As for transportation, the city Metro was great... we went from LA, to Santa Monica, Venice and could also have traveled to Long Beach ALL via Metro. It's worth it to you to get a weekly pass for just $25 (in 2017) and you have limitless travel for CHEAP! Another avenue would be Lyft (use code RAYN253487) or Uber (use code raynn10ue), it's very affordable and it lessen the need to travel by your personal or rental vehicle while on vacation.
I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days. ~Billy Connolly
This quote is so accurate!