Best bites are had at Guava Beach Grill , Santa Clara Grill , Sheldon's and Ramiro's , a taco hut with a walk-up window. Then there's middle age. Then there's death. This is party central for most of Los Angeles. Like a hole in the dike, Venice is the one totally egalitarian beachfront in the City of Angels.
Tales are legendary of the sights one sees here.
For once legend fits reality. The real freak show is at Muscle Beach , between Venice and Santa Monica, where athletic feats are accomplished that defy belief, or logic. Get out on this beach early enough and you'll see TV episodes or commercials being filmed. Orson Bean lives in Venice. Eat at the Sidewalk Cafe , a great vantage point that is also connected to a terrific independent bookshop, the Small World, where my books are on prominent display.