Street Performers, Skaters, and Sunset | Venice Beach

The very first time I ever visited California, my cousins took me to Venice Beach. We rode bikes, checked out the many colorful shops, and hung out at the beach. I even remember going shoe shopping afterwards! Anyway…the point of this story is that I have a special place in my heart for Venice Beach because after that day, the first visit, I knew I wanted to move to California when I got out of high school. And I did! Not to LA though, I moved to San Diego and fell in love with it down there.
When we went out to LA recently for a friend’s wedding, we made a point to go to Venice Beach. Getting to see my daughter experience it was so fun. She loved the shops and every little thing they were peddling, the street performers doing their best to earn every buck that was handed to them, and the crashing waves against the rocks. The many characters of Venice Beach weave a pretty amazing canvas in my book. I’m happy I got to hang out and photograph some of those things while we were there.