Venice Beach is an electric place in people’s imaginations around the world. You truly will find glass-eating and snake-taming performers along the boardwalk. As you enter into total strangers’ personal space to get a better picture, do not be surprised when you peer over to find a two-headed reptile, and that is on a typical day. Every inch of the boardwalk is muddled with entertaining people and creatures and even fun-to-observe shops. However, this is my least enticing pull factor to Venice Beach.
After you walk a small ways down the boardwalk and have had your fill of spectacles, do not forget to venture out to the beach. Like most California beaches, it is strikingly long and wide. The first time I spent a day out on this beach, I had brought my mom. Within five minutes, not even long enough to spread our towels, a homeless man approached us to see if we had any unlawful substances with us. Needless to say, you will inevitably meet interesting characters on this beach.
If you are beached out or would rather stay sand-free, drive to my favorite part of the city: Abbot Kinney. This stretch of street is the heart of real Venice, a chic and vibrant community of artists, culinary experts, and free spirits. Take in each shop for its uniqueness. As I have said before, I do not like to shop, but I do want to wander; this is a perfect place. The people and food trucks are enough to draw any visitor’s inquisitive eye or pallet. There are plenty of beautiful restaurants to choose from, but save room for dessert!
My favorite spot in this hidden treasure trove is Jin Patisserie. I had never eaten a macaroon until a year ago when I wandered into this patisserie for something to drink. Luckily, my best friend visiting from NYC persuaded me to take a moment and enjoy a pot of tea and rest (apparently New Yorker of us). Once we were seated in the quaint courtyard, the perfect amount of California sunshine was warming our skin, and we were handed a macaroon menu. We got eight because the menu was so tempting, with curious flavors such as rose, tea, lavender, and butterscotch. We started on opposite sides and ate half of each macaroon; all resulted in a squeal of applause or bafflement. The latter came from an aforementioned rose-flavored treat. This may sound odd, but the small pink-tented desert tasted like a rose SMELLS. It was the strangest and most pleasant thing I have ever experienced while eating a desert, and I have had more than my fair share. I have a notorious sweet tooth.
End the day by exploring the city’s namesake, the canals that give travelers reminiscent dreams of the true Venice, Italy (my favorite place in the world, thus far). If you saw the movie Valentine’s Day and were taken by the sweet homes and romantic canals, this is their home, and they welcome your attention.
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