Santa Monica was once a town in itself. It was built as a seaside retreat for Los Angeles residents way back at the turn of the last century. Now however, it has been gobbled up by the ever-growing city limits of LA. However, it still maintains a character of its own, that is much more appealing than its big sister up the coast.
This chic, city-by-the-sea is less try hard than LA. It doesn't have to puff up is feathers to get people's attention; it's natural appeal does it automatically. This is probably why property prices here are some of the highest in the entire world.
So what should you get up to in Santa Monica? The beach is the first port of call. It is long, wide and sandy. The surf is great and the water is surprisingly clean. You simply must rent roller blades and cruise along 'The Strand' to Venice beach. But be warned, you may feel a bit self-conscious as everyone else will be honed, toned and golden. This is where the beautiful people live.
The Ferris wheel and wooden planks of support are just a couple of the instantly recognizable elements on the Santa Monica pier, which houses a fun old-fashioned amusement park. It also has some great restaurants and bars, where you can get hold of some excellent local produce and enjoy it while watching the nightly street dance on the pier from 7.30pm.
The town of Santa Monica doesn't let the States down in terms of its reputation as a great place to go shopping, and the widely-renowned Third Street Mall hosts stores supplying both tourists and locals with all sorts of things, from high fashion to practical surfer gear.
If you are into art, as many of the local residents of Santa Monica are, head over to Bergamot Station Arts Centre. There's over thirty private galleries in this part of the world, not to mention the wonderful (and free) Santa Monica Museum of Art.
It's not just indoors that you'll find art here, though, as the town is famous for hosting little bits and pieces, from sculptures to murals, all over the place. Santa Monica has art installations everywhere, whether it's a finely-crafted piece of sculpture or one of the publicly-recognised spaces for mural painting.
This chic, city-by-the-sea is less try hard than LA. It doesn't have to puff up is feathers to get people's attention; it's natural appeal does it automatically. This is probably why property prices here are some of the highest in the entire world.
So what should you get up to in Santa Monica? The beach is the first port of call. It is long, wide and sandy. The surf is great and the water is surprisingly clean. You simply must rent roller blades and cruise along 'The Strand' to Venice beach. But be warned, you may feel a bit self-conscious as everyone else will be honed, toned and golden. This is where the beautiful people live.
The Ferris wheel and wooden planks of support are just a couple of the instantly recognizable elements on the Santa Monica pier, which houses a fun old-fashioned amusement park. It also has some great restaurants and bars, where you can get hold of some excellent local produce and enjoy it while watching the nightly street dance on the pier from 7.30pm.
The town of Santa Monica doesn't let the States down in terms of its reputation as a great place to go shopping, and the widely-renowned Third Street Mall hosts stores supplying both tourists and locals with all sorts of things, from high fashion to practical surfer gear.
If you are into art, as many of the local residents of Santa Monica are, head over to Bergamot Station Arts Centre. There's over thirty private galleries in this part of the world, not to mention the wonderful (and free) Santa Monica Museum of Art.
It's not just indoors that you'll find art here, though, as the town is famous for hosting little bits and pieces, from sculptures to murals, all over the place. Santa Monica has art installations everywhere, whether it's a finely-crafted piece of sculpture or one of the publicly-recognised spaces for mural painting.
