The Venice Boardwalk is a thin slice of LA that stretches its pavement along California's long golden beaches. Eclectic, irreverent, funky, and visionary, the boardwalk reflects the quirky city of Venice as a whole. Magicians, mimes, jugglers, artists, comics, prophets and phrenologists line the concrete promenade to dance about the visitor in a dizzying yet spellbinding circus distinctive only to this city by the sand.
Tourists and residents alike fill the concrete promenade on any given day to watch the spectacle while stopping at the numerous headshops, restaurants, and apartments that comprise the area. Some sit for street artists, others patronize the many merchant peddlers, while still others simply people watch amongst the daily bustle and hubbub.
Muscle Beach Venice is also located along this three-mile strip, and it is not uncommon to see rippled men and women in string bikinis walking deadpan past a commercial shoot. Pedestrians feel right at home on the boardwalk for foot traffic is high and dining is available from a variety of vendors to suit a variety of budgets. The Venice Boardwalk is best visited during daylight hours, however, because the immediate surrounding alleyways are dark even in the California sunlight, and not always friendly.
Visitors are advised to park in the vicinity of South Venice Boulevard and Pacific Avenue and to head toward the beach, though finding a spot might be tricky. Bring quarters as well, for the meter maids are busy bees and have all the compassion of a Caribbean despot.
