The large and spacious Santa Monica Bay will not disappoint anyone in this respect. Starting out from its northern part, Malibu is the first attraction along the way. The beach and the pier are not that impressive at first glance, but if you take a walk into the mainland, you will discover plenty of large mansions where many celebrities seek some peace. Packed on weekends, it is relatively quiet during the week and is an ideal place for roller-blading, biking, and walking along the ocean. The Santa Monica Promenade is an adorable place for shopping and one of the few pedestrian-friendly places in Los Angeles.
Further south is situated the famous Venice Beach .
Once you get to Venice, you'll see the whole world blending there. Beware at night, however, because Venice is taken over by street gangs, and can be quite a dangerous place. The city's real self, however, is downtown . It's a poorly defined area, but can be instantly recognized by the skyscrapers and small shops right on the sidewalk. The area is known to be a dangerous place, so go there during the day just to see the peculiar mixture of everything from Art Deco to punk and hard rock.