El Lay

as a south bay resident for the last 17 years, i can swear to its attractions.

the bar at the end of pier ave in hermosa is Hennessy's. i'd give simmzy's in manhattan beach (on MB blvd) a try for great burgers and craft beers, plus outside patio with ocean view and beautiful people all around. then walk down MB Blvd to the shellback and enjoy an old beach bar (you could do the same with ercole's but there's no view).

msg me for more info if you want.

 

Yes, do not GO NEAR the 405


Also if you happen to be either downtown or near Venice there's a great German restaurant
http://www.wurstkuche.com/index.html
Great beer selection, great food, and you eat it at communal tables in a dimly lit room so you can feel like Beowulf or something

 

Since I'm staying in Sherman Oaks and working around UCLA, I'm thinking the 405 is inevitable for me.

 

If the 405 is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.

 

Sepulveda and Beverly Glen can be faster than the 405 from the Valley to Westwood during off-peak hours, can't they?

 

The 405 north of Sepulveda Pass isn't terrible. It's immediately south where you hit the brakes, and it really stacks up fast, all the way to LAX.

 

Yeah, the 405 over the hill to Sunset is not bad...but to Wilshire it's fucked because they have torn down the on-ramps for renovations.).

 

Consider this, Bubs:
You can avoid the 405 and get a look at Malibu at the same time. When you leave Sherman Oaks, take the 101 westbound (toward Ventura). Get off at Malibu Canyon Road and take it all the way to Pacific Coast Highway. Malibu Canyon Road intersects with PCH right at Pepperdine, which is a beautiful campus. From there, you can turn right (north) and head up to Paradise Cove, Trancas (Broad Beach Road is where the mega-wealthy live), Leo Carrillo State Beach and Point Mugu. You probably don't want to go all the way to Oxnard and Ventura (about 60 miles north of Santa Monica).
Or, when you get to PCH, turn left (south) and come back through the heart of Malibu: Cross Creek Road, Malibu Pier, Big Rock, Corral Canyon, Sunset Mesa and eventually into Santa Monica.
Another possibility is taking the 101 westbound (toward Ventura) and continue past Malibu Canyon Road to Kanan Dume Road. You can exit at Kanan Dume and take that canyon all the way to PCH. Kanan Dume hits PCH farther north than Pepperdine. You can turn left (south) and come back through Malibu, then to Santa Monica.

 

I strongly recommend a scenic drive down Malibu Canyon Road. Man, I freaking love that drive.

No point in going north at Pepperdine, though. Go south on the PCH, find a good meal there near the beach, and then you can head back to the city on Santa Monica Blvd.

 

Next time I'm over there I want to make the Malibu drive just to see where Jim Rockford parked his trailer.

 

The second page of this thread has turned into an episode of "The Californians" from SNL.

 

Paradise Cove, a few miles north of Pepperdine.