I met up with my friend Joanne while I was in the US. Joanne was a classmate of mine during elementary and highschool years. Our families were good friends, too. I think it was me who informed her that I'll be coming to California so we agreed to meet up. She works by the way as a nurse there.

After lunch, Chris and Ross (my colleage) decided to go biking around the beach area so I was left alone on the pier. Little did I know that I will be alone for quite a few hours! It turned out that Joanne arrived around 6pm, to think I started waiting at 11am! HAHA...Filipinos be like...

During the wait, I was able to roam around the area and watch people hanging near the shore. It was breezy and chilly at that time and only a few people had the courage to take a dip on the chilly waters of the beach.

Arlington West. What immediately caught my eye upon nearing the pier was this view - rows of red and white crosses. I actually thought it was a cemetery at that time. However upon reading wiki, I found out that the crosses can only be seen on Sundays.

According to Wikipedia, "Arlington West is a temporary memorial created on Santa Monica Beach just north of the Santa Monica Pier at Santa Monica, every Sunday from sunrise to sunset. Crosses are placed on the beach for each U.S. military person who has died in the Iraq War. The Arlington West Memorial is intended to offer visitors a graceful, visually and emotionally powerful, place for reflection."

The pier is often filled with tourists and locals especially on weekends. There's a viewing deck at the end of this pier where you could see the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.

Me at the viewing deck. Joanne has arrived (yey..sa wakas!) when this pic was taken. It is a nice spot also for sunset watching.

I've encountered a lot of pigeons while there. At first, they were fun to watch but later on it was a challenge avoiding them since you'll never know when one will poop on you! Di ba nakakahiya, mag-isa ka na nga, napupuan ka pa! HAHA

The pier also has a National Historic Landmark – the 1922 Looff Hippodrome Carousel.

Santa Monica Yacht Harbor Sign. The iconic sign where everyone stops to document their entrance to the pier.However, this pic of ours was taken on our way out of the pier. HAHA.

It is the only family amusement park on the West Coast of the United States located on a pier. They have a variety of rides like Pacific Wheel Ferris Wheel, West Coaster, Inkie’s Scrambler, Sea Dragon, Pacific Plunge, Sig Alert EV and a lot more. We got to try the Ferris Wheel which is solar powered by the way -- so cool, neh? We got a glimpse of the whole pier during that ride. There's also a trapeze school on the pier. I found myself watching the classes while waiting. I actually thought of taking a class just to kill time. HAHA. Pero natakot ako, mukhang mahirap eh. Pang acrobatic level lang ata yun pupwede..HEHE... Days later, while on the plane on my way back to Pinas, I watched the movie 'This Means War' (Reese Witherspoon) where it was actually filmed on that flying trapeze place that same year..hehe..kinilig lang naman ako, I was there just a few days ago..

  

 Route 66 is possibly the most popular roadway in the United States, ask nyo na lang si Google why. HEHE. There's a sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier that marks the end of this legendary American highway, symbolizing that this road only ended when the sea stood in its way.

I thought this sign was famous since I saw a lot of people taking a pic with it - famous pala talaga sya. HAHA! Someone asked me if I could take a picture of him with the sign. In retrn, I also got a pic with it. HAHA, para paraan lang. #aloneProblem

What I found sa ilang beses kong kakaikot sa pier habang nag-aantay — CANDY ATM! It’s so cute I wish I’ve tried, kaso nahiya ako — #aloneProblem na naman. 

When Joanne arrived, together with a friend, we only got to spend a few hours together. I had an NBA game to catch at Staples Center which has already started by the time she arrived. So we just grabbed some light meal before heading back to downtown LA. It was Christmas season that time and the surroundings have a warm and cheerful vibe, add to that the choir singing Christmas songs on the background. We passed by this area with nice Christmas decors and can't help but took a pic while in a hurry on our way to the parking lot.