Last week my friend Jan and I spent a few days cat sitting for her daughter's new feline friend, Lucy. I'm allergic to cats, but with Benedryl in hand, I said yes. Luckily this cat has short hair and my reaction was minimal. I went two days without having to take any medication.
Playa Vista is adjacent to Marina del Rey, in Los Angeles. It's a new area of apartments and condominiums, with lots of green space between buildings, and just a mile from the the ocean. I decided to take Jan to Venice Beach on Saturday. It's a must see for visitors to Los Angeles. If you've never been, you must go once. For me, it's a great place to take out of towners and get a nice workout at the same time.
We rented bicycles and were on our way. The area from Washington Blvd north, to the Santa Monica Pier, is colorful, to say the least. There is a bike path that winds northward, past beachgoers, musclemen, roller bladers, tattoo artists, street vendors and musicians. We stopped along the way at the skate park and watched with amazement the skill and daring of the young skateboarders. They are quite amazing. Many rollerbladers are also on the bike path, and there is an area for the bladers to show off their skills. We were there early, but in the afternoon this area resembles an ice skating rink with performers practicing their jumps, twirls and dance routines. It's very entertaining.
We reached the pier, turned south, and walked our bikes back to Washington Blvd. We passed the Shul on the Beach, Tattoos on the beach, sidewalk chalk painters, vendors selling everything from luggage and sun glasses to tee shirts and jeans. We passed Muscle Beach, a long time attraction, which now has stadium seating surrounding the workout area for spectators. There wasn't much activity when we were there, but you can often see men with huge muscles working out in front of the crowd. Handball and paddleball courts are also on the boardwalk, and full of players. Many private trainers use the area to train their clients. There was a yoga group practicing on the sand, and several trainers with their clients on the grassy area doing sit ups and lunges. One of the most interesting activites we saw was a large group of young people in something that looked like rollerblades, but the bottom of the shoe had two flexible strips that bounced when they walked. They're called Bounce Shoes, and what a workout you get from them. The teacher was leading them through a series of exercises and I could see they were really working hard.
Of course Venice Beach offers lots of eating opportunities, too. It's the standard beach fare of corn dogs, snow cones, popcorn and pizza. We decided to wait until our ride was over and get some really good food.
We were just a few blocks from one of my favorite Venice restaurants, 3 Square Cafe. It is owned by Hans Rockenwagner, one of the most respected chefs and restauranteurs in Los Angeles. It was Saturday and they were serving brunch. Jan had an apple pancake with creme fraiche. It was like a cake/pancake with apples in it, topped with powdered sugar and creme fraiche. I had an egg white omelette with fresh veggies and cheese. Other items included crab cakes, corn meal pancakes, tuna burgers on pretzel bread, corned beef sandwich with spicy cole slaw and bread pudding french toast with smoked bacon and eggs. Everything was excellent. Afterwards we took a short walk along Abbott Kinney and enjoyed the interesting shops.
What a wonderful day. Warm weather, good company, exercise, great food and some interesting sights. Who could ask for anything more?
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