venice beach (2) - walkers

2012.02.25

i'm not a fan of touristic areas, where hordes of souvenir hunters aimlessly wander through endless lanes of shops offering identical "original art", but this place somehow was different.

the mix of people walking through these streets is incredible; i had a coffee and a bagel in a place where the only other customer was a shaky lady of maybe 80+ years, fully made up as if she'd have a studio appointment right after; served by a dread locked red head with worn out pants who was more friendly and polite than any waitress i ever met anywhere before, and being surrounded by slowly awaking homeless who regularly camp beneath the hotel i woke up in. and within all this, japanese teenage girls, european art and museum lovers, rock'n'roll dinosaurs and muscle packed surfers make their stand or, as it is, their walks.

it's like the odd-ends backside of that dreary, shiny, totally artificial show business a bunch of mile further north in hollywood. makes "sense" to be here, despite all the nonsense everywhere. tells you more about life than any movie flick ever could.

wow, I would be spending every day here and completely lose myself in this... love the guy in the Pooh suit! :)

bumpusdogs · 2012-02-24: 10:38

These remind me of what I DON'T like about Venice.... after the novelty of it's uniqueness wears off, you are left with an aggressive/ in your face population (in THIS pictured area) that is the 'same' every time you visit. These people are entertainers... just not shiny... sorry.

That said, your first shot is really good! I think you should explore the color in it a little more. ;-)

DancingDolphin · 2012-02-24: 10:58

people are strange ... ;)

Nychthemeron · 2012-02-24: 11:17

oh i love this post. it looks just like this everyday and has since i moved here in 1994. your description is great too and pretty accurate i think. it is a colorful place full of curious tourists and a lot of lost souls. i have always felt that there is possibly 1 of just about every type of person here.

it is much less artificial then hollywood just across town by 30 minutes or so. (odd ends back side of hollywood is a perfect
description)

it seems to me that people instantly connect and love it or at least see past the grime or they despise it and the whole place makes them angry. somehow i guess i connected because i landed here 18 years ago and am somehow still here....

i do recognize some of the characters in the photos here but funny i have never seen the dirty winnie the pooh guy... we will have to watch for him on our daily strolls!

rmjannette · 2012-02-24: 17:45