Why Car-Spotting in Venice Beach is the Perfect LA Field Trip
Whether you visiting LA for the holidays or are a local looking for some car-spotting-friendly field trips for your time off – Venice Beach area has a surprising mix of wonders in store for you.
In the past decade, much has changed on the West Side of Los Angeles. No place has been more affected, for better or for worse, than Venice Beach. This once lazy, seedy, artistic beach town is now one of the hottest spots in LA. This means that the old school tatted up greasers are mingling with skinny jean sporting millennials in relative harmony. But whether you're a part of the first crew or lean more towards the second, Venice Beach is a great “off the beaten path” place to visit if you're into cars of any kind.
You'll most likely start your visit via Santa Monica Blvd, because that's where the 10 freeway is going to dump you off. And I've got news for you pal, it's gonna get ugly. The traffic here is as bad as it gets in LA, but don't worry there will be plenty of coolness to keep you company.
From Santa Monica Blvd, head south. Don't be a newbie and hop on Lincoln. Not only because it's one of LA's ugliest streets or because stores on Lincoln change hands about as often as Lindsey Lohan's underpants, but because it's always stop and go traffic at best. And don't be fooled by the street called "Speedway" because it just isn't. Drive like a local and take Ocean Ave, which despite its name, doesn't have a great view but will get you to Venice quicker than the rest. When it turns into something called "Pacific", don't panic.
When you see this lifted wonder, you'll know you're in Venice because is always parked right on front of Davey Jones' Liquor Locker and is the unofficial Venice ambassador. Let the games begin!
A few blocks later, you're going to start seeing plenty of this, the dreaded paid parking sign. Don't torture yourself, just do it. Pay those flag waving, white shirt sporting, smug wankers $20 and get on with it. Why? Because the parking enforcement ninjas on this side of town will slap you with a $120 ticket faster than you can say "I Told Ya So." So suck it up.
From here you can walk on to Windward Ave, where you'll see the famous Venice sign and the entrance to Venice Beach. If you're into pet snakes, piercings, body builders and stoned Midwestern teens, go nuts.
Or perhaps guys on bicycles balancing walking sticks on their heads. Whatever.
If not, keep walking to the Hotel Erwin and go straight to the roof, which has one of LA's best views. Get in before Sunset, otherwise you'll be sitting on some Australian tourist's lap and if you're into that, well then, carry on. Next, say goodbye to the beach and grab your car keys – we’re heading into the heart of “New Venice.”
Turn left on Windward and go through the rotary (if you need help, ask your new Australian friend, they love 'roundabouts') until you can go north on Main Street. Keep heading down until you reach a funky little intersection with Abbott Kinney Blvd on your right. Turn right and you'll be glad you did:
Abbott Kinney Blvd is named after the dude that founded this little town in the early 20th century. These days, Abbott Kinney is high rent, hipster central. But that doesn't mean its all bad, because hipsters sometimes drive great cars.
I suggest you belly up to The Other Room, an offshoot of the NYC watering hole that offers some of LA's best people & car watching. The windows open up so you've got a front row seat to all of the action. Once you've seen all of the groomed beards, fixed gear bikes and lumber jack hats you can handle, get back into the car-- we're about to kick it old school. Drive down Abbott Kinney and once you get to Venice Blvd-- don't turn-- I know you want to, but you'll thank me later. Go straight.
Just past this intersection on the left side is one of the coolest remnants of Venice culture still standing today, Elco Welding. These brothers, Bob & Mark Libow, are carrying on their father's tradition of good old fashioned hard work at their shop.
On the day I met them, Bob & Mark had just returned from drag racing their Hudson 8 in the desert. Like I said, these guys are the real deal.
But Bob & Mark aren't the only ones keeping it real around here, there's also WM Leaf Automotive and just down the street, a Z car fanatics’ mecca at Z Expert Automotive Service. These guys have been working on Z cars since before you knew they were cool. Hell, probably since before you were born-- in 1988. So now you can turn around and onto Venice Boulevard.
Be sure to keep your eyes open for some roadside splendor.
Keep going on Venice until you hit Lincoln, which you'll spot because it's the infamous location where a once drab Conroy's Flower Shop was taken over by the Australian custom motorcycle shop Deus Ex Machina. This surf shop, cum bike shop, cum coffee shop, cum clothing shop is new Venice in a nutshell. It's so not pretentious that it's pretentious, but yet, it's so cool that it's irresistible. So go on in, you kind of have to, but make it quick. We're not done with Venice yet.
By now, you're hungry. So you can hit any of the local favorites La Cabana, Baby Blues Bar-B-Q or the famous Gjelina on Abbott Kinney. But if you're really tough, go to La Playita. This is the taco stand that beat up your favorite taco truck, then sat down, rolled a cigarette and did a shot of tequila. It's that good. And, like all of old Venice, it's hanging in there despite its fancy new neighbors.
Once you’ve had one too many tacos you’ll be bursting with good food, a sense of adventure, and more than a few car-spotting jewels… your time in Venice has paid off!
