Montana Avenue, north of Wilshire Boulevard, is where Santa Monica residents actually shop and eat when they are not going downtown. The street runs through one of the city's quieter residential neighbourhoods, flanked by apartment buildings and craftsman houses, and its shops are independent rather than chain-dependent. Boutique clothing, kitchen goods, children's stores, and a handful of genuinely good restaurants line a stretch of several blocks.
The coffee on Montana is taken seriously — the cafes here serve the local resident population rather than transient tourists, which keeps standards up and prices reasonable. On weekend mornings the street has an easy, neighbourhood feeling that is in contrast to the pier and Promenade bustle ten minutes away.