Swing Cats Big Band – Saturday, September 4th at 8pm

Swing dance the night away to this 13-piece outfit led by trumpeter Dan Methe and featuring the Swing Kittens vocal trio. The Swing Cats play the ageless melodies of Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and other favorites. Turn the clock back and enjoy this high energy ensemble! Dance lessons at 7:30pm and at intermission.

Triple Chicken Foot – Sunday, September 5th at 3pm

Square dance with this old time string band comprised of Ben Guzman on fiddle/mandolin, Mike Heinle on banjo, and Kelly Marie Martin on guitar. Caller Susan Michaells helps newbies with easy instructions, and the toe tapping beats will make you want to be a part of the new square dance revolutions! Dance lessons at 2:30 and throughout.

For more information, please visit www.milesplayhouse.org or call 310.458.8634.

Beatlesfest

Beatlesfest, a three day tribute that began five years ago, is proud to be a part of the Twilight Dance Series  at the Santa Monica Pier this summer!

On August 26th, “Abbey Road” will open the night with an acoustic set of the Beatles, followed by Los Angeles based Led Zepagain, as part of the British Invasion. Throughout the day on Thursday, there will be Beatles karaoke, Beatles movies, memorabilia, the history of the Beatles, photo opportunities, food, the kids’ zone at Pacific Park, celebrity appearances, radio personalities, raffles and much more.

This will be followed by a Tribute to the Beatles on Friday, August 27th and Saturday, August 28th at the Pier with live entertainment throughout the day. The free festival will be open at 10 a.m. and run until 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday night, the award winning musical ‘Ticket to Ride’ featuring Abbey Road will perform at the Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High.

For more information, visit http://www.santamonicapier.org/twilight/beatlesfest.html or http://www.tpclive.com.

Chocolate Hills Bohol, Philippines

Spreading the Santa Monica love at Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines.

Sheraton Delfina Street Clean Team

Today we spotted the street clean team from the Sheraton Delfina picking up trash on Pico Blvd. Once a month, General Manager Kara Altice and her team walk from the Sheraton Delfina down Pico Blvd. to the beach to pick up trash off of the sidewalks.  Today, they  created a clear and clean pathway down to the beach for both residents and visitors alike.

Thanks Kara and team for taking pride in our wonderful beach city!

During Santa Monica Place grand reopening weekend, August 6, 7 & 8, parking in the Civic Center Structure, Lot and the North Civic Lot across from City Hall will all be $5 flat rate all day.

2. Biking is a great way to get around Santa Monica. Take advantage of the city’s free bike  valets available for the Main Street Farmer’s Market, Twilight Dance Series, special events like  GLOW and the reopening of Santa Monica Place Mall.

3. Self-park your bike anytime – new bike racks are going up throughout the Downtown area,  and Parking Structure 7 adjacent to Santa Monica Place will have a bank of racks for more than  100 bikes.

4. Take the Big Blue Bus. Fast, inexpensive and convenient for residents throughout Santa  Monica, the Big Blue Bus routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 & 10 and Rapid 3 & 7 all stop in the Downtown area. New 30 Day and 13 Ride Passes are coming in August – check schedules and fares at www.bigbluebus.com or visit blue: the transit store at 223 Broadway.

5. In addition, on Saturdays and Sundays the Mini Blue Tide Ride will ferry you between
points at the Pier, Main Street and throughout Downtown for just 50 cents per ride! (25 cents for seniors/disabled/Medicare).

6. When parking at the mall, don’t forget to pay BEFORE you leave – the mall structures ( 7 & 8 ) now feature walk-up automated payment machines so you can cruise out of the structure faster.

7. Come early. You’re already close, so beat the traffic and head Downtown in the morning, before beach traffic picks up after 11 a.m.

8. Use the Lincoln Blvd. exit and take 7th Street to Colorado or Broadway to access
Downtown –  those streets are usually less crowded than other routes. Also note that
Broadway and Arizona are excellent alternatives to busy Santa Monica Blvd.

For more information, visit www.smgov.net/traffictips.

SMPD National Night Out

Santa Monica Police Department invite you to the 2010 Annual National Night Out Block Party on Tuesday, August 3rd from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.

This year’s theme is bicycle theft prevention and bike safety. The Santa Monica Police Department will be hosting a block party on Olympic Drive in front of our Public Safety Facility.

They will have:

• Mini Bike Rodeo for kids
• FREE Bike Safety Inspections
• Bicycle licenses for sale – Santa Monica residents only
• Displays by local bike retailers
• LIVE entertainment by “Westside Crew” R & B, Lain, Rock, and Funk music
• Free hot dogs, pizza, and beverages, and other give-away items (while supplies last)
• Great raffle prizes at the conclusion of the event.  Must be present to win

Free parking will be available in the Civic Center Parking Structure located directly across the street from the Public Safety Facility.

For additional information regarding this event please call the S.M.P.D. Community Relations Unit at 310-458-8474 or visit our website at www.santamonicapd.org.

2010 Jazz on the Lawn

The 5th Annual Jazz on the Lawn concert series returns to Santa Monica City Hall August 1st & 8th from 5pm-7pm.

Bring a picnic, blanket and beach chair, and enjoy some hot funk and Latin jazz. Get up and move to the music then cool off with a self-serve frozen dessert from The Big Swirl truck – all part of Jazz on the Lawn! Free parking after 4pm at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Lineup includes:

August 1 – Pinot, High energy funk/soul jam band rooted in jazz

August 8 – Bobby Matos and his Afro-Latin Ensemble, Cuban and African rhythms fused with jazz.

For more information, visit Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division at (310)458-8350 or www.smgov.net/arts.

The Beach Ride leaves Virginia Avenue Park on the hour starting at 10am every Monday until August 30. Return trips leave on the hour starting at 10:30am (last trip at 5:30pm). Need to know more about the Beach House? Visit: www.annenbergbeachhouse.com

All passengers on the 1st shuttle of the day are GUARANTEED pool entry! The Beach House Ride runs Mondays only. Service ends August 30.

For more information, call (310) 451-5444 or visit BigBlueBus.com.

Photo by Hilary Cable

I’ve lived in Sunset Park for 13 years, and I think I stop at Bob’s Market (Ocean Park Blvd and 17th St) five times a week on average. I love Bob’s Market more than I ever thought I would love a local family-owned grocery store.

I love that everyone who works there knows me and several call me by name when I walk in. I love that they know my kids.

I love that I can ask a real person – Jim, the produce manager – whether the plums are sweet and where the cherries come from. I love that when I was craving sunchokes (don’t ask), Jim ordered me a case. And that he saved me a knob of fresh horseradish root before Passover because he knows I like to grind my own.

I love that the butchers (Hi Rich and David!) will special-order things for me, or will give me a sample sausage to take home when they’ve got a new variety in the case. I really love the catering orders I’ve gotten from them, both for my office and for my kids’ school. They’ve even opened early so I could pick up my order on days when I had to provide breakfast for 300 kids.

In case you were wondering, I have absolutely no financial interest in or relationship to Bob’s Market. Other than never wanting it to close, because it’s a treasured resource in our Santa Monica neighborhood.

Meet Sandy Monica!

Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau Creates British Tourist Mannequin and
Invites Fans to Suggest to Sandy Monica’s Next Adventure for a chance to Win a $500 Shopping Spree To Santa Monica Place.

WHAT:

Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau (SMCVB) announced a fun online contest, featuring English tourist “Sandy Monica.”  Who is she? Sandy is a life-size mannequin masquerading as a British socialite vacationing in Santa Monica.  Sandy Monica is determined to experience Santa Monica life by experiencing the seaside destination to partake in at least one activity each day for the 30 days while she is in town.  She will then be put on display as part of the Mannequin Collective art exhibit, a community arts program developed by Santa Monica Place in partnership with Otis School of Design to celebrate the grand opening of the new shopping venue.

During her stay “resident experts” and fans of Santa Monica are invited to help plan Sandy’s activities by submitting suggestions for creative, fun and exciting “must-do” activities during her visit to America’s favorite beachside city.

Fans of Santa Monica are encouraged to submit their activity suggestions by visiting http://www.santamonica.com/sandy-monica-contest between July 15 and July 30, 2010.  The most creative suggestion, as chosen by SMCVB on Aug. 3, will receive a $500 gift card to shop at Santa Monica Place, opening on Aug. 6, 2010.

From a bike ride along the beach, a trip on a Segway, to a whirl on the famous Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel, Sandy Monica will be sharing photos of her daily adventures on her website and Facebook page.

WHY:

A fun opportunity to create excitement with a creative campaign to generate 30 days of awareness for Santa Monica as a destination, and to celebrate Santa Monica Place’s grand opening, Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau (SMCVB) created the identity “Sandy Monica” for its mannequin, which is set to debut at the Mannequin Collective art exhibit.

A reflection of Santa Monica Place’s ongoing commitment to the arts and its community the exhibit will feature 100 mannequins, each created by Santa Monica businesses, designers and artists in celebration of the grand opening of Santa Monica Place outdoor shopping mall on Aug. 6, 2010.

WHERE:

Submissions for Sandy’s next adventure will be accepted online at: http://www.santamonica.com/sandy-monica-contest.

WHEN:

July 15 – July 30, 2010 — Follow Sandy Monica’s adventures online at: http://www.santamonica.com/sandy-monica or on Santa Monica’s Convention & Visitors Bureau Facebook Page and submit your ideas for Sandy’s next adventure for a chance to win a $500 gift card to shop at Santa Monica Place Mall at http://www.santamonica.com/sandy-monica-contest.

August 6, 2010 – Sandy Monica will be on display during the grand opening of Santa Monica Place’s Mannequin Collective art exhibit.