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Taking in the Many Sites on this World Famous Stretch of Beach

“All these people that you mention? Yes, I know them, they’re quite
lame? I had to rearrange their faces? And give them all another name.” - Desolation Row, Bob Dylan.

Since I formerly made my living selling jewelry and hair wraps on the Venice Boardwalk, I always include a walking tour of the Venice boardwalk in any friends’ visits to L.A. Over the years, I have seen the names, faces, trends and even a few rules change, but the overall ambiance of the Venice Boardwalk is the same.

Included in my memory bank of the boardwalk is being arrested at the young age of 21 for hair wrapping without a cosmetology license. Cops seized me and all of my stuff including; glass pipes, hemp jewelry, plus beads, spare hemp and material to sew pouches for glass pipes. When the cops released me, they kept all my wares, which left me without a means to make an income. Well they had certainly messed with the wrong girl. I may have looked like a ragamuffin, but I had a particular cousin who was a lawyer, dedicated at that time to Break the Cycle, a non-profit that helped women. She placed one call into the courthouse and my stuff was released within hours.

These days, I go to the boardwalk as any tourist would (not in handcuffs),

watching the circus of the population and picking up a few cheap and nifty beach wares. I personally like to start at the far end, which is nearly Marina del Rey at the Venice pier, located on Washington Ave. At this particular end of the boardwalk, things are much calmer and quieter. After sipping on a coffee at the Cows’ End, a local coffee shop, I might walk out on to the pier and check the surf forecast. Walking further north, my friends and I will pass beautiful Architectural Digest worthy homes, beach volleyball courts, and a grass strip for dogs.

Once we pass Venice Blvd. the mellow vibe quickly changes into a sensory carnival of sausage and pizza stands mixed with wafting nag champa incense. A young man tries to get us to listen and buy his cds. Then we truly arrive at…..Muscle Beach!

Muscle Beach is a gym on the beach where bodybuilding contests are held annually on the 4th of July weekend (our dear old Governor even stops by some years). Adjacent to muscle beach are paddle tennis courts and basketball courts with many energetic players. A local playground is near a mayflower pole. If you peek out at the water at this particular spot, you can see Venice’s local surf spot, the Venice Breakwater. Waves may look closed out and crashing. Of course, this is “Dogtown” so be careful if you are a surfing beginner, stay out of the way of some of the more advanced surfers, unless you want to be called a “Kook.”

Back to the boardwalk, things are starting to get more intense. Local venders are on one side, selling arts and crafts on tables that they set up for free. The vendors use a lottery system and get a permit from the city.

On the other side of the boardwalk are paid permanent vendors, who have stores and cafes. Even some of the permanent vendors sell from underneath a tarp and rent a space for the summer. Dollar slices of pizza, empanadas, mini doughnuts, and ice cream call out to you. Musicians, some good, some awful, jam out next to fortune tellers, and artists. A brand new skate park is next to a roller skating area straight out of “Zanadu.” One continues down the path and if it is the weekend, the path is quite crowded. Street performers do comedy and acrobatics. Loud Native American music beckons you into a store.

Medical marijuana doctors sell prescriptions for $100-$150 and have promoters in front of their clinics. Next to the medical marijuana clinic is a Botox on the beach clinic. A man wakes up every morning and builds a sand sculpture of a mermaid in one of the open spaces. This is true existentialism as he will tear it down tonight and rebuild it tomorrow (and he has been doing this for over 15 years). For a small fee, you can photo it, and photo yourself with it.

At this point, you might be hungry or ready to get out of the madness. The Sidewalk Café is a tourist spot, serving up local grub, however I prefer the Figtree Café, a few blocks down. Walking down, there are endless rows of vendors. Of course, hemp jewelry is no longer the fad it was in the early 90s when I sold my jewelry and wallet chains. However, with the 80s back in fashion, my latest purchases have included a pair of different sized feathery earrings.

As I am a hippie at heart, some of the cheap Balinese clothing often peeks my interest. I bought a great wall covering for only $10, which sells at places like Pottery Barn for much more. I even bought a funky pair of harem pants from a darling Israeli woman, who said they were worn in “Sex and the City,” and I purchased them for only $20. Of course, have cash. Luggage and cheap t-shirts as well as $7 sunglasses are virtually everywhere. If you are a drinker, I would bypass the Venice Bistro, and head to On the Waterfront, a German beer garden. Of course, one could always rent a bike or rollerblades and take the bike path that runs along side of the boardwalk and shimmy sham right out of the boardwalk, and cruise down to the Santa Monica Pier.

On weekends near Rose and the boardwalk, they have a drum circle. Or if you have partied a little too hard, they have an AA meeting on the beach on Sundays at 9 a.m. While dolphins cannot be promised, they often show up in the water while the meeting takes place.

Whatever your pleasure, you are sure to find it on the Venice beach boardwalk. It is a cultural phenomenon. If you want less intensity, try the boardwalk early in the morning or on a weekday. And whatever you do, do not attempt to give a hair wrap without a cosmetology license on the boardwalk. Weed may be practically legal, but hair wraps… Never! – Annie Kotok

This entry was posted on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Fun in the City. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.