Plenty of advice/opinions in here under California.

Moi - I would stay somewhere out by the beach - maybe in Santa Monica - and then "commute" in - after the morning rush hour - to Hollywood - and then head back either before the afternoon rush hour - or have dinner wherever you are and head back to the beach after dinner.

Straight shot - with minimal traffic - you can get to Hollywood and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills - from the Santa Monica area in less than an hour (it's less than 15 miles) - but don't bank on it. Taking Sunset is a great drive.

Also check out the two Getty Museums - the original/Villa out at Malibu (from there - you can also drive up the beauitful coast hiway for a while) - and the incredible newer Getty - by Mulholland, north of the airport about 10 miles.

And the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is also worth a visit. http://www.lacma.org/

Would you rather stay downtown, and "commute" out to the beach? Or stay at the beach (like in Venice or Santa Monica) and commute to the central downtown sights?

Early Sept can be the hottest time of the year in L.A. so I'd stay west...Santa Monica if budget is not much of a concern, Marina del Rey if it is. You'll have a bit of a drive to the Hollywood attractions, but just do all your driving between 10am and 4pm or after 8pm. In other words, if you plan to spend the afternoon in Hollywood, have dinner there as well, then check out Griffith Observatory before heading back to the beach at night.

Any place with air conditioning. That will be a must. A place with a pool would also be good at that time of year.

There are some really nice places as well as average places that work in both Marina del Rey and Santa Monica, so I agree with the others, those spots would be nice, both for walking and doing things -- be it walking, hiking, going to the beach, sailing, boating, or even surfing.

Will you have a car and what is your budget per night? I agree with staying near the beach if possible, September is nice but hot and we do get the occasional Santa Ana winds although the last few years they have seemed to come later.

Thanks for the info.
We will have a car so it looks like it's the beach area's for us.
Hoping to spend around $100-150 a night on accomodation.

At that price point in September, you've got the Marina International Hotel, The Comfort Inn Santa Monica, or The Seashore Motel.

That budget is a bit tight, but you can try the Marriott Courtyard in Marina del Rey. It has free parking and a wonderful pool area in back. We stayed there a few times when visiting DS in college.

We like the Jamaica Bay Inn, Marina del Rey, but it's more expensive. Also, try the Inn at Venice Beach which offers a complimentary continental breakfast and $8/day parking. Both of these places are Pacifica Hotels properties.

Budget a bit on the low side and do not forget the room tax of 15% per night or so. Not familiar that much with Santa Monica, but you might take a look at Sea View Inn in Manhattan Beach, think their rooms start at about $135 and they are a block from the beach with free parking.