Southerly Venice Beach itself is the reason most people come here. Nowhere else does LA parade itself quite so openly as along the wide pathway of Venice Boardwalk , ever packed with jugglers, fire-eaters, roller-skating guitar players and people-watchers, though increasingly on the verge of gentrifying into a corporate-sanitized shopping district. South of Windward is Muscle Beach , a legendary outdoor weightlifting center where serious-looking hunks of muscle pump some serious iron, and high-flying gymnasts swing on the adjacent rings and bars. Outlets along Washington Street near the pier - such as Spokes 'n' Stuff (tel 310/395-4748) - rent out bikes. At night Venice Beach is alive with street gangs and drug dealers. Walking on the beach after dark is illegal, and you should be very cautious in the vicinity. Hotels in Venice Beach |