Who's the guy in charge of naming Santa Monica parks? Surely they could find some more inspiring moniker than Beach Park 1 for this spectacular swath of buzz-cut-thin grass accented by towering palm trees, a place that solves the age-old "Everyone wants to be near the beach but no one wants to deal with sand" paradox. The north-side strip is perfect for a pickup football game, where you can feel like you're playing near the ocean without the wide receivers slipping around on every play. I... More »
