Neighborhoods Santa Monica Guide

Culture & Recreation

Soccer moms and pierced punks may be mortal enemies, but there’s enough to do along the boardwalk that the two groups coexist in an uneasy truce.

1.

Santa Monica State Beach

With an aquarium, miniature golf course, bike trail and amusement park, there’s plenty to do along the beach besides basking in the white sand made famous on "Baywatch."

2.

Santa Monica Pier

Called “The Coney Island of the Pacific” and filled with free activities, the Pier hosts endless PG dates and family excursions.

3.

Palisades Park

Purple-pink sunsets and palm trees captured by countless postcards and ‘50s pop songs come to life at this picturesque park.

4.

Bergamot Station

Housing more than two dozen art galleries and the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the former trolley station is your ticket to contemporary culture.

5.

Aero Theatre

A throwback to the art deco days of yore, this remastered single-screen theater shows cult classics, indie flicks and the best of old Hollywood.

Dining

Caviar and corn-covered hotdogs: Both delicacies, both found on the Westside.

1.

Violet

Small plates, reasonable prices and hip décor make this bite-sized California bistro worth sampling.

2.

Border Grill

Food Network favorites Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger bring their zest for loud, bold flavors to Santa Monica with a muy caliente blend of eye-popping colors and mouth-watering dishes.

3.

Hot Dog on a Stick

Laugh all you want, but the fresh-squeezed lemonade and kitschy-cool costumes keep us coming back for more. This is the original, by the way.

4.

Father's Office

The late-night bar and grill makes up for the lack of hard liquor by having dozens of microbrews on tap and the best cheeseburgers in Santa Monica. (Many say the best in LA.)

5.

Melisse

This French favorite serves champagne wishes and caviar dreams to customers with celebrity-sized pocketbooks.

Nightlife

Forget the hustle and bustle of Hollywood: Clubs don’t need to be pretentious to be fun.

1.

Temple Bar

DJs and musicians from around the world make a pilgrimage to this packed music shrine to perform for multi-culti hipsters who consider dancing the ultimate form of worship.

2.

Zanzibar

Temple Bar’s comfortable, casual cousin brings bongo beats and other global sounds to the Westside with a Moroccan-themed DJ lounge.

3.

The Hideout

This laid-back former gay landmark and speakeasy features a fat-cat selection of cigars, quality cocktails at kick-ass prices, and music ripped straight from the bartenders’ iPods.

4.

Decorated almost entirely from items found at yard sales and thrift shops, local legend Renee Forrest’s bar and restaurant combines the old-country charm of an English pub with the relaxed atmosphere of a Spanish villa. We need a few martinis to brave the library overrun by creepy porcelain dolls.

5.

Big Dean's

After taking in the sights and sounds of the Santa Monica Pier, beach boys and bikini babes relax with cold beers and bar food at this Westside watering hole.

Shopping

Cool weather, hot boutiques and, of course, celebrities—just another day of shopping in Santa Monica.

1.

Third Street Promenade Guide

Hundreds of restaurants and stores revel in commercial excess at this massive marketplace, making it the shopping destination of choice for celebrities and the tourists who idolize them.

2.

Fred Segal--Santa Monica

Another place to catch celebs, this eclectic designer mini-mall sells super-hot stuff at super-high prices, including the best jeans in LA.

3.

Wasteland--Santa Monica

There’s nothing thrifty about this vintage store, but retro-cool cowboys and posh playgirls will find everything they need to live the rock-n’-roll lifestyle, or at least look like they do.

4.

Post26

Inside: Clothing and accessories from casual to vintage Halston.

Hotels

These all-in-one vacation destinations attract tourists and locals alike with romantic hideaways, full-service spas and picture-perfect views.

1.

Neighborhoods