We went to the Venice Beach Boardwalk, mostly because it was there. But also because it’s Famous! It’s Not To Be Missed! It’s the Number One Tourist Attraction! (I know all these things because their very own website told me.)

But, for better entertainment, you could read the reviews on Yelp. If you don’t have time, here are some convenient highlights:
* I still love visiting this mecca of strangeness and chaos.
* Crowded and funky, filled with tourists, transients hanging out/sleeping, people smoking “medical” marijuana, and people enjoying the beach.
* Stand near a hippie drum circle and try to catch a contact high.
* Just don’t equate the people you see there to everyone in this part of the state because we’re not all freaks. Some of us just like to go and watch them from time to time.
* Never again will I be coming back to the Sodom and Gomorrah of LA County.
* If you want a carnival-on-acid experience with all sorts of weirdness, come on down to Venice Beach.

Venice Beach, California
photographed 6.26.2013