The Doors to Venice Beach: Art, Demonstrations, Sightseeing, Skateboarding, Surfing, and Performances!
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." - Albert Einstein,
Experiencing Venice Beach, California is an invigorating experience for stepping out of a daily mundane routine. This bohemia by the bay offers all types of unique experiences from drum circles, street performers, and public demonstrations for social causes. Visitors can experience street vendors creating different forms of live art such as using simple techniques: using a piece of thick glass to capture the sunrays for carving portraits into mahogany wood planks.
The posh beachside neighborhood located in Los Angeles, California was founded in 1905 by Abbot Kinney, a tobacco business owner. Named after Venice, Italy, Venice Beach has a similar aesthetic to the European city with hidden canals flowing through the city and an abundance of street artists and performers. The resort styled town was originally independently owned and later merged with the city of Los Angeles in 1926, when the expenses grew too high to maintain the luxurious neighborhood..
Visitors can explore the walking friendly neighborhood by foot, scooter, bicycle, skateboard, or roller skates by taking the beach path or boardwalk. Popular sights to visit in Venice Beach are Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Venice Beach Recreations Center, the Venice Beach Skate Park, and the Venice Canals. The Santa Monica pier and promenade are a further walking distance in the neighboring town of Santa Monica, California.
Venice Beach is not only a city for leisure and fun, recreational activities have made a huge impact on the neighborhood. Locals can pick up sport at the Venice Beach Recreation Center by playing basketball on the designated basketball court. After cardio, body builders can lift heavy weights at the central gym and grab a protein shake at Muscle Beach. Onlookers can lean over the metal fencing to gawk at the huge muscles of body builders as they lift extreme weights on the central platform.
In the central pavilion, visitors can partake in roller skating from roller skating down the boardwalk or taking dance lessons in a large group. Adjacent to the roller skating classes is the Venice Beach Skate Park , where crowds gather around to watch skateboarders and skaters challenge themselves on the sleek metal walls of the rink.
Skateboarding culture was founded in Santa Monica and Venice Beach in the mid-1970s. The skate teams such as the Z-Boys are documented in films such as “Dogtown and Z-Boys” and “The Lords of Dogtown” filmed in 2005. Shortly after the release of the film, a 16,000 square foot skate park, the Venice Beach Skate Park, was opened to the public in 2009.
Venice Beach is also known for the picturesque scenery which has been featured in many Hollywood films such as “Speed,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “L.A. Story,” “Breathless,” and “Xanadu.” Visitors who have seen these iconic movie scenes featuring murals or pieces of the boardwalk can quickly recognize the filmed locations when walking throughout Venice Beach.
Strangers can meet easily on Venice Beach, since crowds are gathered closely and establishments are located beside each other, visitors can easily meet a new friend or potential date at a café, bar, or walking the boardwalk.
The Doors, fronted by lead singer Jim Morrison, formed in Venice Beach, California in 1965. Jim Morrison would walk up and down the boardwalk and the Venice canals. A giant sized mural is dedicated to the Classic Rock artist on the side of Ellison Suites Hotel in Venice Beach.
Venice Beach has something to enjoy for everyone from clothing and souvenir stores, fancy restaurants and bars, tattoo parlors, medical dispensaries, art vendors, and performance artists. Also, during the weekend, crowds gather at the drum circle to enjoy a gathering of live music percussion. Visitors can experience live music, the skate park, roller skating dancing, and more!
Check out SoundBite Magazine’s curated playlist inspired by this treasured destination .
Suggestions for planning a visit to Venice Beach, California are checking the weather and traffic in advance. If you visit this destination on the weekend, the best time to arrive is early in the morning (preferably before 11:00 am PST) to find ease of parking and to avoid traffic.
Coverage by @veropoteart
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