In the previous article (part one), we've been guiding you through the main parts of Los Angeles. You've seen the highlights, but you haven't seen all that makes LA one of the best cities in the world- the immense diversity, the closeness to the wilderness, and the true California beach life! In this section, we will show you a tour around LA, avoiding the tourists.

LA2DAY'S Tour Option Two: Anti- Tourist Secret Spots

Santa Monica: Blocks away from the Third Street Promenade and Main Street, Venice Beach is an interesting phenomenon you have to check out. Here you'll find dozens of shops, street artists, and skaters making their way up and down the crowded street. Grab a bit to eat, rent a bicycle for the whole family, or play some basketball on the outdoor courts.

Malibu: When finished checking out Venice get into your car and start driving towards Ocean Avenue continuing North until you see the Santa Monica Pier coming up on the left. Here you go down (left) onto the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). You drive along the beach until you get into Malibu, with gorgeous beach access houses to your left. In Malibu, many famous people have houses either directly on the beach or in the hills above, both with astonishing ocean views. Continue driving North on PCH until you hit the exit towards Topanga Canyon Road. Take this exit and continue onto Topanga Canyon Road to see the astonishing wilderness just minutes outside of Los Angeles. If you feel like hiking, here would be a good starting point.

Topanga Canyon: Continue driving on Topanga Canyon Road, while enjoying the views, until you reach a town called Woodland Hills, where you should keep going straight until you find access to the 101 Freeway. Take the 101 Hollywood Freeway going South. Continue driving on the highway until you can change to the 405 Freeway South towards Long Beach. Driving on the 405 is driving on one of the busiest freeway corridors in the world. It connects the Valley, UCLA, and Santa Monica with Los Angeles International Airport, the South Bay cities, and Long Beach. We wouldn't be surprised if you would be going at a stop and go, bumper to bumper speed. MapQuest estimates the driving time to the next exit should be 45 minutes.

Rancho Palos Verdes: Continue driving on the 405 South towards Long Beach until the exit sign shows Hawthorne Blvd. Take this exit and turn right onto Hawthorne Blvd and continue driving. Then turn right onto Via Valmonte. Continue for 1 mile and then turn right onto North Palos Verdes Drive. Head up the Palos Verdes Peninsula continuing on Palos Verdes until it bends to the left and it becomes West Palos Verdes Drive. Keep driving up and you should have the ocean to your right. Drive further up until you feel you will get a good view and then look for an availability to park your car. You now should have some astonishing views over the Los Angeles Bay Area, unless it's cloudy or the fog has set in. Rancho Palos Verdes is home to people with good fortune, but without the desire to show it off. It is a very quiet and tidy neighborhood with very panoramic views all around. It is a part of the Los Angeles region most tourists won't find.

Redondo Beach: When done here, drive back the same way you came but instead of taking Palos Verdes all the way back to Via Valmonte, now take a left onto Palos Verdes Boulevard. Keep the ocean to your left. Drive down Palos Verdes Boulevard until you can turn left onto Catalina Avenue. You will now drive through a nice neighborhood with little shops and wooden houses tucked away in a town called Redondo Beach. Here you'll also find some places to get a sandwich, a refreshing smoothie or an as-good-as-it-gets French baguette. Good time for a lunch maybe? Although, the next stops will also have plenty of lunch offerings, if you're not hungry yet.

Continue driving on Catalina Avenue, but take a left when possible, towards the beach. Park you car and take some time to enjoy the view of the waves below (A beach known to be very family friendly and clean). If you're in luck, you will see dolphins playing in the ocean. You can also see a bicycle path on the beach that will lead you all the way to Marina del Ray (past the airport) and a small detour around the Marina further North on all the way up to Santa Monica and Malibu. By bike it would take you about one and half hours to reach Santa Monica Pier (only half an hour more then by car). Continue your way North on Catalina Avenue until you can make a right turn onto Torrance Blvd. Then make a left turn onto Pacific Coast Highway. Continue driving North on the Pacific Coast Highway. You will now see some more of the Beach Community of Redondo Beach.

Hermosa Beach: Continue driving on the Pacific Coast Highway until you can turn left onto Pier Avenue. Take a left onto Pier Avenue and find yourself in Hermosa Beach. More alive then Redondo Beach and packed with surfer dudes, Hermosa offers beach volleyball players and everything from coffee and hand made ice-cream to Irish pubs and bars- screaming for Hawaii shirts and loads of sunscreen. When you drive down Pier Avenue take a right at the end and then go left at the traffic light onto the road leading to the beach parking structure. Park your car and take a deep breath of fresh ocean air.

Manhattan Beach: Last of the true and tranquil California beach communities on your trip would be Manhattan Beach. When leaving the parking structure in Hermosa Beach continue driving North on Hermosa Avenue (make a left at the traffic light when you exit the parking structure). Taking this road will lead you through the residential areas of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Nice wooded houses facing the ocean and little streets leading to the beach. It has the words "relax and enjoy your life" written all over it. We suggest you embrace that motto!

Continue driving on Hermosa Beach Avenue until it ends and then drive up and take a left on Manhattan Avenue. Continue driving on Manhattan Avenue until you can make a right turn onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Take a right onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Either park your car and enjoy a walk around Manhattan Beach, its shops and pier, or continue back to Santa Monica.

Getting back to Santa Monica is easy and you have two options. Either you take the 405 Freeway North towards Santa Monica and then switch to the 10 Freeway West towards Santa Monica or you take the city streets back. Continue driving East on Manhattan Beach Blvd until you hit Sepulveda/Pacific Coast Highway. If you want to take the Freeway (as described above) continue straight and keep going on Manhattan Beach until you see the signs for the 405 Freeway North towards Santa Monica.

If you more feel like driving on city streets, take a left onto Sepulveda/Pacific Coast Highway. Continue North on Sepulveda for 45 minutes until you reach Santa Monica Boulevard. Take a left onto Santa Monica and drive to the end to get back to the start of your tour, the Santa Monica Pier.

If you missed tour option one, click here.