We began our day in the afternoon wandering around a shopping area a couple of blocks from the beach. I recognize today that no matter what town you're at, the same stores exist. Old Navy, Abercrombie, Gap, blah, blah, blah, whether in a strip mall in Washington State or here in Santa Monica, you see the same thing.
We went and checked out the beach that's just a few blocks away. Palm trees completes the notion of being in California. They line the vast beaches and jut high above the board walk. Santa Monica has a pier complete with a ferris wheel and a roller coaster.
The next stop was Venice Beach. I was curious what kind of freak show makes this area famous. There's lots of weirdo types on skateboards, the boardwalk is lined with venders, artists, little shops hustling paintings, sculptures, jewelry and bad tourist tees.
The beach itself was cool, there were surfers riding head height waves.
We went and checked out Abbott–Kinney, an area a couple of friends recommended right by Venice. It's another shopping district but less main stream.
We capped the evening by checking out a cool little streatch of Japanese restaurants and stores. We had dinner at a ramen house that wasn't too bad. After living in Vancouver, my expectations are high so I'm trying not to compare.
It was a mellow lazy day. I look forward to tomorrow when my friend Arnette is coming up from San Diego to show me some sites.
