Neighborhood Walks: Triplets and Beach

Yesterday I made my way down to the neighborhood around Main Street. It's not especially close to where I live, about 3 miles, so I drove over, parked, and then proceeded to take my walk. I'm fond of this neighborhood for a lot of reasons. The shops/bars/restaurants along Main St. are great. The architecture is varied and interesting. And it's close to the beach. However, I had a particular reason for stopping by on this day: I wanted to re-discover the "triplet" houses I stumbled across a few weeks ago, so I could take a picture for my friend Patricia, the only regular commentor on this blog. Without further ado, here is my Main Street neighborhood walk.

Great mural on the side of an apt. building
near where I parked.

I feel like the picture below doesn't really capture what I was trying to show, but I'm including it anyway. This little bungalow is so cute, with its white picket fence and its lush, green yard.

The two palm trees below are in neighboring yards. I think its funny how completely different they are from one another.

I meandered up and down multiple streets on this walk, looking for the "triplets," so there's no real rhyme or reason to it.

The bottlebrush bushes are plentiful and
in full bloom.

I didn't take a selfie with the scarecrow.

The scarecrow owner's very interestingly-decorated garage.

And then I re-found them, the "triplets"! Unfortunately, it's impossible to take a decent picture of them. From across the street, they're surrounded by cars. On the same side of the street, the angle is too sharp. But here they are. Aren't they adorable? I would love to see the inside of them.

By the way, I've intentionally blurred out any license plates I captured in my photos. I don't want a random weirdo to get a hold of the photos and do something with the information (I don't know what they'd do; I'm just being cautious).

After finding the triplets, I went back to wandering.

Not sure what kind of tree this is. Very pretty.

Love the bright, bright blue house next to the
bright, bright red bush.

Huge leaf.

After a while, I realized that part of the reason I like this neighborhood so much is that many of the houses remind me of Portland, like these:

I mostly took this one for the gargoyle on the
porch railing, left side.

I initially took this picture for the Spanish style apartment building, but was pleased to see that the little house next door is under renovation. Looks like it's getting yellow siding?

Tile address plate on the above apartment building. A lot of homes in the neighborhood have them.

These two glorious Victorians are next door to one another. I especially love their stained glass windows, which are unfortunately difficult to see in these photos.

Below, I'm amused by the juxtaposition of the bike lane next to the bike racks. I don't understand why those benches are there though. It's not a bus stop (bus stops in SM have blue benches). Maybe you can sit here for a breather if you get tired while you're out biking around. It is sort of kitty-corner across the street from a library, so perhaps that's why this is there.

The architecture in this neighborhood is very diverse. Seems like there's something from practically every decade there. Sadly, I find it too difficult to capture in pictures. I snapped a picture of this very 1970s home, which is just down the street from the Victorians, to give you an idea of what it's like. The Spanish-style house next door to it is absolutely gorgeous, but the family was out in front when I walked past, so I didn't take a picture.

Wandering with a purpose now, headed to the coffee shop.

How cute are these reflector ornaments?

I couldn't tell if the church below is derelict or not. Some of the windows are boarded up, but the signs on it seemed recent. The stained glass windows are fantastic though.

On the wall of the church, a pay phone. When was the last time you saw one of these bad boys?

A beautiful brick building across the street and down a block from the church.

 This boot was randomly abandoned on the sidewalk. I didn't see its partner (or its owner) anywhere.

I think this fence is really cool because it looks like it's made out of sticks. They're actually metal.

 Another beautiful address plate.

Finally, I reached the coffee shop. I know what you're thinking. There doesn't appear to be a coffee shop in this picture. However, it is there, to the right of the bike shop. It's completely unadorned, although there is a fluorescent sign in the window that says "Coffee." It's nearly impossible to see in the picture. They call this shop 212 Pier. My friend Aarika turned me on to it. I'm unsure if that's actually the name, but it is the address of this funky, cool place, where both the coffee and the food are excellent. I got an iced latte and a macaroon. I didn't take a picture of them.

Kitty corner across the street from the coffee shop is this wonderful building that makes my heart go pitter pat.

Here I'm standing on Main St. On the side of the street I'm on, I'm in Santa Monica. If I were to cross over to the other side of Marine, I would be in Venice.

Ah, the beach is ahead.

The combined walk/bike path at the beach. I'm looking toward the famed Venice Beach.

And then reached my final destination! I sat here for about an hour, reading, watching the surfers, and soaking up the sun.

Here are my stubby little toes in the sand. You can see the tan line from my flip flops, and the tracks from the lifeguards' truck. At least I got a pedicure last weekend.

This was a really lovely walk. It wasn't long. Including the walk back to the car, I'd be surprised if I even walked 1.5 miles. But the day was beautiful, the scenery fantastic, and my spirits high. I'll definitely have to head back to this neighborhood to take more pictures another day.