Sidewalk Cafe on the Venice Beach Boardwalk

If you're wandering down the Venice Beach Boardwalk and wondering where to have lunch, you can't miss the Sidewalk Cafe. You'll notice it due to it's vibrant red and white striped awning and also because of the long line of people waiting to get in. But don't be discouraged by the long line! They have quite a system for getting folks seated and the line moves pretty quickly. Plus, you can stand in line and people watch which is never a dull moment on the boardwalk!

The Sidewalk Cafe has a large outdoor area covered by an awning... so you're outside but you won't get burned by the sun. Nice. Another 'plus' is that if you have your dog with you, you can tell them you need a table against the railing and then tie your dog to the railing right next to your table (outside of the fenced in seating area). They'll even bring your dog a bowl of water if you ask the waiter. We brought my dog, Blake, last weekend and it worked great (see photo)!

For adults who don't want to wait in line for a table, you can go right into the bar which is inside, behind the outdoor patio. You can order drinks and food there but you're not outside. Weekday Happy Hour is from 4:00 - 7:00 pm.

Our orders included the tuna melt, fish & chips, cheese pizza, and chicken strips. All were very yummy. You can also order breakfast all day. There is champagne brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Check out their full menu at: http://www.thesidewalkcafe.com/

This is a very casual atmosphere with hosts and waiters who are friendly but not overly chatty because they have a lot of tables to tend to.

During busy meal times you may also be able to catch a comedian doing a 'show' on the boardwalk out front or a band playing some good dance music. Of course, the entertainers pass a hat for tips at the end so if you enjoyed the show, throw in a couple of bucks.

You can find the Sidewalk Cafe at 1401 Oceanfront Walk (between Horizon and Market).

Enjoy!

Venice Beach Farmer's Market - Every Friday Morning

I am lucky enough to live within a block of the Friday morning Farmer's Market in the Venice area. This is a weekly market and has approximately 40+ booths consisting of locally grown fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, plants for your garden, house plants, pickled food (think macrobiotic), flowers, chocolate, hummus, cheese, pastries, and more.

You can also stop by to talk to the Venice Beach Neighborhood Association... ask them questions, give them feedback, sign-up for their distribution list, find out about meetings, etc.

There is usually a coffee cart in the heart of it all with chairs to sit down and talk with friends.

Definitely try the chocolate croissants (he's about 3 booths away from the main entrance and close to the coffee cart) and pick up some hummus to nosh on with friends and family throughout the week. You can't go wrong with any of the produce either!

You can bring your dogs but they must be tied up outside of the market while you shop for health standard reasons. Lots of people do it!

The market is open every Friday from 7:00 am - 11:00 am and is held in a public parking lot across the street from the Venice Library (Abbott Kinney branch) at the corner of Ocean Ave. and Venice Blvd.

Bring a backpack or basket to help cut down on all of the plastic bags the vendors want to give yo. Hope to see you there!

Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally

I walked over to the Abbott Kinney area of Venice the other day and stumbled upon the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally. Vintage bikes (and some newer ones) lined the street as folks walked up and down admiring each others wheels.

Hosted by a store called 'The Stronghold' at 1625 Abbott Kinney Blvd. This store is unique... it specializes in used, consignment, and vintage jeans and clothes.

This year's event was on Sunday, April 19th from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. It sounds like an annual event that is organized as summer approaches so keep an eye on craigslist and LA events calendars if you want to attend in future Aprils!

Everyone is welcome and in addition to the bikes you can find food, music, a raffle, etc.

seed restaurant - cafe (vegan and macrobiotic and yummy)

Go have lunch (or any meal!) at seed, a cafe in the heart of the Venice action. As it says on the outside sign, it is a cafe focused on being, "organic, vegan, and macrobiotique." However, any one (even you meat eaters) can find something yummy at this adorable and healthy cafe. Don't let the macrobiotic label scare you... this is just good food.

SEED also organizes some great community events:

• Every Sunday at 10am you can join them to clean-up the neighborhood block. Anyone who participates receives 10% off of their order.
• On the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month you can join folks from the community at seed to share stories and ideas regarding vegan and macrobiotic cooking. $5 donation suggested. 7:00 - 8:00 pm. More info on their website.

Try the black bean southwest burger and add in some sweet potato fries and an iced green tea. The fries are definitely large enough to share! And they have heavenly desserts... try the cupcake with gobs of green tea frosting. Yum!

You can find it at 1604 Pacific (between Windward and Venice Way) and online at http://www.seedkitchen.com

Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm daily. Inside and outside seating. I brought my dog and ate outside and it worked out great!

Tony P's Restaurant in Nearby Marina Del Ray

My boyfriend and I went on a bike ride over to nearby Marina Del Ray and decided to get lunch at one of the many restaurants lining the Marina. Since it was a wonderful sunny spring day we wanted to enjoy lunch outside, taking in the views of the Marina so Tony P's was our choice!

Tony P's Dockside Grill is located at 4445 Admiralty Way in Marina Del Ray, just bordering Venice. If you're in Venice, it is a quick drive or bike ride. Their website is: http://www.tonyps.com/

They have a large deck for outdoor seating with a sun shade and glass to protect from the wind. The menu is HUGE... everything from seafood to pasta to pulled pork to steak to salads, etc. Our meals were delicious and the waitstaff was very friendly and prompt. They serve breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Try the pesto clams and hot fudge sunday... yum!

Venice Canals (Venice Beach, California)

I just returned from a blissful walk with my dog, Blake, through the gorgeous Venice Canals (in Venice Beach, California!). I am fortunate enough to live right across the street from the canals and walk there often. I would LOVE to live on the canals... but, for now, I visit often. It is "eye candy" and very quiet.

It may take many tourists or newcomers to Venice Beach, CA a long while to discover this somewhat hidden gem but, trust me, it's worth it! This is one of those unique opportunities in LA/Venice Beach that you can do for free and you will love every minute.

The canals can easily be reached by foot from the Venice Boardwalk and Washington Pier. They start about 3 blocks east of the beach. The major streets that surround the canals are: Pacific Ave. (west boundary), Venice Blvd. (north boundary), 28th Ave. (east boundary), and Ocean Ave. (east boundary). If you need to drive there, you can park in any of the neighboring side streets. There is no parking (except for residents) near the homes on the canals.

There are sidewalks that line each of the canals for easy walking and you'll be able to take-in all of the adorable homes and cottages as you stroll in the California sun. No two homes are the same! Visitors are also allowed to drop in a kayak or canoe to boat through the canals but don't "borrow" one of the ones that are tied up because those are private property. If you bring a dog on your walk, be responsible and pick up their poop! There are plenty of garbage cans near the foot bridges to throw your garbage away. There is also a playground for little ones at the corner of Linnie Canal and Dell Ave. And photographers should definitely bring their camera!

When visiting the Venice Canals (in LA), do these things:

• Walk as far as you can to view all of the adorable homes
• Take pictures of the canals, flowers, ducks, and foot bridges
• Drop in a kayak or canoe... just make sure it's high tide (the canals ebb and flow with the tides)
• Take your kids to the playground

Enjoy!

Venice Beach (CA) Boardwalk

Since I have (very) recently relocated to the Venice Beach area of Los Angeles, I'm blogging about all of my adventures here... the cool, "new" places I find and experience. Hopefully my Venice Beach blog will help other newcomers and tourists to explore the awesome Venice Beach area.

And, if I'm going to have a blog about Venice Beach, California then I had better start by writing about the Venice Beach Boardwalk. If you haven't been here then you may have images in your mind of an old wooden boardwalk with fish & chips shops, sleepy fishermen, and the occasional local vendor selling jewelery or small art pieces.

Actually, the Venice Boardwalk isn't an old, sleepy, wooden pier boardwalk at all. The boardwalk does line an area of the Pacific Ocean but it is a bustling area consisting of a large paved walkway with shops & restaurants as well as street vendors. A grassy area divides this from a bike path and then there's the gorgeous sandy beach.

The 'heart' of Venice and the boardwalk is along the beach (just after you cross Speedway, which parallels the beach) between Rose Ave. and North Venice Boulevard. You'll find expensive parking in this area or you can park further back (east) in the neighborhoods and walk up to the boardwalk. On sunny days (which are most days in LA), there is non-stop action and never a dull moment.

You'll find anything/everything you want to eat or drink and the street vendors are musicians, magicians, jugglers, artists, importers, jewelery makers, craftspeople, tarot readers, temporary tattoos, clothing, and more. Shops include t-shirts, real tattoos, beach stuff, clothing, sunglasses, pipes, housewares, etc.

Many people think of body builders when they hear the words 'Venice Beach, California'... and, yes, there is an outdoor body building gym right on the beach, next to the boardwalk. More about this in a future blog.

The Venice Beach Boardwalk isn't just for boarders, bohemians, and body builders anymore... yes, they are still here but you'll find people from all walks of life enjoying everything the boardwalk has to offer.

In future blogs, I'll talk about specific gems on the boardwalk but this provides a good, broad overview. On the boardwalk do these things:

• Take a walk and browse the street vendors: buy some local art, get a temporary tattoo
  
• Take in one of the street vendor shows
• Bring your swimsuit and towel to sunbathe and go swimming
• Bring your skateboard for the skateboard park
• Rent a bike (or bring your own) and bike down to the Washington Pier (south) or up to Santa Monica (north)
• Have lunch and remember to get some ice cream or an iced coffee

If you're going to LA and if you're going to the beach, you have to experience the Venice Boardwalk. Here is a link to a good map I found: http://www.venicebeach.com/n_images/vbmap.html

Have fun!