Mike and I were excited to get away for the weekend. Mixing business and pleasure is something we do pretty often because I travel for classes and shows. This particular trip took us to Long Beach, and hubby had somewhere he’d been wanting to visit while we were in the area, Venice Beach.
So, we turned on the GPS and headed that way.
Since neither of us had been there before, our first challenge was figuring out where to park and where the boardwalk actually began. Mike eventually found a parking area that turned out to be right around the corner from one of the entrances.
Sometimes you just get lucky.
Our First Look at Venice Beach
We headed toward the beach first, and it was a gorgeous day to walk around and explore.
There was so much to look at. We checked out the shops that were open and walked past vendors selling their handmade items. Some of them were incredibly talented.
There were also plenty of ways to spend the day besides walking. We saw places to rent bikes, people skateboarding and even an outdoor workout area.
Of course, we had to spend some time at the beach too. The beach was beautiful, and the water was surprisingly warm.
Eventually, We Had to Find Food
We had arrived in the morning when a lot of places were still opening, but by lunchtime, we were hungry.
There definitely wasn’t a shortage of choices. We passed hot dogs, sandwiches, candy shops, ice cream and several restaurants.
When we’re near the coast, though, seafood is pretty much a must.
We ended up choosing Surfside Venice Beach, where we stopped for calamari, fish and chips, and a beer for Mike.
[Read our Surfside Venice Beach review →]
I also had another stop in mind.
While we were walking around earlier, I had spotted a Ben & Jerry’s. I love dessert, so I made sure not to eat all of my lunch because I wanted to save room for ice cream.
Hubby isn’t much of an ice cream person, so that stop was definitely for me.
A Day We'd Gladly Do Again
After eating, we spent more time walking around and taking everything in.
Unfortunately, we had to head home earlier than we would have liked. There was still so much we hadn’t seen, and I could only imagine how different the boardwalk would be later in the evening.
Even though our visit was shorter than we wanted, we had a great time.
It was our first time exploring Venice Beach together, and between the boardwalk, beach, vendors, seafood and of course ice cream, we packed quite a bit into one day.
Next time, we’ll just have to stay longer.
Jen
Jen is one half of Couples Dining Out. She loves pasta, a great salad, and believes dessert should be eaten first because why risk running out of room? She loves trying new places with Mike, but if something looks good on her plate, order your own. She’s not sharing.