, young and older.

Here’s another view of the park.

I found the love of my life in Santa Monica Pier

Ever since I moved to Chicago, I have been in love with Chicago Mix popcorn. But not just any brand. If you don’t know what Chicago Mix is, it’s basically cheddar and caramel popcorn. I was gifted with a bag one year by one of my dance students, and whatever brand that was tasted magical. After that, I went on a hunt, looking for the perfect Chicago Mix. Even Garrett’s can be hit or miss. Garrett’s is the famous gourmet popcorn shop in Chicago. Sometimes the cheddar is too cheesy, or the caramel can be over cooked.

Well, here at Santa Monica Pier, I found true love again. True popcorn love, that is. Inside of the park, they had a small popcorn kiosk. Although they didn’t call it Chicago Mix, it was the same cheddar and caramel blend. Let me tell you, this popcorn was so good, I saved some for when I got home, and I annihilated the bag for breakfast in two days.

How do you spend the entire day alone without getting bored?

One thing I always get asked is, how do I keep myself from getting bored when I’m on a solo trip?

The key for me is to make it all about myself. You can’t really entertain yourself if you don’t know yourself. I personally like to be by the water, I like eating, people watching, and I like shopping. I like many other things, but I can spend a day doing either of those things easily. I spent the day alone on my birthday without really talking to anyone, and I actually had a great time.

Solo trips are the perfect opportunity to figure out who you are and what you really want to do. When we’re around others, we tend to bend more and do things we might not be thrilled with just for the sake of either pleasing others or not straying from the group.

It’s tough to get a “me” moment when you’re operating within a group. Solo trips give you the opportunity to be selfish for a moment. You have no one to answer to other than yourself.

Dinner for two please. Me and myself

Once the sun started to set, it got a bit chilly, so I headed to Monica Pier’s restaurant, Mariasol.

I had a chance to rest my feet, have a drink, and eat some chips.

My server could not believe I was alone and he started hitting on me, LOL. He kept offering me more drinks and asking me if I would go have a drink with him somewhere later on. I politely had to decline like 5-6 times.

That’s definitely one of the drawbacks of being a solo female traveler. You don’t have anyone to hide behind if you get hit on by someone you’re not interested in.

After a light dinner, I walked back out to continue exploring.

I decided to hop on the Ferris wheel.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel

After the Ferris wheel ride, I decided to head back to the dance competition venue where all my friends were at. The event was over, it was now nighttime, and the temperature had dropped. I was cold, kind of tired, and ready to socialize with people once again. 

I was able to meet one of my LA friends, and we caught up while he drove me back to the venue. Santa Monica Pier had so much to offer although it was a rather small area to cover.

I had a great time reflecting on the things that make me happy when I take trips like these, and I am looking forward to doing this again very soon. 

Have you been to Santa Monica? If so, what were your favorite things to do? If not, what would you like to do when you take your own trip out to the pier?

Drop those comments below!

That’s it for now, Life Travelers, see you on the next one!

LadyX


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Comments

  1. Nessa Rae

    I love Santa Monica, especially Muscle Beach! There’s so many interesting people you meet all over. I loved doing acroyoga with random people and connecting through movement and touch. This post definitely let me relive some of those moments ?!

    1. LadyX

      Wow! The fact that you were open enough to do acroyoga with people you didn’t even know is so awesome !

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