Photos of Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Marina del Rey

	"Photos of Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Marina del Rey" Tuesday, May 18, 1999
	Home of Aaron Spelling I'm not sure who owns this huge house, but the entire front is laced with marble, which ain't cheap	It's almost 10AM right now and after a hearty breakfast consisting of a 9-piece sushi assortment, I am ready to begin my next tour. Today, I have chosen to take a look at some of the homes of Bel Air and the surrounding areas. It's now around 2PM and my Bel Air tour is nearly complete.I have seen several houses in the past couple hours that were much larger than anything I have seen thus far on my vacation. The houses that truly blew me away were those of Aaron Spelling and another house nearby whose owner remains unknown. Both of them, along with the infamous Playboy Mansion, were located in the neighborhood of Holmby Hills above the prestigious Los Angeles Country Club. However, by far the highlight of the afternoon was shortly after entering Bel Air and seeing the current home of former president Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
	Santa Monica pier Outside Santa Monica	From Bel Air, I decided to head to the coast for the second time this week. I am currently reciting these observations into my newly purchased camcorder as I try to capture every moment I can for future savoring. I continue recording as I drive down Wilshire Blvd. and turn left on the Coastal Highway (Route 1.) Luckily, I am able to park nearby and eagerly venture out onto the extensive beach for a short time to check out the scenery. The beach at Santa Monica is atypical for the East Coast and possibly even the west. It takes a cross-country athlete and a team of camels to get from the parking lot, through the 14 miles of sandy, barren, desert wasteland, and to the water at the other end. Too bad the water is salty, because I could use some refreshment after the long hike. However (enough complaints,) Santa Monica beach does have a certain old-time charm that is appealing. The pier in the distance and the bungalows nearby give this place a "trapped-in-time" feel that I enjoy. Now, this may not be the case on a crowded weekend in the heart of summer, but in the loosely populated state I find it in, I think it's swell. (I chose not to explore the pier extensively as I had done so on a previous visit.)
	near Beach Park in Santa Monica palm trees and sunshine! hmm. . . is that a basketball court?	A popular song by Barry White entitled, "LA is my kind of place" has been my anthem for most of the week and I have nearly worn out the CD thus far today (and it's only Tuesday.) It was always a favorite of my friend Shola and I, but never did I think myself fortunate enough to find myself in LA with the song. A certain nostalgic euphoria sweeps over me when I play the song (and other songs on the CD) and I can't help but think of younger days when my friend and I would pop in the tape and listen to it after school. I only mention this to highlight a particular lyric in the song, "LA is my kind of place" which says : "you can cruise straight through from Newport to Malibu, the coastline is so nice." Well, while I'm certainly not going to take a trip anywhere near that long, Barry is definitely talking about traversing down Route 1, which is something I am certainly doing at the moment. I am heading further south, with my next destination; Venice Beach. It's almost 4:30PM now as I approach a parking area north of Venice in the section of Santa Monica known as Beach Park. It's quite easy to find a parking space this time of day as most of the massive lot is abandoned. However, there are still a few stragglers hanging around whom I would call the "after work crowd." Some of them are playing street hockey in a distant portion of the parking lot and there is a beautiful woman skating around the lot on some kind of odd skateboard being pulled by a large kite. As I pulled into the lot, the up-tempo and jazzy "good to you" switched over to track #7 and Barry began the intro to the silky smooth, "It's getting harder all the time." The slow pace perfectly fits the new mood as I stealthily crawl parallel to the sidewalk/boardwalk just on the other side of where I'm driving. There are a decent number of skaters on roller-blades passing by the parking lot, and I decide to stop for a short time and watch them go by. It's a relaxing atmosphere down here and I feel no stress whatsoever.
	Venice Beach a well-dressed Venice Beach resident	My next stop on my coastal tour is Venice Beach. I have been to Venice Beach before, and I can recall my first interaction with great fondness. I was amazed by this "melting pot" of cultures and look upon Venice Beach as a fun place to hang out and spend and afternoon. In the daily carnival that is Venice Beach, there are many stores that sell all manner of hats, clothes, trinkets, leather goods, artwork, sunglasses, you name it! Then there are street vendors that have no shop, but setup little tables and try to sell their wares as well. Many of these types are palm readers, fortunetellers, psychics, etc. Then, there are performers of all types, from jazz musicians, to fire-eaters, dancers, contortionists, it really is an amazing place. And that's what I like about Venice. You never know what you will encounter when you get there. There may be a guy setting himself on fire, and there may be a guy telling stories of how he has been abducted by aliens. You just never know. Among the more interesting places to visit on Venice Beach is a large, outdoor basketball court used in the movie, "White men can't jump." It's a very easy place to find and a very beautiful place as well. It's a very different representation of basketball then many of the "ghetto-looking" courts I played on during my youth. It seems to evoke a more soft and luxurious view of basketball, which is an abomination to a player like me who craves the rough and rugged violence of the raw game. I'm having a good time here in Venice Beach, but I think I will move on.
	The Peninsula at Marina del Rey condos by Marina del Rey "if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again."	Traveling still further south, my next destination is Marina del Rey. Described to me as "a place where rich people park their boats," I am curious to see this place for the first time. As I approach the marina's outskirts, Barry croons onward with my favorite of his slow jams, "Good night, my love." I have departed from Route 1 and I'm currently driving parallel to a small channel lined with million dollar, ultra-modern condominiums. This channel is joining a large inlet now, and the road comes to a T-stop. A large sign marked, "Marina del Rey" informs me that I am not lost. The Marina is further inland, I am on some kind of peninsula. The inlet is beautiful, surrounded by small homes of the rich and famous, a collection of "weekend-getaway" homes. There are elegant sailboats tacking toward the marina and a mood of utter tranquility proceeding the upcoming sunset. As I stare at the boat, the words and music from the song, "Sailing" by Cristopher Cross come to mind. "Well it's not far down to paradise at least it's not for me. If the wind is right, you can sail away find tranquility." The sun is low in the heavens now, and it won't be long before it slumbers, but its rays still brightly illuminate the sails, and the houses on the hills, and the trees by the shore. The wind is still and the mood is quiet and I wonder what powers the sailboats as they float effortlessly into shore. I must say that I like this place, it definitely has its own unique personality. After a long and relaxing stay here, I will depart shortly. This little peninsula that I have found would be prime "picnic" real estate on a Saturday, and I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to enjoy it. From Marina del Rey, I headed north back to the Santa Monica area just in time to catch a gorgeous sunset by the pier. That is some location to enjoy a sunset, I will have to keep that in mind if I am nearby later in the week. I am now back in Corona and it is late in the evening, I'm calling it a night. (Editor's note : On the way home from the sunset at the Santa Monica pier, I happened to have one of those rare moments that one has every so often, and I was suddenly arrested to write an essay on the subject. So, I stopped the car and recorded as many of my feelings and emotions as I could, and later wove them together in a short essay that I call, "The corner of Granville and Wilshire." I published the essay on my website toward the end of July and have received an e-mail or two mentioning it with critiques. If anyone has any comments about the essay, I would be eager to hear them.)
	Friday : Arriving in California, meeting Richard Geib Saturday : Biking through the Azusa foothills Sunday : Hanging out in Corona Monday : Echo Park and the Sunset Strip - Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday : Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Marina del Rey Wednesday : The Getty and a beautiful sunset near Santa Monica Thursday : Avalon, Catalina Island, Casino Ballroom Friday : Newport Beach, beautiful photos of the surf and ocean Saturday : Leaving Newport Beach and conclusion