The pier is free to walk with various activities and restaurants. You can walk down to the beach from the pier, which also connects to the beach boardwalk & bike path.
Typically you can find a discounted ticket price on Groupon.com
This can either be a short hike up to the observatory, or you can drive all the way up.
If this is your first time in California, and you have a little bit of time to spare, visiting Hollywood can be fun. There are celebrity tours, theatres, Jimmy Kimmell Studios and of course the Walk of Fame. I will be honest that it's a little underwhelming, super crowded and just dirty, so skip it if you're not really into 'Hollywood'!
You can either get a day pass to Universal, walk the City Walk, take a studio tour or all three!