When people think of Los Angeles, they often think about traffic, smog and noise. I encourage those people (and everyone else) to visit Santa Monica.

The complete antitheses of the LA stereotype, Santa Monica offers surf, sand, fresh air, unbelievably clean pavements, unparalleled shopping and dining experiences and a bona fide sense of community.

Downtown Santa Monica comprises of 3 square blocks and attracts approximately 12 million visitors per year of which 42% are international.

Understandably, locals flock to the beachside hotels and restaurants as a way to get out of the city even though the area is located a mere 21km or so from downtown LA.

Caring for the environment is paramount in Santa Monica and the first thing I notice is the amount of garbage and recycling bins provided and just how clean the area is as a whole. I searched for a piece of rubbish and the one piece that I did see was collected by a Downtown Ambassador on the Third Street Promenade.

That’s right, a Downtown Ambassador. Downtown Santa Monica Inc hires friendly folk to be present along the Promenade for any questions people may have, to offer a smile and, in the case during my stroll through the area, to pose for a photo. JD Simpson (pictured right) personified that approachable someone who tourists oft desire but rarely find when travelling.

The environmentally friendly theme continues with the transport offered in the area. The Big Blue Bus provides an affordable service throughout Santa Monica from as low as $1 per ride with the catchy slogan “ride blue go green” and utilizes natural gas. Or perhaps you’d prefer the service of a bike valet to enjoy the mesmerizing ocean vista.

The sunny ‘So Cal’ weather is not just enjoyed by the beach goers with all buildings built in Santa Monica designed to ‘embrace the sun’. You won’t see any New York style skyscrapers here!

At a mere 22 years old, the Third Street Promenade is not only famed for the spectacular shopping it offers but also the infamous Farmers Market that attracts 180 farmers from across the country.

Held on Wednesdays from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm and Saturdays from 8:30 am – 1:00 pm on Arizona Ave between 4th and 2nd streets, the area is blocked off for the some 20,000 people who visit the ‘Farmers Market’ every week.

The highly evident community spirit is highlighted by the local restaurants that not only utilise, but rely on the ‘Farmers Market’ for their produce. Their lives will be made even easier on 20 May when Santa Monica Place introduces ‘The Market’.

Located on the dining deck of the new shopping precinct, it will be open every day and is set to offer fresh, local and organic produce from chocolate to cheese, pasta to coffee.

Re-opened in August 2010 after a $260 million refurbishment, this shopping precinct is reminiscent of a five star hotel. Soothing music plays over the open air walkways that lead to both high end and more affordable retailers including Bloomingdales, Tiffany & Co., and Burberry.

A conscious extension of Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place offers a full concierge service that is so well renowned that local hoteliers send their guests there to plan their trip as well as have their weird and wonderful shopping questions answered. Does anyone want to find a bejewelled baby pacifier? One lady was able to do so with the help of the concierge team!

Whilst I love a good shopping mall, the thing that attracts me most about Santa Monica Place is how fresh, open, clean and uncluttered the precinct is.

I could do a spot of shopping and then relax with a glass of wine on the deck to watch a free classic movie on the dining deck...and write about it on Facebook with the free WiFi offered!

One of the only shopping malls that offers a view of the ocean the developers really did think of everything, they even reused 80% of the original structure, making it environmentally friendly...of course!

Gazing at the ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier I knew it was time to experience the amusement park that I had seen on so many movies and TV shows.

The only solar powered ferris wheel in the world is the main feature of Pacific Park and the perfect way to spend the afternoon is wondering down the pier to people watch with the soundtrack a blend of excited kids screaming on the rollercoaster and the waves crashing against the shore...

Santa Monica is definitely somewhere I could live.