The Santa Monica Pier.

Santa Monica [1] is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast, anchoring the West Side of Los Angeles County in Southern California.

Understand

Santa Monica was originally developed as a seaside retreat at the turn of the last century. The railroad owners built the first version of the amusement park on Santa Monica pier as an attraction to fill empty train seats on weekends. Santa Monica grew into an urban, eclectic, and prosperous beach city whose real estate values are amongst the most pricey in the world. Santa Monica is a very desirable city whose people are drawn to its accessibility and its progressiveness as a community. Today, Santa Monica is a mixture of very affluent, single-family neighborhoods, renters drawn by the high quality of life, lifelong surfers, young professionals and students.

Tourists visiting the Los Angeles region will find Santa Monica one of the best situated locations to base their trip. There are plenty of hotel, restaurant and entertainment options, as well as close accessibility to major sights like Venice Beach, Malibu and Beverly Hills. Visitors will also note the beach cities' moderate climate; during the summer and fall, as the mercury soars to 100 in the San Fernando Valley and 90 downtown, Santa Monica usually remains at a very comfortable 75 degrees.

Get in

Santa Monica is located at the western terminus of the 10 (Santa Monica) Freeway, about 20 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and 7 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport. The city is roughly bounded by Centinela Blvd to the east, Ocean Park Blvd to the south, San Vicente Blvd to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The tourist center of Santa Monica is the downtown area located near the famous Santa Monica Pier, which was once the western end of historic Route 66. By car, take the 10 Freeway to the 4th/5th Street exit, then head left toward the ocean. From the north, turn left off the Pacific Coast Highway (California 1) at the California Incline, which deposits you just a few blocks north of the pier.

Santa Monica is accessible by bus from throughout the Los Angeles region.

Santa Monica Airport (ICAO: KSMO) is popular for general aviation and business jet travellers. Air taxi and air charter companies such as New Flight Charters [2]and Great Circle Aviation [3] fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstreams down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.

Get around

Many of Santa Monica's tourist destinations are within easy walking distance of each other. The city Big Blue Bus system operates a number of lines that link not only places within the city, but also neighboring Brentwood, Westwood and Venice Beach, making Santa Monica one of the relatively few places in Los Angeles where one needn't drive to get around. Traffic is very heavy in the downtown area, and during rush hour the city's main arterial streets (Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Lincoln Blvd) are choked with cars.

See

Do

• Montana Avenue is a local street with lots of small stores and restaurants. This is where the local rich folks hang out, so you'll see lots of rich folks shopping and going to Yoga. If you want to get an idea of what beach life is like for the rich folks check it out.
• Main Street while most folks go to the Third Street Promenade when they come to Santa Monica, the locals hang out on Main Street and Montana Avenue. Main Street is a little more poor and pubs than the ritzy Montana Avenue.
• Santa Monica Pier is a bustling boardwalk whose huge Ferris Wheel is the city's icon. The long pier has an old-fashioned amusement park, with reasonable by-the-ride pricing, including a small roller coaster. The Pier has restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and some street performers. At almost all hours you'll find at least a few people fishing as well. The Santa Monica Pier has terrific coastline views of Malibu and the Southbay. The Pier is within easy walking distance to the Promenade.

• Santa Monica Beach is a large, wide, beautiful beach on either side of the pier. Perry's rents bikes and roller blades or bring your own for use on the world famous *strand* that links all of the Westside beach cities. For some of the best people watching in the world, follow the strand south a couple of miles to Venice Beach. Hire a bike or skates and travel along the cycle path (there are a number of shops to hire from around and on the pier).

• Third Street Promenade is a very successful Urban mall project: a vibrant, outdoor street full of restaurants, "better" street performers and musicians, movie theaters, shopping, bookstores, and bars. Only three blocks from the beach, the Promenade is one of L.A.'s most popular places to "hang out" for people of all ages.

• Bergamot Station is a city-owned art gallery compound which includes the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

Buy

Eat

Very diverse food selection, from high end cuisine to burgers and tacos.

• Fathers Office, (at 1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, California), (310) 323 BEER (2337), [4]. Best Burgers in Santa Monica in this tiny and wildly popular pub. You have to fight for a table and you can't change any of the items on the burger--it's their way or the highway.
• El Cholo, (at 11th and Wilshire). A Los Angeles institution and this Santa Monica branch offers great margaritas and wonderful traditional Mexican food. The green corn tamales, available from May to October each year, are a specialty.
• The Lobster, (Colorado Blvd & the Santa Monica Pier), (310) 458-9294, [5]. One of the few restaurants in Santa Monica that actually has a view of the Pacific Ocean. Located at the Eastern end of the Santa Monica Pier, The Lobster provides good seafood dishes, great cocktails and a little bit of a scene. While a little noisy and on the expensive side ($120+ for two with alcohol), the food, fun and view can make it worthwhile.
• Michael's, [6]. Along with Chez Panisse in Berkeley, lead the nouvelle cuisine movement. Using fresh vegetables from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, locally caught fish and excellent meats every dish is sublime. While not cheap, a meal at Michael's does not disappoint.
• Pradeep's, 1405 Montana Ave, (310) 395-6675. Offers Indian Cuisine with a California consciousness. Emphasis is on healthy, so sauces are lighter, but flavor is still great.
• Snug Harbor, 2323 Wilshire Blvd, (310) 828-2991. A great breakfast place! A small "hole in the wall" with a relaxed atmosphere and competent service, you'll find many locals trying to wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. Offering up traditional bacon and eggs with a twist the food is fresh and good. Meat lovers should try Uncle Zeke's scramble.
• Swingers, 802 Broadway (near Lincoln), (310) 393-9793. Located within walking distance of the 3rd Street Promenade, this diner packs a lot of attitude into its small location. Food is good and reasonably priced (egg entrees run between $5 - $9), the service is lively, and the neon pink cows on the wall will keep you wondering what medications the decorator was using. Open Sunday - Wednesday from 7AM to 2AM, and Thursday - Saturday from 7AM to 3AM.
• Typhoon, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S. (Santa Monica Airport) (310) 390-6565. Best known for its exotic fried insects, this pan-asian restaurant also serves dim sum and sushi, Malasian and Thai, in a unique setting with a view of the runway. Upstairs is The Hump, a less exotic (but still good!) sushi bar.

Drink

• Father's Office, 1018 Montana Ave. (near 10th & Montana), [7]. Offers beers from over 20 different micro-breweries, a nice wine selection, and awesome bistro food (current owners were formerly Chef's at Michael's). F.O. celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003.
• Toppers, 1111 2nd St. (top floor of the Radisson Huntley Hotel), (310) 393-8080. Located on the top floor of the Santa Monica Radisson, decent selection of margaritas, decent view of the beach, good Mexican seafood

Sleep

• Ambrose Hotel, 1255 20th Street, (310) 315-1555, [8]. While 20 blocks from the beach, the Ambrose Hotel offers great style and comfort for less than the large beach-front hotels; typically $150-$250 per night. Very convenient if visiting someone at St. John's Santa Monica Hospital.
• Best Western Gateway Hotel Santa Monica, 1920 Santa Monica Boulevard, (310) 829-9100, Fax: (310) 829-9211, [9].
• Best Western Ocean View Hotel, 1447 Ocean Avenue, (310) 458-4888, Toll-free: (800) 452-4888, Fax: (310) 458-0848, [10].
• Casa Del Mar, 1910 Ocean Way., and Shutters, One Pico Blvd. The only hotels in Santa Monica that are directly on the Beach and have prices that reflect this rare amenity. These partner hotels share pools, spas, etc.
• The Fairmont. A great hotel, but it only has ocean views.
• Georgian Hotel, 1415 Ocean Avenue, (800) 538-8147, [11]. The Georgian Hotel is an Art Deco classic that dates back to the 1920s. Located right on Ocean Avenue and in the heart of downtown Santa Monica, it is in the thick of the action. Rooms are smaller and prices are not cheap ($250 and up per night), but it is a great place to stay.
• Holiday Inn, 120 Colorado Ave, (310) 451-0676, [12].
• Le Merigot (Marriott), 1740 Ocean Avenue, (310) 395-9700, Toll-free: (877) 637-4468, Fax: (310) 395-9200, [13].
• Shangri-la Hotel, 1301 Ocean Ave, (310) 394-2791. The Shangri-la Hotel has huge rooms, ocean views, and free parking for guests.
• Viceroy Hotel Santa Monica, 1819 Ocean Avenue, (800) 670 6185, [14]. The Viceroy Hotel is perfect for travellers who are seeking an ultra-hip experience and don't have any budget restrictions. One block from the beach, and few blocks south of the main part of downtown Santa Monica, the Viceroy still is able to command $400+ per night because of its status as "One of the 50 hottest hotels in the world"

Get out

• Malibu. Located just a few miles to the northwest and accessible via the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), Malibu is a beach town that is home to many entertainment stars and offers great beaches, surfing and restaurants for visitors.
• Culver City. A neighboring city and the home of Sony Studios that in recent years has been undergoing a rebirth and now has an increasing number of food, shopping and entertainment options.
• Venice. The neighboring beach town offers miles of sand, an eclectic nightlife, and the infamous Muscle Beach.
• Marina del Rey. The "marina of the king" is home to a vast number of restaurants and hotels, and while not as touristy as some of the neighboring beach cities is nonetheless a fun spot to spend an evening.