Archive: https://archive.today/YshTK From the post: >>Just a stone's throw from the beach, Santa Monica's famous shopping strip once pulsed with life - street performers drawing crowds, tourists snapping photos, and shoppers spilling in and out of packed stores late into the evening. Landing a retail lease there was once nearly impossible. But today, visitors say the mood along the Third Street Promenade feels very different. Some storefronts sit dark, foot traffic has thinned, and locals say the once-bustling destination now has stretches that feel eerily quiet with homelessness and crime on the rise.