If ever there was a post-industrial Southern California beach town paradise, Playa del Rey is it. Jumbo jets roar over the tiny neighborhood pinched between LAX and Dockweller Beach, where mysterious crumbling structures jut dramatically into the surf. Hardly fit for a king, but beach bums and city folk alike can traverse its streets, getting royally drunk at venues within staggering distance of one another.
Minotaure offers a slice of refinement in a flip-flop neighborhood. If sampling dozens of tapas and fine wines isn't enough culture for you, check out the flamenco musicians who serenade patrons every weekend.
