This is one of my favorite spots in Santa Monica. Tapas to the left of us, sushi to the right, and Ye Olde King's Head pub up ahead — all in all, a great place to chill out with a "real" (i.e. Imperial) pint of Boddington's and watch the tourists go by. But there's a slight annoyance: buses. They run right in front of the outdoor seating area, meaning diners get a little diesel with their fish + chips. Passenger cars, annoyed with pesky, pokey public transport, honk + rev away with angry flatulence. This automania almost threatens to ruin the experience; it's hard to fall into the completely deep relaxation found, say, at the nearby car-free 3rd Street Promenade. Narrowed, this terminus of the mighty Santa Monica Blvd. becomes a calm back alley. I left in the "buses only" asphalt paint for fun, because I like to imagine an optimistic near-future in which our current carbon-spewing peoplemovers are replaced by silent gliding electric vehicles. See it narrowed!
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