Originally Posted by Heathpack

The PCH north of Santa Monica is fine. Look on a map, I'd say from Topanga Canyon north is good. From Malibu north is better, the shoulders are very wide. The PCH getting out of Santa Monica is frankly pretty dangerous though. I messaged my friend who rides out of Santa Monica and his take was that the PCH leaving town is really a group ride thing, safety in numbers.

It would be best if you had a car and could drive to ride starts.

Are you staying with friends and therefore locked in to Santa Monica? It's a great place for a vacation but there are better places to stay in SoCal if the goal is to be able to ride out your front door.