The Venice Bike Path From Richard Katz's
Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
If you didn't really want to read a rollerskating trails book: Back to Richard Katz's Homepage
If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC
Chapter lajapetc
The Venice Bike Path: On to the Pacific Rim?
The Venice Bike Path sets a de facto standard for rollerskating paths. You skate all the way from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, down through Santa Monica, past Ocean Park and almost all the way past Venice Beach -- about seven miles. There are no cars; in fact, the air supply is a breeze off the ocean at all times. The trail is flat, smooth, and interesting. It's perfect for kids and beginners, as long as everybody leaves skating room for the experts.
But the fresh air, great views, and ideal pavement aren't the only things that make this a five star trail. There's something else special about the Venice Bike Path. You're not an outlier here, you're an accepted part of the culture. If you're a good skater, with good form and a reasonably flashy style, you're appreciated for that.
Venice is five stars, "an exceptional skating experience, worth even a long trip, and not to be missed." When you get there, the other skaters will gladly tell you about the other places they go to skate around L.A. besides Venice: Long Beach, Huntington Beach, San Diego's concrete "Boardwalk", the Strand on Coronado Island.
How to Get There by Car from Interstate 10:
Interstate 10 West -- the Santa Monica Freeway, a casualty of the Quake of '94 -- goes down a hill by the Santa Monica Pier and becomes Highway One, The Pacific Coast Highway. No doubt the three severed sections of I-10 will be speedily rebuilt, and you will be able to take it as far west as it goes, then drive north on PCH to Will Rogers State Beach. Park in one of the public lots on the beach side of the street. Open year round and not too expensive.
What It's Like:
Start skating south on the bike path from Will Rogers State Beach. It's the most recent addition to the trail, so the traffic control is pretty good, with left and right lanes and a few directional signs. After about three miles, the trail links up with a concrete trail that goes along Santa Monica State Beach. For steady exercise, stick to this northern part of the trail; for distractions, keep on going south. As the Santa Monica Pier comes into view, keep an eye out for a Y in the path. Both forks take you to the same place. Let me recommend the left fork, the straighter one. Just after you go under the Santa Monica Pier, there's a ramp up to the right to go exploring on the pier, maybe take the kids to the carousel. There's an apartment above that merry-go-round where a number of famous writers have camped out to concentrate -- Tennesee Williams, for example.
Right near the ramp there is a skate rental place, and just down the path a few paces is a well tended grass plot. This is a good place for novices to practice. You can rent skates, and then learn how to stand up on them on the grass.
South of the Pier, the trail segregates into a path for skates and bikes and another path for walkers and joggers. There are some serious skaters out here; it's not a good place to dawdle. Stop outside the Venice Rec Center, where some of the flashiest skaters dance to music and run the slalom course.
The path comes to an end near Venice Boulevard.
Places to Eat:
There's some dynamite pizza and deli food available right on the path just south of the Loew's hotel. About a mile an a half south of the Santa Monica Pier, where the path goes abruptly toward the ocean (practically a right hand turn), continue straight to the shopping area. Otherwise, you will have to backtrack across an unpaved sandy median strip. Getting sand in your skates is just not acceptable here in L.A. where you just wouldn't want to look like an amateur.
Places to Stay:
Loew's Hotel is right on the path. It's a little bit pricey, but it's worth it to be right there on the trail for just a day or two. It avoids the hassles of dealing with Santa Monica's Ocean Drive.
Public Transportation:
There are several RTD bus lines that will take you to the Venice Bike Path. The Freeway Flyers can take you there right from LAX.
Ratings:
Path Surface = **** (some *****)
Public Transit Access = ****
Surroundings = ****
Level of Difficulty = EASY
Overall Rating = *****
Length = Seven miles, one way
Other trails to check out in the neighborhood:
Ocean Trail in Long Beach
Del Mar Trail through Manhattan Beach
10/10/96
Sometimes a person will walk right up to you and stand there right under one of those signs, and ask you where the trail is
Note from the Author: Haven't put in links to the other chapters yet.
From Richard Katz's Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email
Back to Richard Katz's Homepage
If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC