Venice (California)
From World travel guide
Venice California, known mostly as Venice Beach, is a district of Los Angeles, and its' colorful Boardwalk is a great scene: free, fun, and funky-- making the "short list" of things to do in Los Angeles.
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Understand
Venice was the creation and dream of one man, Abbott Kinney. Kinney was an investor who built a sort of recreation of Venice, Italy including a massive systems of canals and a huge entertaintment complex that opened in 1905 and became very popular.
The overly ambitous canals were motly filled and made into streets in 1929. A few of the canals survive and are lined with funky, expensive, and architecturally diverse urban homes. A stroll along a couple of the remaining streets is a lesson in architectural ecclecticism.
Kinney's huge Pacific Ocean Park entertainment complex survived until the mid-1960's, eventually subcumbing to competition from Disneyland and others. The spirit of his seaside entertainment complex, however, still pulses in Venice's capitvating Boardwalk.
More than one hundred years after Kinney's debut, Venice remains unique and well worth the visit.
Get in
Get around
See
Canals-- Venice's canals (complete with ducks) are home to some of LA's most eclectic residential architecture. See tiny bohemian cottages next to million-dollar ultra-modern houses. If the drapes are open, peek in the windows - that's how close you are to the homes. The canal streets are between Washington Blvd. and Venice Blvd.
Do
- Venice Beach. One of the LA area's more popular beaches, including the infamous Muscle Beach which the city has set up as an outdoor weightlifting gym for the local hulks.
- "People Watching" at Venice Beach-- put this on the "things to do before you die" list. Think of the scene as a Bohemian-Mardis Gras-Beach Blanket Bingo-Circus. If that doesn't make any sense, well neither does Venice and that's the charm. Every summer day and every weekend, join the parade of humanity strolling amongst amazing and bizarre street performers, obsceney bulging body builders (at Muscle Beach), eclectic shops and street vendors, panhandlers, and beautiful, scantily clad, people desperately seeking attention. Go ahead and stare at it all. That's the point.
Buy
Eat
- Joe's, 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Ph: (310) 399-5811. Joe's offers gourmet California/French cuisine in an elegant setting. Quiet, not overly crowded, and laid back, the chefs will probably stop by to say hello during your meal, and waiters will be more than happy to allow you to sample the wines before ordering. There are fixed-price dinners for $50 to $70 per person, or entrees can be purchased for $20 to $35. An extensive wine list offers bottles from the $30 to $500 range.
Drink
Sleep
- Best Western Marina Pacific Hotel & Suites, 1697 Pacific Avenue, (310) 452-1111, Toll-free: (800) 421-8151, Fax: (310) 452-5479, [1].
- Venice Beach Hotel & Hostel, 1515 Pacific Ave. (corner of Windward Ave.), email: info@planetvenice.com, (310) 452-3052, fax: (310) 821-3469, [2], private and shared rooms, housekeeping apartments, all with free internet.
Get out
- Santa Monica. A neighboring beach city that is slightly more touristy than Venice and features a fun and famous pier.
WikiPedia:Venice, Los Angeles, California Dmoz:North America/United States/California/Localities/V/Venice/
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