Cheap Scenery

One area that doesn't get visited very often is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the "pig snout" edge of land at the lower end of Santa Monica Bay. It's primarily residential, filled with palatial homes of the well to do, but there are a couple of ways the cheap can take advantage of it. Palos Verdes has some of the most stunning views on the West Coast, which is why it's worth a jaunt. You can take a picnic to Abalone Cove, which has tidepools, beaches and incredible vistas of the ocean and Catalina Island ($5 entry fee per car). And when you're in the area, head down to the Wayfarer's Chapel, a historic, all-glass structure built by Frank Lloyd Wright's son. Before going back to the hotel, stop in at the Original Red Onion, a landmark Mexican restaurant in PV for nearly 50 years.