Venice Beach - Los Angeles, CA Area Guide

The area once known as Mines Fields first opened as an airport in 1930, and became L.A.'s municipal airport in 1937. Many of the area's homes were constructed to meet the demand of the returning soldiers and their kids, the baby boomers. You'll find plenty of post-war bungalows with spacious yards on neat, orderly streets.

The LAX area is home to Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as upstarts like Space X, and it draws some of the best engineers, designers and visionaries from across the country.

Pressed right against this design capital are the artists' communities of Venice Beach, long famous as a center for creative types on the cutting edge. You can purchase original pieces off the gallery walls of Abbot Kinney Boulevard or from the working artists themselves along the beach.

Directly north of LAX in the city of Westchester, students and families alike can find a wide assortment of Greek, Thai, Italian and American cuisine along the busy Pacific Coast Highway 1 and Sepulveda Boulevard, the two main streets that cut north to south through the neighborhood. For the taste of a quintessential mid-century American diner, you'll definitely want to grab a plate of chicken and waffles at Pann's. As a sister property to the famous diner from "Pulp Fiction," Pann's is also something of a mecca for film lovers.

Younger crowds like to head out west for a casual, fun night on the town. In Playa Del Rey, you can hoist a pint and catch a live band with the locals on the patio of much-beloved sports bar Prince O' Whales. A quick trip north of the marina lands you in Marina Del Rey, where the Venice Fishing Pier and Boardwalk are home to both fine dining and casual dining. Find everything from boisterous cantinas to chic wine bars, such as Le Cellier Wine Bar & Restaurant, a French-Vietnamese gastropub specializing in seasonal fare and terroir wines. Just north of Marina Del Rey is the world-famous Venice Beach, which offers unparalleled people watching year-round.

As a post-war neighborhood in a city where people embraced the car early, the LAX neighborhoods just north of the airport are primarily designed to be traveled by car. Westchester and Playa Del Rey are intersected by two major highways, the 405 to the east and the Pacific Coast Highway 1 to the west, as well as two small local feeder freeways, the 90 and the 187.

With so many students in Westchester and densely built apartment complexes near the Marina, public parking can be very hard to find.

From LAX, you can catch a bus virtually to anywhere in the city or the county. LAX is also heavily served both by traditional taxi services as well as Uber and Lyft, both with major presences in L.A.

Within Venice itself, you'll find a more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly city. The famous boardwalk is always packed with bicyclists, skateboarders and roller bladers. Many locals choose to get around town on their own two feet.

For a neighborhood so close to a worldwide transportation hub, the LAX neighborhood itself is very quiet and family-oriented. You'll find great parks, schools and community resources around every corner.

Dog lovers from across the South Bay flock to El Segundo's dog park with its hills, trees, benches and stellar view of the airport. Located just south of LAX along Imperial Highway, this park encompasses two spacious areas: one for big dogs and one for smaller dogs, so your pet can play securely.

Or head north for fun at the Westchester Park. Mom and Dad can get in some links at the Westchester Golf Course, which offers 15 holes. The kids can spend a few hours at the Westchester Skate Plaza, where your little skater can work on his grinds, flips and kicks. In the summer, take everybody to the Westchester Pool for swimming lessons, water aerobics and open swim.

And don't forget - there's always the beaches just a mile to the west LAX is close to three of the nicest beachfront areas in Los Angeles: the boating and aquatics at Playa Del Rey Marina, the family friendly Dockweiler State Beach, and, of course, the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

For holiday fun, families and local young adults alike head to Marina Del Rey for Fourth of July and Christmas fireworks shows. You'll also find winter holiday shopping and family days on Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

As with much of Los Angeles, the cost of living is considerably higher than the national average, but the LAX areas' cost of living is actually quite good for the city itself. You won't find a studio or a one-bedroom apartment for under $1,300 a month. Much of the neighborhood is occupied by renters rather than owners.

Rents and costs in well-known Venice are even higher, where an apartment - especially one near the beach - can go for several thousand dollars per month.

You can expect to pay a lot more for your drinks and your gas in Venice than in Playa Del Rey, and you'll find even better deals in Westchester.

Los Angeles is home to some of the greatest shopping in the world. And Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice is one of the most famous places to browse for original art in the world. In addition to the four major galleries on this road, you'll find arts and crafts work from local artisans in 11 gift shops, 15 home and garden stores and more than 50 fashion boutiques.

For a more traditional shopping experience for clothes, home goods and groceries, locals make a quick hop north to Howard Hughes Promenade and the Westfield Culver City, both less than a mile from Westchester.

Those looking for the freshest produce can hit up one of the four farmers' markets that happen weekly in Venice, Playa del Rey and Marina Del Rey.