Santa Monica: Jewel of the Sunset Bay

by Marvin J. Wolf

The brilliance of the city's success story is deft-ly caught in Santa Jewel of the Sunset Bay. With a wealth of anecdotes and insights, authors Marvin J. Wolf and Katherine Mader disclose how the city "swam, strolled, and danced gaily into the pages of atlases." Visitors have enjoyed Santa Monica's delights since the 1840s, when the Marquez and Reyes families welcomed overnight guests on their properties. By the 1880s the town had become a favorite seaside resort, and its beachfront attracted an abundance of entrepreneurs. Santa Monica's first pleasure pier opened in 1895, followed quick-ly by others. Today one of the city's most beloved sites is the Santa Monica Pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue; declared a Santa Monica City Landmark in 1976, it stands as a tangible link with the community's colorful past. Santa Monica's development of the recreational opportunities offered by its splendid setting is just one part of the story. The "Jewel of the Sunset Bay" is many faceted,

136 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

The son of a junkman and a mad housewife (really--she spent half her adult life in mental hospitals), Wolf served 13 years on active duty with the US Army, including a 15-month combat tour in Vietnam. He has worked as a dishwasher, an encyclopedia salesman, a camera store clerk and as a photojournalist with worldwide credits. In 1983, when he regained sole custody of his only child, he put aside his successful career in photojournalism to become an author. A Los Angeles Times bestselling author, Wolf has three times been recognized by the American Society of Journalists and Authors for his professionalism. In 2001, Wolf took a nine-year detour through the movie and television business, an education in writing fiction. One of his screenplays, "Ladies Night," was produced and aired on the USA Network. He returned to writing books and launched a career in fiction in 2010. He lives with his adult daughter in Asheville, NC.