So last year when we moved from Chicago to LA, we took full advantage of living in Santa Monica, near the beach (we lived 10 blocks away to be exact, and it was glorious.) When I was training for my marathon I use to run on the beach to and from Santa Monica and Venice Beach all the time. It was beautiful and so relaxing to run on the beach path.
Venice and Santa Monica are definitely different beach towns but the beaches are both so pretty. Here are a few of my favorite Venice Beach pictures.
Say Yes to Happy 