Great music stores in LA/Santa Monica?

Check out Rhino Records on Westwood Blvd. -- they are getting ready to open a second store down the block and the original will be devoted to used stuff (including LP's). Rhino is intregal to the local music scene. A great sense for World Music and the unusual. Also, Record Rover on Venice Blvd is great for mostly used CD's and LP's -- next to a tatoo parlor as an added benefit -- not so great for classical, but again a good place for interesting music. There's the usual... Tower Records in Westwood Village and on Sunset (big selection of most everything).

Ditto Rhino, also Hear Music on the 3rd Street Promenade (a no cars street for walking and shopping)in Santa Monica.
Both stores have listening stations: Rhino for used CD's and LP's (your picks), Hear Music for new stuff (their picks classical to techno). Tower Records on Sunset (Sunset BTW has a lot of live music clubs) is actually two stores one them is devoted exclusively to classical.
Also there's interesting non-commercial FM radio in LA (good for all the time we spend in cars waiting for traffic to move). Try KXLU 88.9 (College alternative in the AM, classical in PM, latin all weekend),KCRW 89.9 (range of hip music), KPFK 89.9 (world music, reggae, politics), KUSC 91.5 (classical). Oh yeah, there's also an all Jazz station at I think 88.3.--Marc

Thanks a bunch guys! Those sound like great recommendations. With the important stuff out of the way, I guess I should now go take care of minor details like finding a place to stay and such :)

If you're into classical, definitely visit Record
Surplus on West Pico (near Santa Monica). It's
always my first stop when I hit the L.A. stores.
Outstanding selection and prices on used cds.
The jazz selection is respectable as well.
Ditto on Rhino by the way---that's my 2nd stop.

Slag, thanks for the update on Record Surplus. I haven't been there in years. Then, the selection was beyond the unusual -- and I don't mean this in a good way. Now I'm sorry that I missed their big sale from a couple of weeks back.