If you watch The Hills or read any gossip rag, LA comes off like a celebutante-super-chic-hipster on a weekend coke bender, stopping only to pose (pantyless) for the paps. While this may be true if you hang in Weho or Hollywood, there's plenty to scope out on the more mellow west side of town. Things like, say, the beach. Here's our guide to having fun in Venice, CA.

Stay: You might as well get as close to the ocean as possible and stay at Shutters on the Beach. Your backdoor (or your front, depending on the suite) is sand, and beyond, water. The hotel maintains a private stretch of beach for guests, and service is quick and reliable. The brunches are legendary.

10 a.m.: You're in LA -- you might as well indulge in the City of Angels' time-honored tradition: yoga before breakfast. Get yourself over to YAS on the corner of Abbot Kinney and Westminster in Venice and get ready to sweat your way through the hour-long session called Yoga For Athletes. The 10 a.m. weekend sessions are taught by Kimberly Fowler, the anti-guru herself, and are just the right mix between zen calm and ready-to-dominate-your-day energy.

11:30 a.m.:Stroll down the street to Axe and fill up on tuna sashimi and soba noodles. Don't worry if you're still carting your yoga mat -- you won't be the only one. Be sure to sit in the outdoor garden.

1 p.m.: Keep heading west to the beach and check out the famous Venice boardwalk, with the requisite stop at Muscle Beach, or do an about-face and hit up the Venice shops: Madley for knits, gawk at pricey (yet beautiful) mirrors at Bountiful, pick up floor-skimming casual dresses at Parker Pettit, and shop for cute, affordable trends over at Skylark.

4 p.m.: In case you needed another reminder of which hippie dippie state you're in, this is it: Pick up your medical marijuana at the Farmacy. Out of towners don't fret; there's on on-site licensed herbalist ready to cure what ails you. There's THC filled cookies, brownies, and soda pop for those who prefer their high coated in sugar.

5 p.m.: With all the shopping, beaching, and THCing, you might be hungry? Grab a slice at Abbot's Pizza Company, famous for their bagel crusts.

6 p.m.: Walk it off and see the sunset over the Venice Canals (yes, like the real Venetian Canals), a charming surprise to most and one of the hidden spots in Los Angeles that most Angelenos don't even know about.

7:30 p.m.: Have dinner at Hal's Bar & Grill. Enjoy the ever-changing, seasonal menu -- but be sure to order the pear and cranberry bread pudding, a delicious menu mainstay.

9:30 p.m.: Get a mani/pedi (or a wax, or your make-up done) inside the adorable Nite Spa cottage before you hit the bar scene (appointments from noon to midnight).

11 p.m.: For something lively and a little bit sceney, get a glass of Pinot at The Otheroom.

Late Night: Meander over to The Brig for late-night cocktails and flirty hipsters.