Gandara 1

Manuel Gandara
English 114B
John Kubler
19 February 2015
Santa Monica Pier
Ever wonder if our society is using public spaces efficiently? Or are we
consuming these places for the worst? To answer this question, I roamed the
streets of Los Angeles in search of a busy public space that is used everyday.
I decided to write this fieldwork ethnography on the Santa Monica Pier. The
Pier is visited by thousands of people everyday and it is marked as an official
landmark of the Los Angeles County. During my examination of the pier, I
noticed many aspects that prove it is a great use of public space. Despite its
numerous flaws, the pier incorporates human diversity and therefore it gives
a great impact on the community it resides in.
It first opened in 1909. It was first opened primarily to carry sewer
pipes out into the ocean. Over the years it began to attract attention and it
has now grown into a famous landmark. It is mainly attracted because of
Pacific Park which is an amusement park located on the Piers boardwalk.
Along with the amusement park, it is also visited for its restaurants and
street performers. There are always, musicians, magicians and dancers on
the Pier on a daily bases.
From what I learned on my trip to the Pier, was that most of its visitors
are tourists from other parts of the world. We interviewed a couple that

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happened to be all the way from Australia and they were visiting the Pier for
the first time. The main reason that attracted them to the pier was because
they saw it in movies and through other media sources. We also interviewed
two friends who were from Arizona who were also visiting the Pier for the first
time. We came to the conclusion that out of all people visiting, most of them
were just tourists who wanted to see the Pier after seeing it on TV. The Pier
was brought to heavy attention after its multiple appearances in movies,
television programs, and even music videos. The reason the Pier has made
many appearances around social media is because of its unique figure. The
pier it self is quite large in size. In fact, it is two piers that are connected
together. It holds an amusement park, many restaurants and the thousand of
visitors all at once. During the summer, music concerts are often held on the
beaches around the pier.
At the pier, Id say that most people go there to relax and spend
quality time with one another. What I feel people most value when it comes
to the location of the pier, is the scenery. Unlike other beaches, the Pier
allows people to see the water and the sea animals from a lot closer point of
view. Here it feels as if we can get out of the city and experience the ocean
and nature it self. Overall, Id say that the space is mainly used as a place of
business. Everywhere you look there are people selling souvenirs, food, and
or asking for money. There are a lot of businesses on the boardwalk such as
stores and restaurants. A young woman that I interviewed stated, the thing I
least like about the pier, is that there are too many people asking for

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money. To some visitors, the beggars seem bothersome to them. There are
many street performers that hold dance shows. Along the boardwalk, there
are magicians and musicians who entertain the people in return for
donations. The beggars personally did not bother me because in a way they
are giving back to the community. They contribute to the fun that the visitors
experience.
Whats unique about the Pier is that it brings two different types of
environments together. There are restaurants, amusements and other
regular urbanism aspects being placed over the ocean. People get to enjoy a
roller coater and the beach at the exact same time. On the downside, the
pier crowds the streets of Santa Monica with traffic. This is a great issue for
the locals who live near the pier. Although this is a flawing issue caused by
the pier, I feel that it is worth it. There is always traffic in Los Angeles
regardless.
On a downside, thousands of people visit the pier on a daily bases and
it creates problems for the locals. the crowded pier always attracts trash into
the beaches. This great number of people in one small space creates trash
and pollution to the beaches of Los Angeles. "This city was once one of the
cleanest cities in the world. Today it is one of the filthiest(Shelby 2) says
Grad Shelby, a local Environmentalist. Major attraction builds crowds of
people and these results in an increase of littering. The crowds at the Pier for
example, lure trash onto the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica. This littering

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becomes a problem for the locals, the animal life, and the environment as
well.
It can also be pretty hard for the residents around to get around their
city with all of these tourists visiting the Pier. David Colker, a columnist for
the Los Angeles Times, wrote upon, The delays in congested areas of Los
Angeles and Orange counties were no surprise far worse than the
national average. Local commuters spent an average of 61 hours a year in
congestion.(Colker 4). It is the attractions of the city like the Pier that
contributes to the notorious traffic congestion of Los Angeles. I consider the
pier as a representation of Los Angeles because of its crowded areas and
heavy consumerism. Being born and raised in Los Angeles Id say that the
pier is surely a place that resembles the values of the Los Angeles life style.
The most positive outcome that I witnessed during my observation
was the wide spread of diversity within the visitors. Unlike a mall for
example, only attracts people who have money, that pier attracts people of
all social classes. At the pier, even homeless people can enjoy its beauty. I
believe that the pier gives a more positive impact on the community
because it brings all types of people together. A place like this is rare. From
my own experience, it is not very common to see a place where everyone of
every social class, race, age, or gender are having fun in the same place. At
the pier people get to enjoy the view and the natural beauty of the ocean.
The pier has something to offer for everyone. From the various people that I
interviewed, some mentioned that a good outcome of the landmark is that it

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brings the community together. The attraction motivates people to get out
and experience the city, rather than staying at home.
There are only a handful of spaces like the Pier that have been in
service for this extended amount of time. Around the city of los Angles,
there many public space projects that are planned but are never started. Los
Angeles needs far more than small improvements around the margins. It is
broken in some fundamental ways.(Hawthorne 3) In other words, public
spaces are not often put into effort around the city. The Pier on the other
hand, has been in service for the past one hundred and six years. This
landmark has a positive effect on the social values of a society therefore it is
a great use of a public space.

Works Cited
Online Article
Colker, David .L.A. and Orange counties No. 2 in U.S. for traffic delays
Colker, David. "Los Angeles Traffic." Latimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
Hawthorne, Christopher Los Angeles' major public spaces remain broken
works

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"Los Angeles' Major Public Spaces Remain Broken Works in Progress."
Los Angeles

Los Angeles Times, 02 Mar.

2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Shelby, Grad L.A. has long been told to clean up its act
Shelby, Grad. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 19 Feb.
2015.