What's your perfect day in LA? Morning coffee in Malibu? A surf session in Manhattan Beach? A long al fresco lunch on Abbot Kinney? A coastal drive before the sun sets? Well, that's the beauty of our city. No two weekends look exactly alike, but after years of exploring the city's neighborhoods, restaurants, beaches, and hidden gems, the Smith and Berg Property Group team has developed the ideal itinerary for a perfect summer day in LA. Add to calendar!
8am: Start Slow
There's something about LA before 9am that feels like a completely different city. Pick a corner of town and let it set the pace: grab coffee and a bite from Layla Bagels or Little Lunch, then hop on a bike and cruise south along The Strand toward the South Bay, where the beach towns still feel unhurried this early. If the kids or the dog are joining, the Venice Canals are a favorite for a slow morning stroll through one of the city's most residential, least-touristy pockets. And for those who prefer to earn their weekend, the Los Liones Trail climbs into the hills for some of the best ocean views on the Westside.
Featured Santa Monica Listing: 528 Marguerita Avenue
11:30am: Build the Day Around Lunch
If we're being honest, this is where the day really starts, and where the neighborhood matters as much as the menu. Malibu calls for something unhurried by the water, like oysters and a glass of something cold at Clark's Oyster Bar. Venice rewards a slower pace too, the kind where a lunch at Great White turns into an afternoon without anyone checking the time. And Santa Monica's Montana Avenue is built for grabbing something easy, like hand rolls from ROLLD, and walking it straight to the sand. The best lunches don't come with a timeline, and neither does the neighborhood you land in.
Featured Malibu Listing: 3415 Sweetwater Mesa Road (price upon request)
2pm: Leave Room for a Detour
One of our favorite things about LA is that some of the best afternoons happen when you don't have much of a plan. Spend an hour wandering Brentwood Country Mart. Pop into a few shops along Montana Avenue. Take your time on Abbott Kinney. Grab an iced coffee. Buy something completely unnecessary but impossible to leave behind. A little aimlessness suits LA well.
Featured Venice Listing: 703 Marco Place (sold at full asking in 8 days!)
6:30pm: Settle in for Golden Hour
By now, hopefully you've resisted the urge to over-schedule yourself. As the light starts to soften, let the neighborhood set the tone. Venice, especially the stretch along Abbot Kinney, is built for this hour, with outdoor tables and people-watching in equal measure (San Damian is one of its newer haunts). Mar Vista offers something quieter and more residential, the kind of spot where a backyard patio (cough cough, Beethoven Market) makes you forget you're minutes from the freeway. And Culver City has quietly become one of the more interesting places to eat in LA right now (Folks Pizzeria, anyone?), worth a detour if you're headed east. Order a few things for the table. Stay through sunset.
Featured Mar Vista Listing: 3750 Boise Avenue (sold for 25% over asking in 8 days!)
9pm: Wherever the Night Takes You
Maybe the evening continues with a stroll through whatever neighborhood you've landed in, or a stop for ice cream. Or maybe the perfect ending is heading home, opening the patio doors, and enjoying a warm summer night with family, friends, and nowhere else you need to be. That's the thing about Los Angeles: there isn't one perfect way to spend a Saturday, and there isn't one perfect neighborhood either. But great food, ocean air, a few favorite corners of the city, and nowhere you urgently need to be? That's a pretty good place to start.
Featured Brentwood Listing: 356 North Bundy Drive (active under contract)