Venice California, known mostly as Venice Beach, is a district of Los Angeles, and its' colorful Boardwalk is a great scene: free, fun, and funky-- making the "short list" of things to do in Los Angeles. Venice was the creation and dream of one man, Abbott Kinney. Kinney was an investor who built a sort of recreation of Venice, Italy including a massive systems of canals and a huge entertainment complex that opened in 1905 and became very popular. The overly ambitious canals were motley filled and made into streets in 1929. A few of the canals survive and are lined with funky, expensive, and architecturally diverse urban homes. A stroll along a couple of the remaining streets is a lesson in architectural eclecticism. Kinney's huge Pacific Ocean Park entertainment complex survived until the mid-1960's, eventually succumbing to competition from Disneyland and others. The spirit of his seaside entertainment complex, however, still pulses in Venice's captivating Boardwalk. More than one hundred years after Kinney's debut, Venice remains unique and well worth the visit.

Attractions

Canals - Venice's canals (complete with ducks) are home to some of LA's most eclectic residential architecture. See tiny bohemian cottages next to million-dollar ultra-modern houses. If the drapes are open, peek in the windows - that's how close you are to the homes. The canal streets are between Washington Blvd. and Venice Blvd.

Activities

 • Venice Beach. One of the LA area's more popular beaches, including the infamous Muscle Beach which the city has set up as an outdoor weightlifting gym for the local hulks.
 • "People Watching" at Venice Beach-- put this on the "things to do before you die" list. Think of the scene as a Bohemian-Mardis Gras-Beach Blanket Bingo-Circus. If that doesn't make any sense, well neither does Venice and that's the charm. Every summer day and every weekend, join the parade of humanity strolling amongst amazing and bizarre street performers, obscenely bulging body builders (at Muscle Beach), eclectic shops and street vendors, panhandlers, and beautiful, scantily clad, people desperately seeking attention. Go ahead and stare at it all. That's the point.

Lodging

 • Best Western Marina Pacific Hotel & Suites, 1697 Pacific Avenue, (310) 452-1111, Toll-free: (800) 421-8151, Fax: (310) 452-5479
 • Venice Beach Hotel & Hostel, 1515 Pacific Ave. (corner of Windward Ave.), (310) 452-3052, fax: (310) 821-3469,, private and shared rooms, housekeeping apartments, all with free internet.