What I Saw Skating in Venice Beach California

[Kathie Fry]

Pictures of some of the things I saw skating up and down Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach in Southern California on Saturday, March 31, 2007.
_________________________


Here's what the weather was like at the beginning of my skate. The Santa Monica Pier and roller coaster are just ahead on the left but you can't see any part of them because of the fog.





The two cute guys below were selling gadgets in Venice Beach that you can strap onto your shoes so you can glide along on your heels. The idea is like Heelys except these can be removed from your shoes, they are adjustable for any shoe size, they have tiny flashing lights in them, and they have much larger wheels then Heelys.





I think the hockey player in the yellow pants is saying hello to me!





Hmmm... something new. now we are not suppose to go beyond this point.





Uh oh - now you can see I am beyond the barrier. BAD GIRL! This skater and all the cyclists behind him followed me right past the detour sign so I was a bad influence on everybody that day.





If you have friends who don't skate or cycle they can rent a three or four wheel beach cruiser in Venice or Santa Monica. These are fun, but if I'm going to skate with little kids in beach cruisers I prefer to do it on weekdays (Monday-Friday) when the trail is not so crowded.





"Hot Dog on a Stick" has the best fresh lemonade.





I just HAD to take a photo of this couple. These two sure did get me
daydreaming about who I might bring along on my next skate.





Finally they stopped hugging but they still can't let go of each other.





Santa Monica beach is for everybody.





Baby train!





Aaaaaaaaah.... SUN





View of Santa Monica and Palisades Park





Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier





What happens when you skate without your elbow pads (ouch!). Those two walking by are looking at me like... "why is that silly girl taking pictures of herself?"





New Muscle Beach is in Venice and it has indoor and outdoor areas but the original Muscle Beach was all outdoors and it was located next to the Santa Monica Pier on the Venice side.





Some of the equipment at Old Muscle Beach in Santa Monica.





Quad Skater in front of the Santa Monica Pier





It's not yet noon and Venice beach is already hopping with street vendors and entertainers.





OMG - Harry Perry skating on Landrollers!





- Kathie

[TooFast]

Cool picures Kathie, thanks for sharing them. I love Venice Beach.

Bruce

[chuckboucher]

I notice you're wearing the advertisement. Good girl!

Now how did you manage to skin your elbow?

Great photos, BTW. I can't wait to get my ultra-compact digital so I can start snapping shots while skating. (The dSLR is just a bit too big for any packs that I use while skating.)

[Skate50]

Thanks for the Pics.

You do a great job with this Forum - Always amusing!

- Skate50

[Kathie Fry]

Now how did you manage to skin your elbow?

I wasn't even skating when I fell. Once minute I was taking a picture and the next minute I was down on the ground. I think my back wheel might have gone slightly over the edge of the trail when I was taking the picture.

- Kathie

[CrazeeDave]

Originally Posted by Kathie Fry

I wasn't even skating when I fell. Once minute I was taking a picture and the next minute I was down on the ground. I think my back wheel might have gone slightly over the edge of the trail when I was taking the picture.

- Kathie

Thanks for the pics Kathie !!!!
They should probably mark those treacherous trail edges.
Kiss, kiss on the owie

[online inline]

Hi, Kathy.
Up the coast a thousand miles or so, in the Pacific Northwest, i'm debating whether to go hit the trail or go to the gym. The double espresso machiato, which usually gets me out the door, hasn't done it's work yet. It's gray and threateining showers, and rather cold at 45 degrees.
But your great photos are so inspiiring, i just may give it a shot, and i';ll bring the digital camera in the spirit of the day.
Maybe i;ll bring my bike too in case it rains.
thanks again.

[oldiesk8er]

Maybe I just don't get it, sorry, but the impression from these photos is that while the skating might be good Venice Beach doesn't look all that nice.

[Daisydoo]

Great photos and great narration along with those photos! I think I might take a trip out there just to skate!
I was there about ten years ago when I worked for the airlines. I remember that guy with all the stuff around him, guitar and skating around. My friend took a photo of him and when we returned to Boston one of the girls from Ca. said he was famous and so here he is, ten years later on this skating forum!

[LaurieFlood]

Here's what the weather was like at the beginning of my skate. The Santa Monica Pier and roller coaster are just ahead on the left but you can't see any part of them because of the fog.

The early morning, late afternoon beach fog. This really brings back memories. I grew up in Hawthorne and lived in the area for 28 years. Venice is one of the fond memories - a wonderfully eclectic place. It clearly hasn't changed at all. Once I left 19 years ago for the Sierra, though, there was no turning back.

Thanks for the pictures and all you do to maintain a great forum!

[JGwinner]

Nice pics, sorry for your booboo.

Hi, I'm a beginner down in Torrance.

I went to Venice beach to buy my skates, but I'm just getting up to parallel turns, so I didn't try skating there. While I was there I went running on the path and was told by a bicycler that only bikes could be on the path.

There ARE big signs that say "bicycles only" with an arrow but that could mean "bicycles can only go this direction in this lane".

Is that true? There's no WAY I'm skating in the pedestrian area once I get good enough, it was hard enough to run through the crowd on the 'pedestrian path' It's just nuts.

I'm in Torrance so I'd be on the Redondo end, but want to make sure I don't piss people off by skating (or running) on the wrong path.

Thanks,

== John ==

[IraSiegel]

Originally Posted by JGwinner

Nice pics, sorry for your booboo.

Hi, I'm a beginner down in Torrance.

I went to Venice beach to buy my skates, but I'm just getting up to parallel turns, so I didn't try skating there. While I was there I went running on the path and was told by a bicycler that only bikes could be on the path.

There ARE big signs that say "bicycles only" with an arrow but that could mean "bicycles can only go this direction in this lane".

Is that true? There's no WAY I'm skating in the pedestrian area once I get good enough, it was hard enough to run through the crowd on the 'pedestrian path' It's just nuts.

I'm in Torrance so I'd be on the Redondo end, but want to make sure I don't piss people off by skating (or running) on the wrong path.

Thanks,

== John ==

Hi John,
The signs, where they exist, are pretty easy to understand. Your interpretation gave me a laugh. According to a police officer I spoke to about the issue, only bicycles are allowed on the bike path in Santa Monica where there is a footpath relatively nearby and, technically, skaters are prohibited just like walkers. Bicyclists on the Venice and Santa Monica bike paths generally don't mind skaters. (See this web page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strand_(bicycle_path)) for a funny comment about what happens if a bicyclist hits a skater.) It's the walkers that cause many of the problems. (People who let their kids run across the bike paths when they are going from the parking lots to the beaches cause problems, too.) Walkers are often 3 and 4 abreast, amazingly oblivious to the traffic whizzing by them at 10-20 mph. Where there is a separate, parallel walkway (as is the case for most, but not all, of the 6 mile stretch from Temescal Canyon to Washington Boulevard), there is no excuse for walkers on the bike paths. Runners are generally tolerated as are skaters since runners are moving fast enough and generally are smart enough to stay far to the right, while walkers, amazingly, are not smart enough.
As it turns out, however, the police stopped enforcing the rule against pedestrians on the bike paths a long time ago.

[shesk8]

Luv this post! We just took a short rejuvenation trip out to Cali this April, and skated Santa Monica to Redondo beach. Though, the winds over the weekend we were there made for some interesting and sandy skating. We encountered a number of skaters, great to see skating is alive & well. The marvin braude trail (the strand) is an absolute fun place to roll! We had not skated this trail in years, nice to see some things never change. Though, imo it is best suited for fitness/rec/urban skates.

skateNOW instagram

[Skate Key]

Kathie,
Venice Beach to Santa Monica. Thanks for Déjà vu. When I worked at "The Skate Ranch" in Santa Ana, Ca. 2 other quad skaters and myself decided to leave the rink and make the beach our mission. The pics you posted really just sent me down memory lane. Thanks for everything you do for this forum. I remember after the trail/beach, we headed into Santa Monica and Downtown L.A.. After about 6 hours of sidewalks and street time, we took a cab back to our car. Rink Skating is fun, but trying not to fall while skating down a sidewalk in quads seems to be REALLY memorable. That was in 1989, I think I would stay on just the bike trail these days.

[pgick]

Venice is all everyone stated. It is not a place to skate fast but slow. I go with my wife and kid on rec skates not my speed skates. To many people who are looking around without a care, as they should perhaps, and way to much sand on the smooth sidewalk!
If you go on a weekend stop by the new skate park in Venice. WoW what young invincible kids can do. I was watching a 8 yr old girl fly around the park and jump all that the teenagers would but she was so small she was far faster and so confident. The locals say she is there almost every weekend. Absoluting Amazing to watch!

P.S. Thanks for the pictures and story Kathy.

[shesk8]

Great Pics Kathy! You're right in that Venice Beach never seems to change...5 yr's 10 yrs, etc... every time I go back it's the same funkadelic place. 10 yrs ago I did a rolling video along the baordwalk, encountering some fun & strange stuff...good times!

[this is pic on the beach from back then]

[Rel8ing2Sk8ing]

Venice Beach has always been one of my favorite places on Earch to skate, or to bike-ride, or to just be. Mild weather, good pavement, long trails, and a smooth dance circle, just to name a few. Lots of other entertaining distractions along the way just add to the fun. The new, state-of-the-art skateboard park (across the bike-path from the dance circle, near Windward Plaza), is a must-see. And a ton of funky little clothing and accessory shops to entice you to part with your money. (Lots of really cute beachwear, too). More pizza/hamburger/smoothie/etc. shops than you can count. There is always some sort of free entertainment by street performers. I enjoy grabbing a slice of pizza, parking myself where I can watch people, and trying to guess which people are the Calif. natives, and which are midwestern tourists out stretching their legs on their very first visit to Cali. Usually the slightly confused/surprised/shocked/intrigued looks on their faces give them away as tourists. Crossing the pedestrian bridge over PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and climbing the steps to the top of the cliff takes you within a short walk (or skate) to more upscale shopping at Santa Monica's 2nd St. mall area. More good food there, as well. A walk out onto the wooden Santa Monica Pier allows you to look back at the shoreline and get more of a surfer's-eye view. There's a giant ferris wheel to ride, and also an old, restored, INDOOR carousel that's a fun, inexpensive ride (but they'll make you take your skates off, first). Although maybe not "nice" by 5-star-hotel standards, it's still one of my favorite places to be. It's true California, the way it's depicted on TV and in movies (because so many of them are filmed right there!) Mid-winter, when much of the country is shovelling snow, the Calif. coast is often blessed with mild, sunny weather, without the summer fog. Venice may not be everyone's cup of tea, but is sure is mine - I never go to Southern Calif. without my skates, and without visiting Venice Beach.

[SkateUtah]

Wish i skated when i was at Venice Beach last year.