| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
| Santa Monica has classic Southern California weather, meaning it is sunny with blue skies throughout summer and fall, although you get morning fog in early summer that usually burns off early in the day. Winters are very mild, with temperatures in the fifties. It only rains a few weeks out of the year, usually between December and March. | | I've never directly experienced crime, but there are a lot of panhandlers and homeless along the waterfront, and along the tourist heavy stretches along the promenade there are known to be shoplifters. | | Santa Monica is relatively small and wealthy, so there are no really bad areas. At night the blocks near Virginia Park and the freeway are a little sketchy, but find in the daytime.
Ocean Park is probably the coolest part of town, and it's near Venice Beach as well. Anything along the beach is pretty great as well. | | People are generally very friendly. It's a tourist town so there are a lot of people from all over, and from all walks of life. Some of the fancier shops and areas can be a little snooty if you don't look like you're a Hollywood hotshot. |
| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Single life | | Noise |
| There is tons of great shopping in Santa Monica. The third street promenade is lined with all the major brand stores, plus some smaller boutiques and it ends up at a recently renovated Santa Monica Place mall which has a Macy's as the anchor store, along with | | You can find almost any cuisine at all price ranges, which is nice. Wolfgang Puck's Chinois is a great fancy place to impress out-of-towners, while The Penthouse is a bit hipper and has amazing views. Hostaria di Piccolo great for brunch and a little more reasonable. For cheap eats you can find awesome Mexican food at places like Tacos Por Favor. | | Very good for singles, but also very competitive. There are definitely a lot of actor/model types that can be very intimidating. If you dig around you can find other subcultures, but there is a bit of an air of superficiality sometimes. | | There is a freeway, but I've never lived near it. |
| town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions | | General comments |
| While it is a small town, the amount of wealth and the proximity to Hollywood means that it feels extremely cosmopolitan. Add to that the beachfront location and shopping districts and it feels more like a neighborhood of a larger city (Los Angeles) than a proper town. It reminds me a bit of Sausalito or even a smaller Santa Barbara. | | Probably the UCLA Medical Center, which is very highly rated. However I haven't needed to use it. | | Definitely the beach and pier. You can walk along the waterfront between the 1920s and 1930s architecture on one side and the beach and ocean on the other and visit the pier and maybe catch one of the better street musicians. | | Santa Monica looks exactly like you would expect SoCal to from watching movies and television. The weather is gorgeous, the pier with its ferris wheel and the beautiful beaches make you feel like you're going to run into a celebrity any second. And sometimes you do! I spotted Donatella Versace coming out of one of the hotel restaurants. |
