Venice Beach by night

Venice Beach, on the LA coast, is one of those places where you could probably say that there is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. It's not as beautiful as Balboa Island nor as wild as Malibu. It is frequented by ageing hippies and drop-outs and lived in by the arty, theatrical types. Several well-known movie actors have houses here but it is not at all "posh". These photos are taken just a few steps from the little appartment where I have been staying. It is just a few yards from the beach and I took them when I went out to the local shop at about 5pm. Just imagine going round the corner to get the evening paper or some last minute shopping and seeing these sunsets on the beach!

Tris outside one of the many local restaurants - I will have to come back as I didn't have time to try them all! Goodness knows what this one is advertising...Liver? C and O to go? Any suggestions? You see, we don't speak the same language. Maybe the Americans get just as confused when they see "Fish and chips"?

Yes! This is my shop. It also sells ordinary stuff like bread and biscuits and peanuts. LIQUOR sounds so prohibitionist and naughty, doesn't it? But it just means you can get a bottle of wine too.

At the end of the road is the beach, the pier and the ocean.