UNDERRATED / OVERRATED

VENICE BEACH (BETWEEN 23RD AVENUE AND THE VENICE PIER)

It’s a stone’s throw away from the famed boardwalk, yet worlds apart in terms of crowd and atmosphere. There’s room to picnic, sunbathe, fly a kite, and the people are unpretentiously cute and normal. Just don’t think about bringing alcohol -- cops patrol the sand in SUVs.

BEVERLY WINWOOD ACTORS’ SHOWCASE

Continuing its run most Monday nights throughout July and August at the Groundlings Theatre (7307 Melrose Ave.), this show allows you to revel in the wicked pleasure of watching good actors pretend to be really, really bad ones in a faux showcase format. Plus, the audience is always good for a few celeb sightings.

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DAVID SEDARIS

The literary humorist gets a free pass from critics and fans alike. Has no one noticed that his recent output has failed to equal the sustained comic genius of “Naked” (1997)? Being a more “mature” writer doesn’t need to be a euphemism for “boring.” Come on, David, get your Ya-ya’s out!

THE FIRST CAR ON A METRO TRAIN

Conventional wisdom says waiting right by the entrance to the tunnel -- where the front of the arriving train will end up -- will get you a seat, especially as most folks congregate right by the escalators, ending up in the middle cars. But as conventional wisdom, everybody knows it, which actually makes the first car crowded. The secret is the second car. It’s lost in the illustrious first car’s shadow.