Day 6
7/15/2019
My time at USA Hostel came to a close and I transferred to HI: Santa Monica. I loved Santa Monica because was so beautiful and clean! The hostel was just as amazing and was in the perfect location. The first day I arrived at Santa Monica, I met up with Bev and Christine again who gave us a private tour of Venice Beach!
Christine used to lead Venice Beach tours, so she graciously brought us around Venice Beach! I learned so much from her and saw so many different areas that I otherwise would not have. Such as, Venice Beach was founded by Abbot Kinney and used to be called “Venice of America,” until it was changed to Venice Beach.
The Art of Venice Beach
Venice Beach is a mecca for artists and everything in the area has become one giant canvas. The area is home to eccentric sculptures, buildings, murals, and street art.
The Sculptures
The first quirky and terrifying piece of art was at our meeting point, CVS on the corner of Main Street and Rose Ave. The piece is called “Clownerina” and is located on the facade of a CVS building! It has the head of a clown and body of a ballerina. It has been there since 1989 and will continue to remain there. The tenants of the building have changed over the years, but Christine explained that “Clownerina” is a protected landmark and will remain there no matter who occupies the building.
Down the street from “Clownerina” is the Chiat/Day Building, or otherwise referred to as the “Binoculars Building.” This building was designed by none other than Frank Gehry, who also designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall that we visited yesterday.
Murals
Throughout the walk of Venice Beach, there are buildings, billboards, and houses tagged with street art. However, there is one billboard that has escaped being tagged, called “You Are Not Forgotten.” It is a public art piece that honors and raises awareness of the 2,273 soldiers who are still MIA after the Vietnam War. Christine explained that since it is a respectful piece, street artists usually do not paint over it.
Somewhere that is constantly painted over with new designs is the Venice Beach Public Art Walls. Located near the famous Venice Beach Skate Park, there are pillars and concrete walls that anyone can paint. We were able to catch some artists in the process of adding their personal touch to the walls. Christine said that when she was down here last week, the art was completely different. That is how often it is painted! Just imagine how many layers of paint there are!
As we made our way down Venice Beach, we stopped at my different murals painted on the sides of buildings. Many of them by R. Cronk, a well-known muralist in Venice Beach. The murals are beautiful and, unfortunately, painted over by other’s work. However, R. Cronk will come back every so often and touch up his works!
Skate Park
Right off the boardwalk is the infamous Venice Beach Skate Park. The skaters drew in quite the crowd and it was great to see skaters of all ages doing some impressive tricks!
Venice Canals
No trip to Venice Beach would be complete without a stroll along Venice’s infamous canals! This was the area that I was looking forward too! I learned that the canals are saltwater and fed by the Pacific Ocean. Levies prevent the water from getting too high and are opened to let the waters rise. The water seemed a bit low as we walked around, but the levies must have been opened because we were able to see the current come in and the water began to rise. As we strolled through the various canals and over the lovely bridges, Christine played a game with us, How Much Does that House Cost? We had to guess how much newly listed houses were on the market. They all seemed to be around 6 million dollars! Cricky!
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
We finished our tour by walking down Abbott Kinney Boulevard, named after the city founder. The boulevard is lined with boho-chic stores and restaurants. Ended the great day with a delicious ice cream cone from Salt & Straw.
You might have noticed between my photos of Hollywood and Venice Beach, that the skies are very different. Barely a cloud in the sky in Hollywood, and completely overcast in Santa Monica/Venice Beach. Weather varies greatly over LA and gives you an idea of how expansive the LA area is!
