Santa Monica - the cure for jet lag

The Qantas flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was on-time and uneventful. We learned many years ago that the best cure for jet lag after this flight was to spend a day or two in California sunshine before embarking on the next hop, and this time we chose Santa Monica instead of the usual Redondo Beach. It was a good decision. While Redondo is a delightful beachside location, Santa Monica, about the same distance to the north of the airport that Redondo is to the south, is much more interesting because of a vibrant CBD, many, many more accessible dining choices, and, of course, the legendary Santa Monica Pier whose depression-era ballroom was the setting for the iconic movie, They Shoot Horses, Don't They.

Narrow houses separate the Pacific Coast Highway from a wide expanse of sand.

A busker struts his stuff on Santa Monica Pier.

The town of Santa Monica is separated from the beach and Pacific Ocean by the "palisades", steep and crumbling cliffs which resemble the bluffs at Black Rock in Melbourne. At the bottom of the cliffs is the Pacific Coast Highway and a massively wide beach. Nearer the pier there is a large bitumened car park, but further north there is a batch of fascinating, narrow terraced homes between the highway and the sand. These range from ultra-modern to old and facing demolition, but regardless of their age and condition, the land they sit on must be priceless. Maybe its the width of the beach here, but these houses seem to avoid the extreme storms which often devastate Malibu, further up the coast.

Skateboarders love to roar down the steep ramp to Santa Monica Pier, and then hitch a ride on sometimes unwilling cars to get back up the slope.

Whatever, the palisades, these houses, the pier itself, and a great shopping precinct make Santa Monica a great place to while away hours in the winter sun trying to ward off the inevitable jt lag. We discovered a Farmers' Market in Arizona Ave on Saturday, and the Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian mall packed with cute shops, cafes and bars. In this vicinity, we found ample places to have breakfasts, light lunches and nice ice-creams.

Facing west, Santa Monica affords stupendous sunsets which seem to attract a crowd every afternoon.

Our agent, Bob Holliss, had put us up in the Shangri-La hotel, right on the palisades at the corner of Arizona Ave. Bob, a great hotel! Boutique in scale, art-deco in architecture and fit-out, with a fantastic view of the sunset from the rooftop bar. The staff were extremely friendly and personable, something you don't find in larger and more modern style establishments. The lifts reminded us of old style department stores, with doors you had to push open manually and big analog floor indicators.

Beautiful art-deco buildings grace the palisades at Santa Monica, but many have been replaced by more modern structures.