Product Description

Please, don't call it a guidebook
Because there's so much more to Santa Monica than its hotels and hamburgers, Hometown Santa Monica explores the Bay City and her neighbors like no traditional guidebook can. This new sibling of the bestseller Hometown Pasadena is like having a dyed-in-the-wool local-- four of them, actually-- introducing you to the most interesting people in town, telling you the most fascinating stories, and whispering in your ear where to find the best antiques store, oceanview restaurant, art gallery, quiet bookstore or convivial coffeehouse. Hometown Santa Monica looks deep inside the culture of one of the country's most beautiful and influential cities to reveal a community pulsating with nature, history, intelligence, fashion and fame. Take a neighborhood walk to marvel at the architectural diversity; when you ve had enough of city life, head out for a Santa Monica Mountains hike or a Venice surf session. From Malibu to the Marina and everywhere in between, Hometown Santa Monica will unlock the insider secrets of the Bay Cities.
Of course, there s more
A wealth of intelligent and engaging features, including:
-- Thinking Hard at the Think Tanks, an exercise in the cerebral with smart folks at Santa Monica s famed think tank, RAND
-- Life Among the Rich & Famous, a witty primer on dealing with the region's countless celebrities
-- Bookish by the Bay, a look at the city's rich literary scene past and present
-- Colorful Q & As with a local notables in every chapter. Who better to discuss the city's literary side than Brentwood's own Doug Dutton of Dutton's Books? Or to talk about the mountains than Joe Edmiston, director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy? Or to dish on being famous than movie star and Santa Monica shop owner Mary Steenburgen?
-- Vivid full-color photographs and art, including a cover painting by Ethel Fisher
-- Foreword by Santa Monica novelist April Smith, author of North of Montana.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97893 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"A cut above the rest . . . intelligent, innovative in its selections and informative without being dull" --Pasadena Weekly

"Compact, colorful and discerning" --Los Angeles magazine

About the Author
Jenn Garbee is a renaissance woman with a philosophy degree, a background in fine-arts management, an MBA, a cookie business, a diploma in patisserie arts, a food-writing career and a new book and she s barely 30! She lives in Santa Monica with her writer-comedian husband, Kevin.
Margery L. Schwartz is a longtime Santa Monican who went to Pali High and grew up playing volleyball and bodysurfing at State Beach. Now an editor for the L.A. County Museum of Art, she has worked for everyone from the Los Angeles Times to Los Angeles magazine. On weekends you're sure to find Margery and her daughter, Adelaide, on the beach.
Colleen Dunn Bates (editor) is the owner of Prospect Park Books and the author of several books. She is a sixth-generation Southern Californian and lifelong beach lover whose earliest memories are of playing in the Malibu sand while her father surfed.
Nancy Gottesman was born at Santa Monica Hospital and has been an editor for practically every magazine in town. She s now happily AWOL: Always West of Lincoln. A freelance writer, Nancy lives in Ocean Park with her son, Robby; she takes frequent breaks to play tennis, hike Temescal Canyon, hit the Sunday Main Street farmer's market, and meet friends for a martini at Chez Jay or the Galley.
Stephanie "Tippy" Helper is a Silverlake native and 20-year resident of the Palisades who's often found hiking the Santa Monica Mountains with her dog, Willie. Originally a PR executive, Tippy worked on three Oscar ceremonies. She's now the programs coordinator at USC's University Club, not to mention a writer and the mom of Caroline, Max and Zach.
Contributors
John Stephens is an avid outdoorsman who spends his weekends exploring the Santa Monica Mountains.
Laurel Delp was the first managing editor of the L.A. Weekly and is one of L.A.'s most respected go-to writers.

Customer Reviews

Very Impressed.
I believe this is my first review for a book on Amazon. I have bought many books over the years and some were pretty good but none ever commanded a review from me. This book has and is everything I could ask for in a guide to Santa Monica. I almost didn't even consider this book because it had no reviews and I was unable to search inside the book. Luckily, I was able to search inside this book elsewhere on the internet and was pleased at what I saw.

I am planning on moving to Santa Monica later this year and from skimming this book, it has almost everything I ever wanted to know and then some. The authors have an unique way of creating a guidebook and I hope they get recognized for it because this is exactly how one should be written - from the locals point of view.