Mid-City

Mid-City is continually ranked as the 3rd best neighborhood in the area of Santa Monica. Why? The swath supports a swarm of good public schools and offers reasonably priced estates. The houses are not as expensive as they are in Montana Avenue and nor is the nightlife as happening as it is in Downtown Santa Monica. Mid-City is somewhere placed in the middle, offering its residents the close-to-best of everything. Furthermore, the location puts it in an optimal situation, close in proximity to every nearby area.

A notable feature of Mid City is that it houses the Saint Johns Health Center. Most of the doctors and nurses who work there live in the area since they wish to be nearby in case they are paged in the event of an emergency, ensuring better medical facilities for the residents of Mid-City.
Art

Thanks to the Bergamot Station and 18th Street Arts Center, Mid-City is widely accepted as the art hub of Santa Monica. In fact, Bergamot is Southern California’s biggest art-house, taking up close to an area of eight acres in total.

People often confuse Bergamot Station with the Santa Monica Museum of Art since the museum is at the complex. Apart from that of the museum, Bergamot also serves as the address of many art galleries and unique collection stores. Architecture fans are also welcome to admire contemporary site designs while sipping beverages from inside a café. Although the complex has actually been renamed 26th Streets Art Center, residents continue to refer to it as Bergamot Station, as it used to be motor storage facility during the 18th and 19th century.

18th Street Arts Center is a celebrated art program in the country (ranked among the top 20) and the biggest one in Southern California. Each year, it invites artists from all over the world in order to provide them with a powerhouse where they can enhance their artistic skills for the betterment of the society, and then showcase their finished work to the public. This is where art creates impact.

International artists such as Coco Fusco and Tim Miller had done their residencies at 18th Street Arts Center before they went out and changed the world with their idea. Coco’s art often reflected then-controversial themes such as gender and race while Tim used his pieces to support his ideas as a gay activist.

Dining

Do you like waffles? Do you like waffles in the shape of donuts? Never tried them? There is a bakery shop in Mid-City called DK’s Donuts & Bakery that has been producing such amazing combinations for around 40 years. The Wow-Nut is a favorite specialty among regular customers but you may also enjoy regular donuts that are offered in a range of eclectic flavors.

High-end and unique dining is a specialty at Mid-City, considering the artisanal culture of the city. Often though, customers are only looking for some good meat, as any red-blooded American would. A Cut Above Butcher Shop is as promising as it sounds; the meat served are the best and the juiciest. If you are opting to host a barbeque party, look no more!

Entertainment

Inaugurated in 2008, the Broad Stage is a great platform for established as well as newbie performers. The seating space is a reflection of the demure yet alluring sense of the city since it can pack only 500 people at a maximum. The center has always acted as more of a community than a performing platform, perhaps a reason behind Mid-City’s strongly diverse population.

In recent years, the Broad Stage has also initiated a community program in order to encourage more students to take part in the art events. Every year, more than 20,000 such students, teachers and guardians are enlightened to make art a more popular career choice for the future generations.

As aforementioned, Mid-City is a bit more family-oriented compared to its peers. Yet, the area does own its fair share of clubs. The two trendiest ones are The Room and V Lounge. V Lounge is sleek and shiny looking with a glassy interior and on the other hand, The Room is more enclosed in nature, serving huge drinks inside bricked rooms.

source https://santamonicaday.com/mid-city/