"Westsiiiiiide!" Top 5 Page for this destination Santa Monica by giampiero6
Santa Monica Travel Guide: 606 reviews and 993 photos
Santa Monica, part of the greater metro area is a small city that lies on the Westside along the coast between Venice and Malibu. It's a pretty leisurely and upscale kind of place and I highly recommend that anyone coming to stay in LA stay in Santa Monica if you can afford it. It's not only cool and relatively smog free in summer, but pleasant in the winter and features some nice pedestrian areas that are a boon in car addicted LA.
I have lived and worked in many various parts of LA, but I would never want to live more than a stones' throw from the ocean again. Yes, Santa Monica is relatively expensive, but I am happy to spend a little more on housing to be here and save a little in other areas. It's worth it. The cool air, fresh breeze, ocean walks, nice casual spots to hang out make it such that venturing to other areas (my friend says East of Lincoln Blvd. ) seems like a hassle.
If you visit LA, I HIGHLY recommend that you stay on the Westside in Santa Monica, Venice, Marina, Malibu etc. I get very irritated if I have to go inland too much except for occasional outings. I mean let's face it, Hollywood sucks, most of LA is ugly and unimpressive and the only reason to come here is to hang out at the beach, relax, see freaks etc. Thus, why hang anywhere else. There's the beach, plenty of places to go eat and drink. Trust me on this!
- Pros:Beach, pedestrian areas, great restaurants and clubs.
- Cons:Homeless encampments in the Promenade and Bluff Park
- In a nutshell:Along with Malibu, Venice, Marina Del Rey A Great Place to Live.
Reviews (25)
Swanky Fun
Hotels
(7)
The Huntley is a fun place to stay. I like the swanky designer feel and it's very convenient for a Santa Monica... more travel advice
GREAT! Location (recently renovated)
Hotels
(7)
This place is a small modest motel that seems fairly clean and nice. It's a family run operation and seems pretty... more travel advice
The Stairs. A REAL INSIDE TIP!
Off The Beaten Path
(1)
Ok. So You're in Santa Monica and you're a work out/jogging freak. The path that winds through the sands of the ocean... more travel advice
Electronica and stuff
Nightlife
(1)
Sugar is an electronic, ravey kinda place in Santa Monica, about 10 minutes walk from the Promenade. Its fun and a cool... more travel advice
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Restaurants (9)
See All Pizza with the Pope. Cheap. Kitschy.... -
Favorites (2)
See All People's Republic of Santa Monica -
Shopping (2)
See All Books, Lefty Events, and NOT Barnes and...
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Sports & Outdoors (2)
See All Scuba Dooba Doo -
Things to Do (1)
3rd Street Promenade. -
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Travelogues (1)
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Santa Monica Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "~Santa Monica~"
- "I Leave My Heart in Santa Monica"
- "AFTERNOON & EVENING AT SANTA MONICA PIER."
- "Westsiiiiiide!"
- "Santa Monica"
- "Third Street Promenade"
- "BEAUTY AND THE BEACH"
- See All...
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Badges & Stats in Santa Monica
- 25 Reviews
- 31 Photos
- 49 Forum posts
- 72 Comments
- 30,288PageViews
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Have you been to Santa Monica?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Santa Monica
- updated a Santa Monica Travelogue "Santa Monica Audi Weasels - starring Abtin Navab"
- Wrote a Review Swanky Fun in Santa Monica Hotels
- Uploaded a Photo to "Swanky Fun"
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- Commented on tetonski1's Santa Monica Page
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Friends
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Food and Dining
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Road TripLatest Santa Monica hotel reviews
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Comments (66)
I love Santa Monica... It's one of my favorite places in California. :) Thanks for the "off the beaten path" tip... (and the rest, of course)
And his generosity knew no bounds - you guys will be demanding Eccles Cakes whenever a Northerner visits now!! Anyone coming to Fred form the office? Gillybob greetings
Nice page. Hope to visit June this year.
Gorillas. Still working on tips.photos.vids. Then there is Columbia in 5 weeks....good Weasel info !!!!!
buon giorno G, Nice tips on the Santa Monica restaurants. Have you been to the Ocean Avenue Seafood restaurant at Santa Monica Blvd. and Ocean Ave. Great lobster taquitos and Oysters on the half-shell. Ciao, Larry
Entertaining tips on Santa Monica, Giam! Thanks! Beautiful day here in AZ, gotta get out of house soon! Norman :)
Great tips here!I enjoyed L.A. and especially Santa Monica a lot.Great place to live!
NICE! Zipping around Venice Beach on your Vespa...I've got a visual on it now...
Oh! I didn't know Santa Monica was another city! Haha! I like this part too 10x more than LA! Haha! I love your hollywood tourist trap- so honest, true and funny! I also agree- it's a lot of red light and drug addicts that move in that place!
Thanks for recommending HI-Hostel for me in Santa Monica. I just arrived here on Sunday and am staying for a few more days and so far its been a great experience. I am loving California and having a great time. So thanks for all your tips!
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