Southern California Trip Part IV: Santa Monica and Malibu

Santa Monica and Malibu offer miles of scenic coastline, interesting architecture, and well-known attractions that make for lots of photo opportunities.  This was my second time visiting the area, but I still managed to come away with plenty of new photos.



Palisades Park in Santa Monica is known for its tree-lined paths and impressive views over the bluffs out to the Pacific Ocean.



I love photographing trees, so I didn't hold back.







Down on the beach, a rubber sidewalk stretches for miles.

Who wouldn't like to own a house that looks right out to the beach?

The Santa Monica Pier is hard to miss.  I didn't actually visit the pier this time, although I took several shots of it.



I couldn't resist taking a photo of a lifeguard station.

Malibu has a pier too, but it's much smaller and not nearly as iconic.

My plan was to take a photo from the shore, but the tide was coming in fast, and the beach was soon to be inaccessible.

I snapped a quick pic on the pier, but I realized that was not really where I wanted to be for the sunset.At nearby Malibu Bluffs, I found what I was looking for.  The perfect view to photograph the sunset!Back in Santa Monica, I had the above and below views from the Fairmont Miramar.  Pinch me!



Night time is the best time to explore a hotel.  Everything just looks cooler at night!



The hotel is known for its signature fig tree.





The following morning, this gorgeous sunrise came up over Santa Monica, and I got another shot of the pier.



The lifeguard station looks so lonely on the beach!

Just one more shot of the fig tree before leaving.

Third Street Promenade has these interesting dinosaur topiaries.

That wraps up my post on beautiful Santa Monica and Malibu.  My next post will feature photos of Disney California Adventure.