Experiencing Venice Beach

Photograph taken by Eric Demarcq.

I decided to go with a more popular attraction for today’s post. Venice Beach is located a few minutes south of Santa Monica and just north of Marina Del Ray. This beach is known for its exciting environment and its boardwalk that stretches a mile and a half along the coast. If you are planning to visit Los Angeles, Venice Beach is a must-see LA hotspot. The following activities are just a handful of things to do while visiting.

Venice Beach Boardwalk

Venice Beach Boardwalk. Photograph taken by Wayne Hsieh

I had never seen anything like Venice Beach Boardwalk before I visited. This is definitely not your ordinary boardwalk. There are art stands, pop-up shops, performers and food vendors on the west side of the boardwalk. The east side of the boardwalk is packed with restaurants, bars, clothing stores, souvenir shops and several other types of businesses. If you are planning on visiting the boardwalk, remember to bring a ton of cash. Another thing to be aware of is how crowded the boardwalk is. Dog walkers, jugglers, face painters, rollerbladers, joggers and panhandlers all seem to occupy the area at any given time. The best is when people dress their dogs up and walk them down the boardwalk.

The hippest dog on the boardwalk. Photograph taken by J.B Roberts

Venice Canals

The Venice Beach Canals. Photograph taken by J.B. Roberts.

The Venice Canals are man-made canals that were built over 100 years ago. Abbot Kinney, the developer, wanted to create a Venice, Italy right here in Los Angeles. These beautiful canals used to run through a large portion of Venice until the city became more popular, which resulted in the canals becoming pavement. After being neglected, the canals were closed. It took a multimillion-dollar restoration to bring the canals back for the public to enjoy. These canals can be recognized in several different films. A few of these movies include, I Love You, Man, Valentine’s Day, The Little Rascals and Role Models. Since I’m a huge movie lover, I thought it was really fun to walk down the canals and try to remember what movies I saw them in.

Venice Beach Recreation Center

Venice Beach Recreation Center. Photograph taken by Thomas Hawk.

The Venice Beach Recreation Center is a large area that accommodates numerous athletic activities. If you’re feeling energetic, you can find basketball courts, handball courts, volleyball courts and even gymnastics equipment. The center is located on the beach and is crowded with people who are playing games, as well as watching. The basketball courts are also in several scenes from different movies: White Men Can’t Jump, American History X and Thirteen.

Venice Beach Freakshow

Venice Beach Freakshow. Photograph taken from Flickr Creative Commons.

This place kind of gives me the creeps, but it is pretty popular and entertaining. Venice Beach Freakshow is exactly what it claims to be, a freak show. If you’re a fan of the Guinness World Records, this is definitely an attraction you’ll enjoy. Visitors can catch a glimpse of a man who has literally every part of his face pierced and body tattooed, a bearded lady, a woman who swallows fire and shrunken heads. If you get queasy easily, I would go hang out on the beach.

Me and my friend on the boardwalk. Photograph taken by Adam Levy.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Johnny Ramone’s gravesite. Photograph taken by J.B. Roberts

You may be wondering why I decided to write about a creepy, old cemetery, but the Hollywood Forever cemetery really is one of Los Angeles’ top tourist attractions. The cemetery houses the graves of several renowned actors, actresses, directors, producers, writers and even founders of famous movie studios. The following are just a few famous movie stars one can visit at the cemetery: Johnny Ramone, guitarist for The Ramones; Cecil B. DeMille, actor, director, screenwriter and producer; Bugsy Siegel, famous mobster; Peter Finch, Oscar winning actor for his role in the film, Network; and Toto, known for her role in The Wizard of Oz (yes, Toto was a girl). This registered historical site was built in 1899 and is unique compared to other graveyards. Hollywood Forever can be recognized from scenes in several movies and television shows, such as Dexter, L.A. Story and Hot Shots. The cemetery also offers exciting events for visitors, including movie nights, concerts and tours.

The DeMille gravesite. Photograph taken by J.B. Roberts.

“Alright Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”

                                              -Gloria Swanson

Movie Nights

Cinespia holds movie nights at the Hollywood Forever cemetery every Saturday night throughout the summer. The first film featured this year was David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. Seeing this film at the cemetery was an awesome experience! There is a large grass area where you can lay blankets down and enjoy dinner or a glass of wine while watching the film. The best advice I can give those interested in attending a movie night at the cemetery is to get there a couple hours early. You should also get tickets for these events well in advance, as they sell out pretty quickly.

Movie night at Hollywood Forever cemetery. Photograph taken from Flickr Creative Commons.

Concerts

A handful of famous bands and DJs perform live shows at the cemetery during the summer months. These concerts are either indoors at the Masonic Lodge, or outdoors on the Fairbanks Lawn. This year’s musicians include Modest Mouse, Tame Impala, Butch Walker and many more. You can purchase tickets on the Hollywood Forever website.

Belle + Sebastian concert at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. Photograph taken from Flickr Creative Commons.

Tours

There are three tours available at the Hollywood Forever cemetery: The Cemetery of the Stars Tour, The Jewish Heritage Tour, and The Hidden Hollywood Tour. They are usually about two hours long and are conducted regardless of the weather. Group tours have recently become available during the week and are scheduled by appointment.

Photograph taken by Daniel Hartwig.

One characteristic of the cemetery that has always piqued my interest is its reputation for being haunted. There are rumors that a woman in black visits the grave of Rudolph Valentino and places a rose at the site. It is also said that Virgina Rappe, an actress from the 1920s, can be heard crying near the lake. Staff members of Paramount Studios, which is located on former cemetery grounds, claimed to have seen ghosts disappear into the walls of the cemetery. I didn’t experience any paranormal activity when I visited the cemetery, but I will definitely keep my eyes peeled next time.

Photograph taken by J.B. Roberts.

For hours of operation, parking and a map of the grounds, please visit the Hollywood Forever website.