Venice Beach
So we’ve been bombing all over LA in our Mustang, soaking up the sun and just taking vacation moment by moment. It’s been great and so relaxing with constant distractions from the worries and stresses that await us across the country. This truly has been a VACATION. And it’s only Saturday.
Yesterday we went to Santa Monica and cruised Venice Beach. Now, everyone gives Venice Beach a bad rap for the number of “crazy” people around, but, quite frankly, I found it to be a very unique and awesome place. Sure we saw some interesting people, but how refreshing it was to be in a place where no one was afraid to be themselves, no matter how socially unacceptable.
It’s true what they say, everyone just seems happier out here! How could you not with the perfect weather? Though, surprisingly much cooler then I packed for. There are also so many more attractive and stylish people. Almost EVERYONE looks great! The appearance and cool attitude of many of the people around remind me very much so of Camps Bay in Cape Town.
Post shopping we ate a very late lunch at the Venice Ale House. 
The menu is a predominantly healthy and organic one where entrees aren’t served with french fries, but potatoes. Everything we ate was delicious and fresh; a nice change from the unhealthy diet that usually accompanies vacation travel. Further we had a great waitress! All three of us agree that good service is harder to come by out here, while at the same time, I’m sure if I had to wait on people in LA, tourists and locals alike, I would get worn out as well. But that’s a whole other story!
The air at Venice Beach is filled with live music, shouting, laughing and the constant smell of marijuana. It’s truly unreal. The sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. No one is in a rush.
Pausing to take in the sights, I witnessed a comical scene in which a tan bum was eating a sandwich sitting on a bench next to a musical duo enjoying the music. The duo consisted of a cello player and a woman singing, both very unique and talented in their own expressive style. The bum was grooving without a care in the world.
Standing next to this scene I watched a little girl walk by holding her dad’s hand in one while the other rested on her hip with severe attitude. Wearing a sparkly t-shirt, sparkly blue converse sneakers and big sunglasses this girl was ready to conquer Venice Beach. I envy her confidence and hope her dad never lets her lose it.
As we reflected over lunch how much we had already discovered and explored about LA in the 24 hours we’d been here, Kelley exclaimed, “It never stops being awesome.” So far, she’s right. We caught up a little more on our lives and where we were all at with our “careers.” We’re all in the midst of our quarter-life crises. It’s great.
Just as we were finishing a discussion about the importance of doing what you love, we overheard the three girls next to us, who were all about the same age as us, having a conversation of equal intensity about straight verses curly hair. “Girls with straight hair will always want curly hair and girls with curly hair will always want straight hair,” one of the girls exclaimed in a tone of voice that led us to believe she thought what she was saying was truly profound. 
In this moment I was truly grateful for my east coast roots.
Clearly there are things that I dislike about LA. I don’t think I could ever live here. But this vacation has been thus far unreal and everything I need. I have yet to encounter a moment of true discontent.
