Venice is definitely a sight to see- street artists line the walk, along with tshirt shops & restaurants. Think South St./East Village meets Ocean City, if that makes sense. Go early in the day though, as the freaks come out a night down there.

Cute shops, street performers, and sidewalk artists. Go rent rollerblades, bicycles, boogie boards or surf boards. Sun bathing and ocean dipping.

Take a walk along the Venice Boarwalk to Santa Monica Pier. There is a sandy three-mile beach here, but that is not what attracts visitors. You go to Venice to shop and gawk. During the summer season and on weekends, there is street entertainment at every intersection along Ocean Front Walk. Street performers include instrumental musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, prophets, fortune tellers, and other assorted entertainers. You will see people with tricolor hairdos, painted faces, weird tattoos, and outlandish clothing--or lack of it. The Boardwalk is a virtual sidewalk circus, a walk 'n' rolling skin show. There are lots of funky shops, too, if you want to eat out of the ordinary or buy an unusual souvenir or T-shirt.