Los Angeles

Colloquially “the West Side,” this one takes some dedication. The new families, UCLA kids, and other eclectic residents enjoy the beach proximity, world-class window-shopping, and quick freeway access. Living here is swell. If you’re driving crosstown, or running errands, pack some books on tape.

Landmarks

• Bergamot Station • 2525 Michigan Ave
310-453-7535
The best one-stop art experience you can have in LA.

• Santa Monica Municipal Airport • 3223 Donald Douglas Loop S
310-458-8591
Home to lots of small planes and private jets. And an annual Barneys NY sale.

Nightlife

• The Arsenal • 12012 W Pico Blvd
310-575-5511
‘60s era cool at this quite metro-for-the-Westside bar.

• Busby’s • 3110 Santa Monica Blvd
310-828-4567
Smaller, but as fun as its mid-Wilshire counterpart.

• Liquid Kitty • 11780 W Pico Blvd
310-473-3707
Westside lounge with martinis that will make you purr.

• McCabe’s Guitar Shop • 3101 Pico Blvd
310-828-4497
Famed LA haunt for live acoustic music.

• Mom’s • 12238 Santa Monica Blvd
310-820-6667
A pseudo-dive, but it’ll do.

• The Penthouse • 1111 2nd St
310-393-8080
Individual cabana tables for private dining. Bridge and tunnel crowd on weekends.

• Plan B • 11637 W Pico Blvd
310-312-3633
The Ladies Man would hang at this after 2 am cigar lounge.

• Sonny McLean’s Irish Pub • 2615 Wilshire Blvd
310-449-1811
For homesick Red Sox fans.

• South • 3001 Wilshire Blvd
310-828-9988
The best sports bar on Westside if the 16 other places are closed.

Restaurants

• Akbar Cuisine of India • 2627 Wilshire Blvd
310-586-7469 • $$$
Creative Indian cooking.

• Bandera • 11700 Wilshire Blvd
310-477-3524 • $$$
Dimly-lit; yuppy-ish. Reliable New-American cuisine.

• Benito’s Taco Shop • 11614 Santa Monica Blvd
310-442-9924 • $
$3 burritos the size of your Chihuahua.

• Bombay Café • 12021 W Pico Blvd
310-473-3388 • $$$
Inspired Indian cuisine.

• The Counter • 2901 Ocean Park Blvd
310-399-8383 • $$
Build your own burger with a zillion choices for toppings.

• Farmshop • 225 26th St
310-566-2400 • $$$
Family-style dinners and snacks to go.

• Furaibo • 2068 Sawtelle Blvd
310-444-1432 • $$
Try Japanese dishes you’ve never heard of at this izakaya.

• Hide Sushi • 2040 Sawtelle Blvd
310-477-7242 • $$$
Not for the sushi-phobic.

• Hop Woo • 11110 W Olympic Blvd
310-575-3668 • $
West Side outpost of the highly regarded Chinese chain.

• Il Forno • 2901 Ocean Park Blvd
310-450-1241 • $$$
Northern Italian cuisine. Great pastas and NYC-style pizzas.

• Il Grano • 11359 Santa Monica Blvd
310-477-7886 • $$$$
This West LA authentic Italian has been drawing crowds for more than 10 years.

• Il Moro • 11400 W Olympic Blvd
310-575-3530 • $$$$
Creative Italian specialties.

• Javan • 11500 Santa Monica Blvd
310-207-5555 • $$
Persian cuisine. Huge portions of tasty charbroiled meats.

• Josie Restaurant • 2424 Pico Blvd
310-581-9888 • $$$$
Reputable chef. Great interior. New-American cuisine.

• Kay ‘n Dave’s • 262 26th St
310-260-1355 • $$
Healthy Mexican with a family-friendly atmosphere.

• La Bottega Marino • 11363 Santa Monica Blvd
310-477-7777 • $$
Italian deli-restaurant. Affordable. Charming setting.

• Lares • 2909 Pico Blvd
310-829-4550 • $$
Rich, authentic Mexican meals and potent margaritas.

• Lazy Daisy Cafe • 11913 Wilshire Blvd
310-477-8580 • $$
Great selection of salads and smoothies.

• Le Saigon • 11611 Santa Monica Blvd
310-312-2929 • $$
Great Korean food.

• Lemon Moon • 12200 W Olympic Blvd
310-442-9191 • $
The Santa Monican professional’s tasty, economical hour-lunch of choice.

• Nook Neighborhood Bistro • 11628 Santa Monica Blvd
310-207-5160 • $$
American traditional with European flair.

• Rae’s Restaurant • 2901 Pico Blvd
310-828-7937 • $
Neighborhood hangout-they line up for breakfast!

• Sasabune • 11917 Wilshire Blvd
310-820-3596 • $$
No California Roll, no menu. Trust the chef.

• Stefan’s at LA Farm • 3000 Olympic Blvd
310-449-4000 • $$$
Absolutely absurd vibe makes the food better than expected.

• Tlapazola Grill • 11676 Gateway Blvd
310-477-1577 • $$$
Southern Mexican.

• Typhoon • 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S
310-390-6565 • $$$
Eclectic Pan-Asian. Aviation motif. Cool and chic.

• Valentino • 3115 Pico Blvd
310-829-4313 • $$$$
Classy Italian. Flawless. Dazzling wine list.

• Zabie’s • 3003 Ocean Park Blvd
310-392-9036 • $
Neighborhood café. Friendly. Cheap. Good breakfast and lunch.

Sawtelle north of Olympic, known as Little Osaka, is an expanse of BBQ, sushi, cozy noodle houses, and cutesy gift shops. Try Japanese dishes you’ve never heard of, or ones that you have, at Furaibo, an excellent izakaya. There’s a smidgen of nightlife along Pico and Centinela: The Arsenal has time-tested tunes and by-the-book cocktails. The Royal and NuArt movie theaters show off-beat, foreign, cult, and otherwise hard to find films on the regular.

Shopping

• Adventure 16 • 11161 W Pico Blvd
310-473-4574
Camping supplies that make city slickers want to commune with nature.

• Any Occasion Balloons • 12002 W Pico Blvd
310-473-9963
Every size balloon, in every shape and color imaginable.

• Blick Art Materials • 11531 Santa Monica Blvd
310-479-1416
Corporate but comprehensive. Good selection of art magazines.

• Giant Robot • 2015 Sawtelle Blvd
310-478-1819
Items from Asian pop culture.

• Graphaids • 12400 Santa Monica Blvd
310-820-0445
They appeal to both serious artists and doodlers.

• Hiromi Paper Inc. • 2525 Michigan Ave
310-998-0098
Handcrafted paper so gorgeous you won’t want to write on it.

• Hyper Games • 2130 Sawtelle Blvd
310-444-1907
Yes, video game rental stores still exist.

• McCabe’s Guitar Shop • 3101 Pico Blvd
310-828-4497
Geared more toward the fledgling Bob Dylan than Eddie Van Halen.

• Record Surplus • 12436 Santa Monica Blvd
310-979-4577
No glitz, no pizzazz. For serious music lovers only.

• Utrecht Arts Supplies • 11677 Santa Monica Blvd
310-478-5775
All manner of stuff for the artsy and the craftsy and helpful service.