By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger
There was a time when Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica was one of LA’s most hip and and happening places to hang out in La La Land.
There were people walking around, going in and out of shops, having food and drinks at the restaurants and bars and seeing while being seen. It was a totally LA thing.
But times change, and the three-block outdoor pedestrian plaza had became passae the past few years. More stores are boarded up than open ones and it’s not really safe, either.
In order to try and restore Third Street Promenade to at least part of it’s past glory, and to clean up an area that badcly needs it, the Santa Monica City Council has taken advantage of a fairly new California law that allows cities to establish “entertainment zones” that allows for open alcohol in designated areas. In other words, you will be able to walk aloing Third Street Promenade – which is between Wilshire and Broadway – with a beer, wine or cocktail purchased from a Promenade business.
“The summer is often a time where everywhere in Los Angeles activates with open wine gardens and free concerts with thousands of people, and that hasn’t proven to be a problem that we are aware of, there’s other communities that do this across the state, not in California,” said Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete. “So I say we have to give it a chance that’s why we are being extremely trepidatious and rolling it out slowly.”
Whether it is successful – or if it fails miserably – is important for cities beyond Santa Monica. That’s because this will likely determine if the “entertainment zone” concept is picked up by other municipalities. If it works, then we will likely see it in several other California cities. If it doesn’t, then it will fade like an old pair of blue jeans.
While most people would enjoy and respect it but there always a few idiots who could ruin it for everyone. So Santa Monica will need to keep a close eye out for potential troublemakers. So the determining factor will be the people who go there.
Personally, I think it’s a great idea. It’s certainly one that has created attention for a long-neglected area. I hope it is a huge success, too, and that other cities follow by doing the same.
In Santa Monica, the entertainment zone would run from 8 a.m.-2 a.m, tho the hours could change and the days have yet to be determined.
Kevin Wilkerson is an award-winning journalist. This is an opinion column and was written by a human and not AI or Chat-GTP.
Leave a Reply