Birding in Santa Monica

Los Angeles is a city of trends and obsessions. Right now on LA’s pulse is Drake’s new album, complaining about the heat wave, Kylie Jenner’s billionaire donation fund, and Birding. A slightly weird verb, we know, but Birding has taken over Santa Monica by a landslide. Around each block there are at least 10-15 Birds. There are people Birding literally left and right. Seriously. Be sure to look both ways driving.

If you have no idea what a Bird is, then you are probably throughly confused and maybe a little concerned by now.

Let us explain. Bird is an electronic scooter sharing company. Think Uber, but instead of cars, you can rent electric scooters and zip around Santa Monica. It’s super convenient and way cheaper than the average ride share.

Bird like you mean it

First steps first, download the Bird App on your smart phone and pay $1 to sign up. Then, use the app to find a scooter near you, scan the QR code on the scooter with your phone, push off 3 three times, and then you’re off!

Feel the wind in your hair as you Bird your way through Santa Monica. When you’re done, simply stop the ride on your app, and park the Bird on the sidewalk. All of the sudden the 20 minute walk to the beach is a 5 minute Birding ride and wayyyy more fun than riding a bike or taking an Uber. We are loving how convenient and simple Birding in Santa Monica is.

Whether you Bird for 5 minutes or 5 hours (hey, no judgement here) you only pay about $1 per mile you ride. So take your time, or don’t, the cost is the same.

Birding: A glimpse into Utopia

would rather take a *bird to the ankle 26 times

Scooters are something that most of us had in our childhoods. Remember the good ‘ole days where taking a Razor to the ankle was the worst thing to happen to you? Us too. Maybe the kids of today will get to experience that pain via Birds. We also can’t help but to think what is next for the ride sharing world. So far we have shared bikes, electric scooters, and cars. In the next few years maybe we’ll see a ride-sharing app for airplanes, magic carpets, and superheroes (dibs on Captain America).

Okay…Maybe a Glimpse into Dystopia

We’ve hit all the amazing qualities of the beloved Bird in Santa Monica, but here’s glimpse of the dark side. Over the the weekend, there were reports of police rounding up the electric scooters for violating the bike lane laws (bikes lanes are for bikes only, surprise surprise). Police have also been ticketing people left and right who aren’t wearing a helmet, a law for bicycle riders in Santa Monica. Of course, Birding fanatics are outraged. Police haven’t ticketed or confiscated roller blades, some argue, why all the sudden with birds? Although we can see their point, Birds have also caused quite the ruckus, and some say that they are just adding to the amount of trash in Santa Monica. There’s even an Instagram account called @thebirdgraveyeard that congratulates anyone who takes a picture of a destroyed Bird.