Santa Monica / Westside, Los Angeles, CA

Where historic Route 66 hits the bluffs overlooking the glistening Pacific Ocean sits the scenic city of Santa Monica that, along with much of LA’s Westside, has a relaxed and affluent vibe that starkly contrasts to the more hectic areas to the east.

By day there’s no shortage of outdoor activities, as the area’s wide, sandy beaches and adjacent bike paths are full of fitness-minded locals swimming, jogging, and playing volleyball. Tourists and families crowd the iconic Santa Monica pier and the popular weekly Farmers Market, while many of the city’s homeless laze along the grassy paths bordering Ocean Drive.

The shopping district centering around the Third Street Promenade bustles day and night with restaurants, fashionable stores, chill bars, a movie theater, and plenty of street performers to entertain the masses.

Much of Santa Monica’s nightlife caters to a preppier yuppie clientele that prefers more casual evenings of drinking and dining at the many seafront restaurants and hotel bars.

Those who want a livelier scene in this part of Los Angeles, however, will find a number of rowdy sports bars along Wilshire Boulevard that draw college students from nearby UCLA, as well as several “meat markets” on Main Street that fill up on weekends with a tipsier and flirtier crowd.