Venice Beach, Los Angeles
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Venice Beach - by Mike Von on Unsplash
Description
Venice is a seaside neighbourhood of LA known for its beach, ocean-front walk and canals. In the 1950's-60's it was LA's center for the Beat generation and contemporary artists maintained studios there in the 70's. Venice Beach is famous for its murals, its sports infrastructure and skate park, its open-air gym section nicknamed 'Muscle Beach' and its 4km pedestrian promenade. Abbot Kinney Boulevard (named after the founder of the seaside town in 1905 after it was annexed by LA in 1926) is known for its high-end restaurants, galleries and shopping.
Access & Transport
Venice is located between Santa Monica and the LAX airport. The main road leading there from the city is 'Venice Blvd' (187). Buses #1, 33 and CC1 head there.
Instructions & Recommendations
The Venice Canals are located about 150m from the beach, in a small square bounded by Pacific Ave (SW edge) and S. Venice Blvd (NW edge).
Environmental & Social
Doesn't score very well on waste and cleanliness though water is fine. Tourism is a needed source of economic activity but doesn't bring out the best of the neighbourhood.
Conclusion
We think Venice Beach is interesting because it is a neighbourhood with a distinctive identity, and we would recommend travellers to read about it first before heading there because the decision of whether to spend a couple of hours should ultimately depend both on personal interests and on context; not everybody will necessarily enjoy the place or see the point of stopping there.
Key positive
Good beach and promenade
Very lively and dynamic with the gym, skate park and basketball courts
Key negative
A little gritty and the buildings are nothing to write home about
Suitability
No restrictions but not the most family-friendly part of LA coastline
About this Rating
TYPE
Onsite
RESEARCHED IN
August 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 30m
est. visit time:2h 30m
Sunrise / early morningOk
MorningOk
Lunch timeOk
AfternoonOk
Sunset / eveningOk
Night – bef. midnightNo
Night – aft. midnightNo