1. Travel

Discuss in my forum

One Day Los Angeles Self-Driving Tour

By , About.com Guide

10 of 10

Venice Beach
Sidewalk Cafe, Venice

Sidewalk Cafe, Venice

Courtesy of KayteDeioma.com
Leaving the parking structure at Santa Monica Place, make your way around the block to where Main Street starts on the other side of the Mall. Main Street will take you through an area of shops, galleries and restaurants as you cross over into Venice Beach. Proceed to the traffic circle at Windward and look for a reasonable place to park. There are a variety of parking lots in the neighborhood with prices ranging from $3 to $15 depending on the day and season.

From Windward head to the right, down the boardwalk between the vendor stalls and the street performers past the outdoor gym at “Muscle Beach.” Walk about 7 short blocks to watch the sunset over a casual dinner at the Sidewalk Café. If you're all walked out already, there's a parking lot off the alley behind the Sidewalk Café just off of Clubhouse Ct. For those on an even tighter budget, grab a slice of pizza or a sausage sandwich at one of the Venice Beach snack bars and find a spot on a bench or a nice stretch of sand to enjoy the view. Bring a sweater or jacket. The beach is cool in the evening, even in summer.

After dinner, you're close to the airport if you've got a red-eye flight to catch, or you can deadhead back to Hollywood

If you're still standing, head out to one of LA's Top Dance Clubs or Comedy Clubs.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.