Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a coastal city west of downtown Los Angeles. Santa Monica Beach is fringed by Palisades Park, with views over the Pacific Ocean. Santa Monica Pier is home to the Pacific Park amusement park, historic Looff Hippodrome Carousel and Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Next to the pier is Muscle Beach, an outdoor gym established in the 1930s. In the city center, Bergamot Station houses several art galleries.

Shopping

• Third Street Promenade: Downtown Santa Monica is equal parts shopping haven and street-performer stage. Just east of the Pier, the Third Street Promenade consists of three open-air, car-free blocks that are anchored by upscale Santa Monica Place, home to more than 80 retailers. With everything from fresh farmers-market produce to designer fashions, it’s a shopper’s nirvana.

• Montana Avenue: Enjoy Montana Avenue’s eclectic mix of 150+ distinctive shops and cafes along one elegant tree-lined street. Minutes from the ocean, miles from the crowds, lies Santa Monica’s premier shopping area.

• Main Street: Main Street has always felt like a casual neighborhood area, characterized by locals who love to sit, drink coffee and watch eclectic people and personalities. The street has laid-back patio-lined cafés, indie boutiques, and trendy restaurants.

• Abbot Kinney: A mile long strip of the latest fashion, art and food
  just minutes from Venice Beach, California.

Restaurants

• Rustic Canyon: Laid back sophisticated ambiance, sleek and minimalistic with farm to table eclectic plates

• Cassia: A member of the Rustic Canyon family, this restaurant celebrates flavors of Southeast Asia along with California cuisine, using quality local ingredients.

• Ingo’s Tasty Diner: Clean modern food and cocktails housed in a historic diner space.

• Herringbone: California Coastal Cuisine on Ocean Ave, across from the Pier and Ocean. Indoor/Outdoor spaces, an open kitchen and raw bar and lounge all appeal to the easy beach living of Santa Monica.