In L.A. you’ll find some of the best street life on the beach, and this five-mile long path that extends from the northernmost tip of Santa Monica to the southernmost tip of Venice serves up a cross section of the city, from the remote beaches on one end to a spectacle of dancers and various performers, most of them scantily clad, in Venice. Originally designed for bicycles, the path has evolved over the years into a sort of packed freeway for everything from bikes, to roller blades, skate boards and kite boards. There are multiple places to rent skates or bikes right on the beach in Santa Monica and Venice, but families looking to the bike path for a relaxing outing should consider their timing carefully. The path gets packed on weekends, lending to traffic jams and occasional collisions, but tends to be more wide open on weekdays and evenings.