SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Strolling along the Third Street Promenade, on the lookout for movie stars, I instead almost bump into a monkey.

Dressed like a person, the cavorting primate is just about our toddler's size. In fact, our 1-year-old begins eyeing the creature curiously. My husband and I hasten our munchkin away before she decides to grab the monkey's tail.

Santa Monica is full of surprises.

We had begun our exploration of Santa Monica downtown, a few blocks from where my brother and sister-in-law reside. The couple graciously agreed to give our family the insiders' tour, and we set off on a breezy but sunny Southern Californian morning.

Near the civic auditorium, where spiky architectural touches parallel the elongated palm trees, we come across our first piece of evidence that the community is dedicated to environmentalism. The city government's electric vehicles are plugged into outlets at a charging station. Later, we espy a specialized, eco-friendly water treatment system set up near the Pier.

Main Street leads us past the courthouse and Art-Deco-style City Hall, where officials govern the community's more than 80,000 residents. Although Santa Monica residents hail from a range of backgrounds, the median home price of more than $800,000 creates sticker shock for most.

An unobtrusive, low-lying building turns out to be the corporate headquarters for RAND. Imagining the combined IQs of the think tank's employees, I can almost feel brain waves emanating from the site. My former colleague, a RAND doctoral fellow, has promised us a future tour of the interior ("looks much more interesting from the inside"). But for now, we continue ambling toward Santa Monica's most renowned attraction: the pier.

SANTA MONICA PIER AND VICINITY IS A DESTINATION IN ITSELF

Built in 1909, the Santa Monica Pier with its distinctive entrance sign cannot be missed. Today it is hard to believe that in 1953, the City Council decided to demolish the pier. A "Save our Pier Forever" campaign organized by residents not only achieved its primary goal but also resulted in the pier's hippodrome and carousel being designated national historic landmarks.

Now the pier annually welcomes more than 3 million visitors from around the world. A little-known fact is that it's also the endpoint of the famous U.S. Route 66. As my family descends onto the pier by traversing uneven wooden planks, a carnival-like atmosphere envelops us. Vendors hawk everything from churros to birthday-cake-shaped hats. Bait and tackle is sold alongside kitschy beach souvenirs. The noisy Playland Arcade, compact Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and classic carousel set in a hippodrome provide plenty of entertainment for youngsters. Pacific Park is an amusement park that features the Pacific Wheel, the only solar-powered Ferris wheel in the world, plus the West Coaster, a 35-mph steel roller-coaster. Four additional adult and a half-dozen children's rides keep thrill-seekers occupied.

The views from the top of the 130-foot Pacific Wheel are spectacular, but the pier offers outstanding vistas from all sides. Southward are Muscle Beach and a strip of hotels; northward are Malibu and Arlington West Memorial Santa Monica. The latter, a temporary monument erected on the beach every Sunday by Veterans for Peace, is a sobering reminder of those who gave their lives for our country.

More memorials can be found in peaceful Palisades Park, which runs northward from the pier along Ocean Avenue. The park also contains a rose garden, overlook, and a walkthrough pinhole camera obscura. Below the sandstone cliffs run the Ocean Front Walk and a parallel bicycle path. Four blocks from the pier stands an unadorned, graceful statue of Santa Monica's patron saint. This is also the spot where famed Wilshire Boulevard begins its 16-mile journey toward downtown Los Angeles.

CHARACTERS ABOUND

We head to the Third Street Promenade next. Designated as a pedestrian mall in 1965, the area acquired its name in 1989 when public and private investment led to its revitalization. Three long blocks flanked by dinosaur-shaped fountains house 60 retailers and 25 eating establishments. Entertainment venues offer 21 screens (Santa Monica is, after all, near Hollywood). In keeping with the city's predominant architectural style, such as that of the nearby 1933 Georgian Hotel, the Art Deco look prevails.

The promenade also hosts the downtown farmers markets twice a week. Santa Monica is famous for its certified farmers markets, extolled in Patricia Schultz's best-seller, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die."

Indeed, the fresh fruit my sister-in-law picks out is among the sweetest we have tasted. The Wednesday downtown market is perhaps the most famous, attracting top chefs and restaurants. At the Saturday downtown location, the produce is more than 60 percent organic, while the same day's Pico Market has a neighborhood feel. Community and family fun are the foci of Sunday's exchange.

We do not spot any more primates along Third Street Promenade, unless we count the acrobatic kids acting like monkeys, but we do encounter a number of other characters. An energetic man balances an implausible number of bowls atop his head, while another is covered in metallic silver grease paint. A proponent of animal rights stridently makes her cause known via a microphone and loudspeaker, while artsy banners flap overhead.

Stepping into Santa Monica Place at the end of the promenade therefore feels like entering a state of quiescence, although the structure is bustling with typical mall activity. The salmon-colored building has an additional 60 stores and eateries just in case the promenade does not provide enough retail therapy.

Santa Monica Place was designed by architect and local resident Frank O. Gehry, whose other works include Seattle's Experience Music Project, Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall, Spain's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and the Hollywood Bowl. Lofty trees grace both the interior and exterior of the edifice.

Following the palm-lined streets back to my relatives' townhouse, we prepare to take our leave of this community where street performers, artists, tourists, film stars, intellectuals — and yes, the occasional monkey — reside. Sobering war memorials within earshot of thrill rides; a saint's statue at the edge of one of the country's most commercialized boulevards; an organic farmers market neighboring a greasy joint called Fatburger.

Santa Monica is indeed a city of contrasts and surprising juxtapositions, and will continue to intrigue the global visitors who flock to her sun-kissed shores.

Monica Quock Chan is a Honolulu-based freelance writer and former marketing executive. She has lived in Europe and Asia, and has traveled to 55 countries.