CULTURE WATCH : Is Santa Monica Pier Boardwalk?

The object of Monopoly, as everyone knows, is to become the richest player while driving opponents into bankruptcy. And what better place to play than Los Angeles, where real estate is one of the biggest games in town?

And if you check the Thomas Bros. street guide for Los Angeles County, you discover L.A. could almost be considered one big game board.

Of the 22 street names on the Monopoly board, 14 are duplicated in greater Los Angeles--and two more come close. The matches are Baltic, Vermont, Virginia, Tennessee, New York, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Atlantic and Pacific avenues, plus St. Charles Place, St. James Place and Park Place. The two conditional entries are Marvin Avenue, Road and Street, but not Gardens, and Connecticut Street, not Avenue.

Monopoly celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. It was invented in 1933 by Charles Darrow of Pennsylvania. He chose street names found in Atlantic City, N.J., where he vacationed.

Parker Brothers games purchased the concept in 1935.