disagreeing with the poo-pooing :-) I grew up in Venice and still find the area fascinating. I think it's a great area for tourists to see.

For knwolf~~ definitely Venice, then Santa Monica, then on up to Malibu is not too much for one day and is beautiful scenery. It's very "California" imho. For directions just google a map, it's not that large an area or that complicated.

We love the drive on Sunset through the old Strip area, past UCLA, and to PCH. There are good restaurant choices on the water. Our favorite standby is The Charthouse, even though it's a chain, it doesn't feel like one to us. Good food, good prices, good service, great views if you can get a window table. Also we like Gladstone's, which has a fabulous outdoor patio for lunch. Another, more upscale place, is Moonshadows. I like these three because you can usually sit by the waterside and it's beautiful.

P.S. L.A. is full of little hidden areas. If you go to the Santa Monica area, go to Abbott Kinney street. It's a bit like Berkeley or Boulder-- little shops and cafes. A block or so from Venice beach. It's much more interesting than the Santa Monica promenade, IMHO.

If you want to eat in Venice, we like the C&O Trattoria. C&O stands for 'cheese and olive'. It's an Italian joint, not upscale, just fun, good food, and a nice outdoor courtyard. It's our go-to place when we are hosting a number of our son's college friends for dinner:
http://www.cotrattoria.com/about.html

If you are there, walk down the beach all the way. It gets more quiet, and there are amazing homes to envy there!

P.P.S. Just saw you are staying in Manhattan Beach. That's a good choice for walking the beach. Another good place to eat is Mama D's in Manhattan Beach. It is very small, good Italian food. It's more an 'experience' than a fine dining event, because it's tiny, loud and fun.

FYI, there's a second Mama D's in Hermosa Beach. Personally, I prefer Old Venice on Manhattan Ave. in MB. Good (southern) Italian and Greek food. Tiny, loud and fun too. Both Mama D's and Old Venice are lovingly family-owned.

But my favorite restaurant in MB is Fonz' which is located about halfway between Mama D's and Old Venice.