Venice Beach, Calif.

"World's Smallest Front Yard" (see the grass?)

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Venice Beach looking north to Santa Monica

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Venice Beach Fishing Pier (a concrete pier!)

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paddle tennis courts (we hadn't heard of this either)
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Muscle Beach: Schwarzenegger worked out here back in the day
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We used a friend's son's birthday party in Redondo Beach (Los Angeles) today as an excuse to spend the day exploring Venice Beach. All the SoCal beach communities have different vibes and Venice Beach is definitely a standout for it's uniqueness -- and not necessarily in a good way. They have a great bike trail system and the concrete pier is pretty cool. The beach is expansive as it is in all the communities up there. There are interesting shops along the boardwalk but this is where the strange, uncomfortable vibe comes in. Every other shop is a medicinal marijuana joint, there are many more people just "hanging around", and the Muscle Beach (outdoor gym on the beach) and paddle tennis courts are an eyesore. They look like something straight out of a prison yard to me. Aside from those few blocks, the walk was nice and just what we all needed before grabbing dinner in Santa Monica and driving back home.