While Crescent Bay Park doesn't have many amenities, it does offer gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and its beachline. Benches are situated throughout, and a wooden pergola provides shade and seats. The north side of the park is just a few steps away from Cha Cha Chicken, a Caribbean restaurant that is one of the more unusual places to eat near Santa Monica Beach.
Chrysalis Employment Service is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to prepare homeless and impoverished workers for new vocational opportunities and place them in employment. Chrysalis specializes in transitioning not only homeless and low-income clients, but also ex-convicts, victims of domestic violence, recovering substance abusers and workers lacking a high school or general equivalency diploma.
For 123 years St. Augustine By-The-Sea has been in this large building off of 4th street. The leaders of the church consider this to be a "comprehensive" or "inclusive" church, inviting believers and non-believers the same to come in and search for spirituality. Priding itself on diversity, this church had some of the first female and openly gay priests within the Episcopalian Church. Interim Rector Rev. Mark Stuart leads worship at 8am and 10:30am Sundays, and Mass at 8:30am Wednesdays. The 8am worship is considered meditative and quiet, while the 10:30am worship is more musical and contemporary. Have a spiritual journey through the labyrinth in the center of the lobby.
Next door to the Crossroads Elementary School campus, Memorial Park is distinguished for its skatepark, where at least a few kids are usually found doing ollies. It's also remarkable for the Memorial Park Gym, which features indoor basketball and volleyball courts, and the concession stand that serves the park's two baseball fields. Parents concerned about their kids' safety might find comfort in the Police Activities League building, which is located on park grounds; a children's playground is situated nearby. Other amenities include four tennis courts, all light-equipped; three softball infields; an adult baseball field; a soccer field; and an off-leash area for dogs. The park features community-meeting rooms and, perhaps most attractive of all, a free parking lot containing 63 spaces.
A new fitness room, situated adjacent to the park's gym, opened in September and started attracted a following in the ensuing months. The Annenberg Beach House has temporarily loaned a host of fitness equipment–most of it no more than two years old–to the park. In June, the equipment will be reclaimed, and the fitness room will close.
Memorial Park offers morning and evening circuit-training classes three days a week, with plans for more beginning in January 2011. With no membership required usage fees starting a $3 per day for Santa Monica residents and $4 per day for non-residents, it rivals the costs for national fitness chains without the large crowds.
Tony Carpowich is the Community Program Supervisor of Memorial Park.
Like Los Amigos Park, this one is all about the sports, but it's also friendly to kids who just want to play around. Marine Park features light-equipped fields for baseball and soccer, courts for tennis, basketball and handball, and a huge playground to boot. This place is also more amenable to birthdays than most of the other 26 parks in Santa Monica. In addition to picnic tables and barbecues, there's also a pavilion specifically intended for birthday shindigs. For parents, Marine Park's biggest appeal could be its free parking lots, which features a whopping 64 spaces.
Tom's Shoes was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. After a trip to Argentina where he saw many children in need of shoes, he developed a American version of the Argentine alpargata shoe and a mission: to show how together, we can create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action today. As a result, for every pair of Tom's shoes purchased, the company donates a pair of new shoes to a child in need.
Community Corporation of Santa Monica is a locally based, non-profit community outreach program focused on developing and managing affordable housing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The organization works hard to provide housing to lower wage working families in the Santa Monica and West Los Angeles area.
St. Monica's Catholic Church originated in Santa Monica as a small parish church in 1886, and has grown to be one of the largest–and most active–faith communities in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is a vibrant Catholic community, known locally for the strength of their ministries. They have a variety of outreach programs, including a parish, high school, and elementary school. Weekly newsletters are provided free to the community as a way to keep track of all the many events, services, and programs available. Visit the church's website for more information.
If you thought the Salvation Army was simply a chain of thrift stores, you haven't seen this large space off of 4th street and the many things that are done there. In addition to the outreach and mission work the SA is known for, the institution also has a choir, a huge amount of youth programs, a rehab center, summer and after-school camps and family services.
Begun in 1865 in England as The Christian Mission, the SA has two clear objectives: to help those in need of food and shelter and to accept all people into their ministries regardless of age, gender, race or creed. This location follows those objectives, with numerous charities being run out of it. The Southern California chapter of the Salvation Army has been around for 60 years.
Unlike Santa Monica's other small-scale parks, Euclid Park, offers a lot to look at. A stunning entrance welcomes in visitors, who can log some leisure time on the swings, watch birds frolicking at a three birdhouse sculptures or catch an eyeful of the community-garden area. Euclid Park has 10 plots in total, as well as an area for garden classes; meanwhile, the adjacent building features two meeting rooms, available for public use.
Trinity Church of Santa Monica began as two separate churches, which eventually banded together. As the congregation grew, the need for more space birthed the need for a new building. In 1950, the congregation joined together and built the current building on California Avenue with their own bare hands. Generations later, their labor has not been in vain, as Trinity continues to thrive. The church has a "come as you are" attitude and through their seven core values (outreach, worship, instruction, community, prayer, service and stewardship), and many outreach programs, this church community strives to maintain the goodwill of others, and at the same time, learn from it.
The Ocean Park Branch is one of four Santa Monica Public Libraries and primarily serves residents on the south side of the city - as well as individuals who live in neighboring Venice.
The library may be on the small side, but it's the closest one to the water (just two blocks away) - and the most historic: The Ocean Park Branch is the only one left that still has its original Carnegie Library architecture.
In 1914, the large building that houses the SMB Woman's Club was created in the hopes of giving local women a home away from home to gather and chat. The same is true today, but the group has taken on a multitude of extra functions after over 105 years as a club. Working with a number of charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army, Heal the Bay, the Rape Treatment Center and the Santa Monica Firefighters' Association, the club organizes events like bake sales and benefit parties to raise funds. Additionally, members enjoy bridge games, luncheons and the like. There is also an arts department that puts on plays and organizes art galleries. Although membership has decreased from its high of 700 members during the 1950s, club leaders don't mind; this is almost exclusively due to the rise of women in the workplace. The 250-capacity ballroom is available for rental.
The Sgi-Usa World Culture Center is an auditorium that hosts various events. The venue is owned by Soka Gakkai International - USA, a Buddhist organization headquartered across the street. Buddhist events and services take place here, as well as concerts and other cultural gatherings. Many nonprofit organizations have used the facility, including the Santa Monica Symphony, and entry is always free. Parking is conveniently located underneath the building or across the street at the SGI Plaza.
