Moving from NYC —> Santa Monica - recommendations?

Hi everyone, hopefully this sub isn’t hostile towards transplants 😂

My girlfriend, Golden retriever mix, and I are moving to Santa Monica from NYC for a job opportunity and a chill / slower pace of life. We are trying to figure out which neighborhoods would be a good fit for us.

She’ll be working three days a week in downtown Santa Monica, but we’re hoping to live as close to the beach as possible.

We both love outdoor activities, workout classes, farmers markets/healthy food, and we’re also into good bars and restaurants.

We’d love recommendations on neighborhoods that have the following:

• Easy access to the beach
• Great spots for fitness (gyms, yoga, Pilates, etc.)
• A good selection of healthy food and farmers markets
• Fun bar/restaurant scenes
• A relaxed, slower pace of life

Budget: $4,000/month

Any advice or tips on areas we should explore or avoid would be super helpful! Thanks in advance!

Edit: first post on Reddit and WOW thank you for all of the responses! I’m working through responding now but this has been overwhelmingly helpful!

We’re in our early 30s and will be looking towards some of the more chill neighborhoods.