Have you ever been to California? I went there this summer in July for my aunt’s wedding, and let me tell you, dreams come true in California. One of the most exciting places I visited there was Santa Monica Beach. Whether or not you’ve gone to California, you might just be familiar with the Santa Monica Pier. It’s located in – you guessed it – Santa Monica, California, next to Santa Monica Beach. The beach itself is majestic; exquisitely salty air, dazzling green-blue waves, cheery beach vendors, sand softer than the clouds from above, and all. If you ever go or have gone to Santa Monica Beach, there are many exciting things nearby such as the beach itself, the renowned Muscle Beach (you may have seen it on TikTok or YouTube), the luxurious Sea Castle apartments, the Santa Monica Pier, and Pacific Park (on the pier), just to name a few. These are all great, but the greatest of them all is the pier. Well, the pier and Pacific Park are a package deal technically, but that just makes it even better. I’m gonna talk about my experience at the pier and Pacific Park so that when/if you ever visit the pier, you are practically an expert already. If you’ve already visited the pier, then just enjoy my opinion and feel free to compare our experiences! I’m gonna talk about the prices at the pier, the restaurants, the consumer goods quality, and the Pacific Park attractions. Let us begin!
Restaurants + Food Prices
Of course, if you ever visit the pier, the first thing you might wanna do is grab a bite to eat. The following is a list of the restaurants, treat shops, and food carts at the Pier (taken from the Pacific Park website, pacpark.com. Also, please note that not all restaurants on the pier are shown here for whatever reason). Beach Burger, Pacific Wheel Pizza Company, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Scoops Ice Cream and Treats, Funnel Cakes, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Popcornopolis, Dippin’ Dots, and the snack and treat carts scattered across the pier. I didn’t visit every restaurant because well, I was mostly there for the rides. But I can tell you about the ones I tried. Or the one. I tried ice cream from Scoops Ice Cream and Treats, and the ice cream was actually a nice cold, sweet, rich, and creamy treat for a breezy summer day. One reason that I only tried the ice cream is simply because of the prices. Everything, and I mean everything is irregularly priced in California, especially at the pier. Prices are pretty crazy, with a side of fries costing six dollars or more at Beach Burger, a bottle of water costing over 4 dollars alone at Pacific Wheel Pizza Company, and a waffle cone with ice cream priced at almost 8 dollars at Scoops, just to name a few. Overall, the food is exquisite (unlike the prices) and I totally recommend the ice cream (if you’re buying for yourself or you and someone else).
Consumer Goods Quality + Prices
Welcome! We have just arrived at the consumer goods quality and prices section. What I mean by “consumer goods” is anything you can buy at the pier (excluding any food items). Things that my family and/or I bought at the pier were: 2 turtle bracelets and a Santa Monica bracelet, a Santa Monica hoodie, and a LOT of California-themed baseball caps. The baseball caps actually have remarkable quality and are great for blocking any pesky rays of sun. They cost about 5 bucks apiece, give or take. Now let’s talk about these bracelets. The bracelets were $4.75 each and the quality was deficient to say the least. My cousin got a bracelet and it snapped on the first day. I don’t know what happened to my other cousin’s bracelet but mine lasted about a month. When I was on my trampoline, it unexpectedly snapped, which was genuinely disappointing. Gladly, I have other souvenirs from California. The final thing we have is the hoodie. My brother’s godmother bought a hoodie because none of us were carrying a jacket and it was a breezy day. Plus, she has leukemia (thank God she’s more or less done with treatment) which caused her to feel colder. The blue and purple tie-dye hoodie cost $45.00 and, not gonna lie, I have no idea what has become of it. But it looked like it was of pretty exceptional quality and definitely did its job. In all, the consumer goods quality is more or less exceptional and the prices are a little high, but worth it.
Pacific Park Attractions
The whole reason I wanted to go in the first place!! There are 13 rides (Yes, I’m including the Carousel, even though it’s not located within Pacific Park)– which you can view here – and my brother and I rode 6 out of the 13.. I’m gonna give you a detailed description of my experience on each ride and a rating from 1-10 on how scary the ride was (to me). The ones I rode are as follows, and in the exact order I rode them too. The first is the Carousel. It’s like any other carousel really but just imagine it bigger. My little brother (Francisco) and I rode it together. At that time, the ticket to ride the Carousel cost about 3 dollars each. It’s a beautiful and intricate carousel and there are places where you can grab a bite to eat surrounding the Carousel. Scare Scale Score: 0/10. My freshman brother (Emmanuel) and I rode the rest of the rides. The first official Pacific Park ride we mounted was Shark Frenzy. This ride consists of sitting down inside of a shark (don’t worry, they don’t bite!) and then the shark spins on an unlevel surface at a rapid speed. It’s not too crazy on the Scare Scale, scoring a 2.5 because it really isn’t scary, just fun. The next ride my brother and I rode was the Seaside Swing. The Seaside Swing attraction opened in 2017, replacing the Harbor Patrol car train. The two-sided swing swings you from front to back. It’s honestly an enjoyable ride, wind in your face and all. Though when I rode it, it was scarier than I thought it would be. Well, for me. On the Scare Scale it scores a surprising 4.5. It’s a bit of a stomach-swirling experience. The third – and scariest – attraction we mounted was the West Coaster. Riding the West Coaster was actually my first time riding a roller coaster, and in all honesty, I’d totally ride it again. The briny air whipping your hair in your face wildly and the exhilaration makes it a pleasant ride through and through. Of course, it scared me so bad that my stomach dropped nearly to the core of the earth, no joke. Then it launched my stomach as high as the Heavens above and let’s just say, I shrieked something along the lines of, “I regret this, I regret this, end me now, oh my gosh, I’m about to leap off this ride!” Then I shut my eyes tight, did the Sign of the Cross about three or so times, and prayed a Hail Mary for my life. Then the roller coaster car plunged down what felt like a trillion feet and then I just screamed the entire time. My brother just said I was overreacting and that it’s not even scary. Then the coaster went for another round and I was forced to keep in my sigh of relief a while longer. I think my brother was just trying to be tough because he barely let out a single yelp. He was also on the side of the car that turned closer to the ground, which is impossibly terrifying. I wouldn’t be here writing this story if I’d gone on the side my brother was on. Yes, he’s still alive and well, but I’d die of fear. Okay, maybe I’m overreacting. And if you ever go on that ride in the near future or if you already have, you’re most likely currently labeling me as a little baby right now. But those kind of rides terrify me, okay? Have you never been scared in your life? Exactly what I thought. Now, enough about the West Coaster. To wrap this up, I give the West Coaster a 8.5 on the Scare Scale and I totally recommend it. The Pacific Wheel is solar-powered and astoundingly alluring, almost as much as the views when you actually hop in one of the many gazebos connected to the grand Wheel. My phone had died a while back before I even began to mount any rides, so no photos from the very top, unfortunately. The Wheel was a little slow in some points but it’s solar-powered and therefore fast for a moving structure powered by the sun. At the top, it makes the world seem so massive, while not making you feel small. It made me feel on top of the world and the ocean seemed to never end. It made me wonder how on God’s green earth there are beauties such as that. An unforgettable moment for sure. Scare Scale score: 5.5. The last ride we rode was Inkie’s Scrambler which I’ve actually mounted before. They have one at the fair here in Emporia and it’s a fun ride. It feels like you’re flying and your soul seems undeniably free, the salty air just surrounding you. I was absolutely awestruck taking it in. It was the last ride of the day, and I was very satisfied. The only con was that since it was me and my brother riding the scrambler, it would swing and spin so fast one or the other would be jerked to one side of the seat, back and forth, back and forth. It was fun, nonetheless. It may be scary for first-timers, but for me it was fun and familiar, a perfect way to end the day at the Pier. Scare Scale Score: 2. Lastly, let’s take a moment to appreciate the person who named these rides. Like, West Coaster, because it’s a roller coaster and it’s the West coast? Genius! Another thing to know about the Pier and Pacific Park: the wristbands to mount the rides were 70 dollars per person when I went – surely it will or has changed though.
Conclusion
Overall, The Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park are fabulously breathtaking and it will make your cloudy days much brighter, no matter how dark or foggy. If you ever plan on visiting, have so so SO much fun! I hope you have the time of your life. For more info about the Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park, visit pacpark.com. See you next time!
