Venice Beach and Santa Monica
After spending a lovely morning having brunch and coffee on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, we set off down to Venice for a wonder along the iconic beach.
Venice Beach
First of all, it’s quite the stretch of beach and there’s plenty to see. You’ll pretty much pass all walks of life here. Think anything from eccentric rollerbladers, skaters, people dancing to music – you name it.
Next up, we wandered along the street to get a view of that Venice sign.
Also, for any British fans of fitness guru The Body Coach (or Joe Wicks), you may recognize him below!
Much like Melrose Avenue, you’ll spot plenty of cool street art as you meander the streets. I guess Californians do need something to break up all those gorgeous sights of palm trees and beaches!
We walked along the beach towards Santa Monica, taking in the wonderful views of swimmers and sunbathers, beach huts, and crazy tides. One great thing about Venice Beach is that because it’s huge, no matter how many people are there, it never feels too busy.
Although it was too cold for us to join those out at sea on the beach, I did appreciate being able to walk along the sand in shorts in late October. Try telling a Brit/Canadian it’s not always summer in California!
I loved this rainbow lifeguard beach hut. I also felt it truly represents the diversity of everything the City of Angels stands for.
Santa Monica
Before long, we inched closer to Santa Monica and walked the boardwalk towards Muscle Beach and the famous Pier. As you can see, the weather was a whole lot better than our brief visit on our way back from Malibu. At last, it was nice to be able to actually see the pier!
We sat and watched the craziness happening around us, with music booming and cyclists flashing past along the boardwalk. The pier itself is such an iconic sight. Walking along it, you’ll see fairground rides galore, candy cotton, and plenty of families enjoying a much deserved day off.
Having worked up quite the appetite after our walk, we decided to get tacos. After all, we simply had to capitalize on the Mexican food on our last night in SoCal, right!? We found a cute little spot called Azule Taqueria overlooking a Santa Monica promenade. As our last LA meal, I stocked up on all the good stuff and did a bit of people watching. I really do think tacos are the kind of food I could eat pretty much every day.
Muscle Beach
After eating, we walked back to the beach. We took one last look at Santa Monica before Liz’s flight to Vancouver and mine to San Francisco the next day. We sat near Muscle Beach and watched the sunset, a perfect final evening in Los Angeles.
That night, I went for a walk from Marina del Rey back to Venice Beach to explore the night time scenes and famous canals of the area. I bumped into a glow in the dark cycle fest, and also saw plenty more street art along the way.
Los Angeles, it has truly been a blast. For that reason, I’ll be back as soon as I can!
What do you like most about Venice and Santa Monica? Where do you stay in Los Angeles?
