Broadway, City Center

The bustling downtown area is one of the main attractions along the coast of LA.

The Third Street Mall is an open air mall along Third Street closed to motorized traffic and lined with several clothing stores. This is one of the favorite spots for Los Angeles residents and people come from as far as the San Fernando Valley to hang out in this spot. One of my favorite spots is in this mall is Arcana Books where you can find a plethora of art and architecture books. There are also a number of unique restaurants like a Wolfgang Pucks, a Café Bellagios and my favorite easy going lounge, Copa de Oro. As you might expect it is packed to the gills on weekends.

Ocean Avenue around this area is most reminiscent of Miami beach, with lots of high rises, apartments, restaurants and hotels right across the street from the palm lined cliffs overlooking the beach. On the beach by the Downtown area, you will also find the Santa Monica Pier. With it shore side rollercoaster and several boardwalk side carnival game and snack stands, this is definitely one of the most famous spots in all of Los Angeles. The pier has been the shooting location for various films and TV series, with characters often going beneath the pier to discuss their problems or walking along the beach and checking out the many would be starlets jogging in bikinis.

Apartments near Ocean avenue can be fairly expensive. As you move farther inland, however, prices tend to vary with single room apartments in older apartment buildings sometimes dropping as low as $1,000 per month, while luxury new apartments can near $4,000 dollars.

Although crime is a minor problem in Santa Monica, it is not largely concentrated in the downtown area. There has only been one murder here since 2007—a homeless person killing another homeless person. Most crime involves property theft, as you might expect in such an affluent area.

The Santa Monica Public library’s main branch is located in the area and it gives you sense of the type of neighborhood it is. It, first of all, doesn’t look like a library. It is a modern building with lots of daylight streaming in. It has its own Café and garden area where you can take your book and read or meet with someone. In other words, even the library tries to lure you in, knowing that in an area with so much to do, competition is fierce.

Of course, it goes without saying that there are several restaurants and nightspots in the area along with several good movieplexes at the Third Street Mall. (Although the Laemmle on Second is the one to go to for foreign and independent films.) Some of the best places to eat are actually at the swanky hotels that line Ocean Avenue such as the Georgian, the Shangri-La and, a little inland, the Huntley.