Venice beach, California

We moved to Venice in 1998 and have seen the evolution of this eclectic community. Our home is centrally located on a magical street called Superba. We had driven past the street signs and were drawn to a word that felt like it summarized our view on life. We love hosting guests in Venice because this town is a character that everyone falls in love with.

Abutting Santa Monica’s south side on the Pacific Coast Highway, Venice Beach—or simply Venice—was developed as a Los Angeles beach resort that paid homage to its Italian namesake with canals, piazzas, pedestrian bridges, a lagoon, and a colonnaded business district. Designed by eccentric Abbot Kinney in 1905, Venice’s original waterways and charming beach cottages can still be seen on Dell Avenue in the Venice Canal Historic District. Rent a bike and ride around the canals and down to the beach which is only a short 12 minute bike ride.

Today’s Venice, is famous quirky happenings on its iconic beachfront boardwalk, where mimes, jugglers, musicians, and street performers of all kinds inhabit an ever-changing and unforgettable bohemian subculture. You may also see some of the country’s best pickup basketball games on local outdoor courts. Watch it all from the loud and lively waterfront skate park, or sit near the daily drum circle on the beach. Feel free to grab a can and a stick—or anything that makes noise—and join in.

Then ride home to the quiet of our Venice Superba neighborhood and walk to Abbot Kinney Boulevard for dinner at Gjelina. On Venice’s south side, boho-chic Abbot Kinney Boulevard contains a mile-long stretch of high-end restaurants, posh galleries, and edgy boutiques selling furnishings and fashions. On the First Friday of each month, food trucks and live music line the boulevard, but any day is perfect for stopping by Strange Invisible Perfumes to procure hydro-distilled eaux de toilette. Shop for comfy-cute loungewear at All Things Fabulous, or browse custom stationery and writing utensils at Urbanic Paper Boutique. Cafés and food trucks make sure you don’t go hungry while you shop.

Our favorite restaurants: Gjelina, Superba Bread, Ospi, Dudley Market, Butcher’s Daughter, La Cabana, Cafe Gratitude.