Cheap Dinner & Movie

Go to McCormick & Schmick's (locations around L.A.), have dinner and for an extra $5, they'll give you a movie ticket. Not a bad deal considering tickets for the "fine" fare of Hollywood are running $11 and up nowadays. And, if you go July 2-5 and order one of their lobster special entrees you get the ticket free after printing a coupon from their website.

Cheap Movies

The impressive L.A. Film Festival is running June 17-27. Most of the events and screenings are at L.A. Live near Staples Center downtown. If you want to get the whole experience, festival tickets run $200 to $400. But many individual tickets are less than the average cost of a movie. For $12 to $15 you can have an evening with stars and directors explaining their craft, such as Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone and Roger Corman. There's also a screening of Pee Wee's Big Adventure introduced by Paul Ruebens that charges just $5 for kids.

Cheap Santa Monica

You can find some of the best restaurants on the west coast in Santa Monica, and of course, they're often among the most expensive. But you can sample some superb California cuisine at Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar on SaMo Blvd for a bargain on Monday nights. They feature an "Angel Shares" Happy Hour from 4-7 where you can pick up $4 appetizers and $5 glasses of fine wines. Plus, 15 percent of the evening's proceeds go to charity.

Venice on the Cheap

If you really want to get into the spirit of Southern California, you have to visit Venice. This crazy, small beach side community just south of Santa Monica is home to the wealthy and the unwashed, the well-dressed and the undressed, the muscular and the must-sees. A great place to start a tour of Venice is on Abbot Kinney Blvd., which runs through the heart of town. Stores and restaurants on the boulevard have a tradition of First Friday. On the first Friday of each month there are usually specials and discounts available. After having dinner at an Abbot Kinney cafe, head down to Zingara, the local headquarters for bohemian clothing and gifts, and try the smores in their back garden.