Venice

Venice Beach Boardwalk: Venice is very different from Santa Monica. While the first is more «family» and tidy, this part is messier and full of hippies and street performers, and permanently perfumed by a marijuana smell. I also think that is a good touristic area, with many souvenir shops made in China, but it is fun to walk around because there are always some different things to see. There you can find many palm trees, skating dancers, grafitted walls, tie-dye stores, Mexican skulls, beach hats, band shirts, healthy snacks, taco stores, yoga studios, handheld stalls and more…

Venice Skate Park: It is definitely one of the icons of this beach and was one of my favorite parts. I’m not a fan of skating, but I like spending some time watching the guys making maneuvers there. The atmosphere super cool, with many people gathered to see the skaters. This is, by the way, something very Californian to do. After all, it was there that skateboarding was invented: bored at times of sea without waves, the local surfers decided to take boards to the asphalt and created a new sport.

Venice canals: The best part of Venice in my opinion is the area called Venice Canal Historic District that is composed of a set of canals built to imitate Venice. It is wonderful to walk around in a super quiet environment, admiring the cute houses around the canals. You can even see some of the locals on the porch, doing barbecues or reading a book. Apparently, everyone has their own little boat to take a spin on the waters of the canal.