Westbound Boarder

I’ve lived in LA for five months now… And I continually ask myself, why don’t I spend more time at Venice Beach?!  Well, this past week (in the 80 degree winter weather we’ve been having here in SoCal, mind you) I asked myself that question once again.

When you think about a winter weekend getaway to SoCal, you typically think of “Hollywood,” “Beverly Hills,” or “Graumen’s Chinese” - The somewhat cold and windy beach is probably the last thing on your mind.  However, winter is one of the best times to hit the sand!  Not only does the cooler weather make for smaller crowds, but the vibe is much more meloncholy and tranquil than in the hot summer sun.  And, if you’re tough enough to brave the cold ocean, winter is the best time to surf!  Venice is a great beach for beginners (I’ve surfed there a few times, myself, before I graduated to the .0025% bigger waves at Zuma )  

If you don’t want to surf, though, there are still plenty of things to do in Venice Beach: There are lots of great places to eat, both sit down restaurants and food to go (pizza, hot dogs, etc.); there are several vendors that line up along the boardwalk, similar to a small, quaint European town; and there are groups of fun street performers to watch and large drum circles.  And of course, plenty of hippies!  During my day in Venice the other day, there was this crazy (and hilarious) group of street performers doing flips, etc.; it was seriously nearly as good as Cirque du Soleil!  (And 100% free Though they will hassle you for a tip if you don’t give one).  

I would go on and on, but I saw this blog post in LAist that pretty much sums up winter on the LA coast for you. (And see some of our own pics below!)  Thinking about taking a vaca yet?  Venice Beach is about as close as you can get from the real Venice without even leaving the US!

Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Snow blankets SoCal and, the Vegas strip? Great photo album in the LA Times; check it out!