SANTA MONICA IS CHOSEN AS ONE OF AMERICA’S BEST LOVED DOWNTOWNS

By Jodi Summers

Everybody loves Santa Monica. Of latest accolades, Forbes has selected Santa Monica as one of America's Best Downtowns.

Forbes chose the country’s most alluring downtowns with the help of travel experts from Frommer’s and Livability, a travel and analysis site that focuses on mid-sized or smaller towns. Criteria included shops, restaurants, proximity of parks and cultural options. Winning cities included Chicago, IL; Portland, OR; Savannah, GA; Greenville, SC; Winston-Salem, NC; San Antonio, TX, Kansas City, MO; and Indianapolis, among other.

“We embraced the subjectivity that is inherent in a list like this, while still striving for benchmarks and criteria that we think make a great downtown,” notes John Hood of Livability.

Among those criteria they considered: entertainment options, navigability, attractive architecture and a thriving downtown.

Santa Monica was chosen because we offer both a lively downtown and a sensational location. Here we sit on one of the most enviable stretches of the California coastline, with a luxurious new mall and revitalized downtown laden with high-end shops and inventive restaurants. Forbes also appreciated our mix single-family homes and apartments, as it ensures that a lively mix of people can live and work near the downtown area.

“All of Santa Monica is pretty walkable and compact,” confirms Jason Clampet, senior online editor for Frommers.com. "You've got a great six blocks or so of shopping, with a mix of local stores, boutiques and chains “Unlike most of the rest of the region, you can really walk around and get by without a car, and it has some of the best views in the Los Angeles area of the ocean.”

Over the past several years, Santa Monica and her various entities earned more than 50 awards and honors.

“We recognize that such esteemed accolades don’t come easily,” said Mayor Richard Bloom. “To be distinguished as ‘the best’ by so many discerning publications and organizations is a true testament to the standard of excellence our city and our tourism community maintains.”

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http://www.smdp.com/Articles-local-news-c-2012-01-18-73318.113116-Downtown-among-nations-most-alluring-.html

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