A Surprise Visit to Venice Beach

One of the places which I definitely wanted to visit during my visit to the Los Angeles area in southern California was Venice Beach.

And a bit to my surprise, there was a visit to Venice Beach right on the first afternoon and evening (mostly evening) of my stay. 

The guy in charge of this work trip called me shortly after I had confirmed my arrival and check-in at the hotel, and invited me out with some of the guys working. They made a habit of going out, and so I decided to go ahead. However, the destination was kept secret from everyone until we arrived.

Obviously, the destination was Venice Beach, although I could not know. Everyone later agreed that we expected some seedy bar or place. But this was far better. I began to suspect that we were nearing the beach, because we seemed to drive a long time, passing swanky Beverly Hills homes along the way. Then, it seemed we were on one major artery for quite some time. Eventually, we saw a pier in the distance, and my suspicions were confirmed. 

What a treat!

Venice Beach was one of the places which was always highly recommended with each book, article, and video that I had perused in preparation for this trip. Once there, I could see why this was so highly recommended. There was the beach, and a pier which was fairly long, going a bit into the Pacific. On both sides (but especially to my right) were some spectacular mountains, right on the edge of the ocean. There were some strange birds, which I believe were Great Blue Herons. They would be flying over the ocean, and then dive straight down to the water, coming up moments later having consumed their fishy meals. What a sight!

Indeed, this has been one of the main places which I had wanted to visit. Getting this chance to do so, and on my very first day here, felt amazing. In truth, I was not sure that I would necessarily make it, since I still had to resolve whether or not I will be renting a car. After all, there is only one full day off. But having seen this, and on the very first day, felt like a tremendous privilege. Think this was the highlight of the trip so far.

It also seemed worth taking pictures and sharing them here.

Enjoy.