Venice was laid out in the marshlands of Ballona Creek in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as a romantic twenty-mile network of canals, lined by sham palazzos and waterfront homes. The original plan to create a West Coast art-and-culture zone failed, followed by a more successful turn as an amusement park; however the coming of the automobile finished it off altogether.
Many of the canals were filled in, and the area fell into disrepair, being taken over by oil wells. Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil starred the then-derelict Venice as a seedy Mexican border town. Kinney was, however, ahead of his time. A fair bit of the original plan survives, and the pseudo-European atmosphere has made Venice one of the coast’s trendier spots. Chic cafes and restaurants abound near the beach, and a strong alternative arts scene centers on the Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in the old City Hall at 681 Venice Blvd.
The town’s main artery, Windward Avenue, runs from the beach into what was the Grand Circle of the canal system. Its original Romanesque arcade, around the intersection with Pacific Avenue, is alive with health-food shops, secondhand record stores and roller-skate rental stands, although less and less of the arcade remains with each passing year. Nearby, having just undergone several years’ worth of renovation, the few remaining canals display their original quaint bridges and pedestrian-friendly footpaths. A single street from outside the canals, Dell Avenue, enters the area from its intersection at Washington Boulevard.
Southerly Venice Beach itself is the reason most people come here. Nowhere else does LA parade itself quite so openly as along the wide pathway of Venice Boardwalk, ever packed with jugglers, fire-eaters, roller-skating guitar players or just people-watchers.
South of Windward is Muscle Beach, a legendary outdoor weightlifting centre where serious-looking hunks of muscle pump serious iron, and high-flying gymnasts swing on the adjacent rings and bars. Spend ten minutes watching and you’ll find Narcissus is alive and well, and working on his biceps. Outlets along Washington Street near the pier – such as Spokes’n’Stuff (tel 310/395-4748) – rent out bikes.
At night Venice Beach is taken over by street gangs and drug dealers. Walking on the beach after dark is illegal, and you should be very cautious in the vicinity.
For thrills and spills, head north along I-5 to the Santa Clarita Valley for Six Flags Magic Mountain with its daredevil rides. Or splash down at adjoining Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.
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