Santa Monica to Venice Beach

Santa Monica to Venice Beach

Because it was our last day in California, we really wanted to soak it up.
We felt like we’d already done all the favorites on previous trips like hiking, walking around downtown Los Angeles, and eating at our favorite restaurants. So, we decided to walk to Venice Beach from Santa Monica. We went with our friends from Santa Monica. Our friends live near the beach, and they have a parking pass, so it was easy for us to park near their condo in Santa Monica and set off from there. There is also a lot of parking in the area, but it takes a little research to find the parking lots. After we picked up our friends, we needed to grab a snack. Since we were looking at the pier, we knew we’d probably get stuck with some soggy churros or soupy ice cream. The pier has lots of rides and games, but we decided to focus on the walk to Venice this time around.  Still, it was nice just to see the Ferris wheel, roller coasters, and colorful play sets. Hungry for our snack, and having decided against the food on the pier, we found ourselves walking toward the Hot Dog on a Stick stand. This was because we happened to be right near it, not based on the usual vigorous research used to plan our trips. We were just so hungry that we wouldn’t really mind if we ate mediocre food. We got some funnel sticks, french fries, and lemonade. The fries were okay, and the lemonade was very sugary. We did drop the lemonade, and the woman working there replaced it at no cost, which was really nice of her. And then… I popped a funnel stick into my mouth. Oh, the joy! They tasted so good! Crunchy, sweet, and fried. What could be better? Hot Dog on a Stick scored some big points with those funnel sticks. Mm-mm-mm! After our delicious snack, we headed off to Venice, walking on the bike path. It was easy terrain, but crowded and slippery from the sand. We got great views of the beach and the Santa Monica Pier, which is even more breathtaking from afar. When we reached Venice Beach, the crowds thickened and the footpath got louder and louder. People were sitting on the side of the road with tarot cards, paintings, and guitars. There were several rock bands. It was very hectic and lively. We left the beach path to go off to another area in Venice, the hip area of Abbot Kinney. There were tons of fancy shops and vegan restaurants with lines out the door. There, we found a food truck called Hijo de Su Madre. We ordered the ’Murica burrito and the Phat Hass burrito with some chips and pico de gallo salsa. It was delicious and vegan- which you really couldn’t tell! We stumbled upon it by chance, but the food truck constantly changes location, so before you decide to go there, you should check their calendar. When we finished eating, we headed back through the streets of Venice to the beach. We decided to walk back to Santa Monica along the sand so that we could get our feet a bit wet. Only my brother and I actually kicked off our shoes and

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dipped in the water, though I didn’t go in enough to get my pants wet. Come to think of it, Josh’s pants were soaked by the end, but I managed to stay dry. Huh. Wonder how that happened. Anyway, back to the story of our special day on the beach in Los Angeles… we kept walking along the spot where the waves meet the sand. I took the opportunity to take some great photos. Turns out you cannot take a bad photo on that beach. Finally, our small group arrived back at the pier where the adventure started. I dug the sand out of my shoes, and then we headed to Echigo (see my other post for more information) and Baskin-Robbins to finish out the night. It was a pretty great day to end our trip, and definitely one that I would recommend to others visiting LA.

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Dora