Redwood Creek: Top 25 Picnic Destinations

		SANTA MONICA STATE BEACH: Picnicking Under Palm Trees
		THE SETTING Just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, this is where the city folks come to unwind. Located along the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, the two-mile-long state beach includes a park, a picnic area, shops and a pier filled with various amusements. Picnickers have two great options: They can spread their blankets on the white sand next to the Pacific Ocean, or else they can dine on a grassy stretch of Palisades Park, which sits atop Santa Monica's famed sandstone cliffs. With its majestic palms, lush green lawns and flower-filled gardens, Palisades is the perfect vantage point from which to view the sweep of Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Here you'll also find public art installations, a meditation center and the Santa Monica Visitors Center.
		WHAT TO SEE AND DO On Santa Monica Beach you can be as active or laid back as you want to be. Ride a wave or wade in one. Work on your tan or build a sandcastle. Or just watch the waves kiss the shore. If you're the more athletic type, you can jog or rollerblade along the beach. If you take a stroll along Ocean Front Walk, you'll come upon California's original Muscle Beach, the famous outdoor workout venue. On the pier there's even more to do. Pacific Park, a waterside amusement park, features a nine-story, solar-powered Ferris wheel and a five-story roller coaster that juts out over the ocean. There are also bumper cars, arcades, fishing spots and a carousel for the kiddies. If you are visiting Santa Monica for the first time and can manage to break away from the beach, there's lots more to do in Santa Monica and L.A.: shop at the nearby Third Street Promenade, visit one of Tinseltown's movie studios, drive up to the Hollywood sign or take a self-guided tour of Beverly Hills.
		HOT TIPS Palisades Park has 30 picnic tables, three restrooms and six barbecue grills for public use. Get there early enough in the day to secure a spot. If you prefer more intimate picnicking, spread your blanket under a shady tree or on the beach itself.
		PHOTO OPS Santa Monica Beach's blue skies and white sands are postcard-perfect, so don't count on saving your film for that film-studio tour. The numerous street vendors and tattoo artists that take up residence along the pier make colorful subjects, as do the buffed guys pumping iron along the famed Muscle Beach. For a vibrant snapshot, don't miss the carousel on the pier, and the occasional local angler reeling in a big one. And if your camera has a timer, make sure you get a photo of yourself at your laid-back best, emerging from the warm ocean or lounging on the sun-kissed sand.
		LOCAL SPECIALTIES Healthy eating is a way of life for Californians, so forget about stocking your picnic basket with junk food. Instead, aim for a salad sprinkled with avocados, asparagus and sprouts. Add fresh fruit and chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert.