VENICE BEACH, California (USA)

If there could be a few terms to describe Venice Beach, California they would be insane, entertaining, crazy and hilarious. I lived in Venice Beach this past summer for 6 weeks. It was one of the best times of my life. I lived right across from the sand, and right in front of the crazy Muscle Beach Gym- where Arnold use to bulk up, and the guys show off their hot Cali bods- or lack their of.

A typical day consisted of running over to the sand in my bikini, meeting up with my sister and foreign friends, surfing, watching people preform tricks on the sidewalk, getting asked if I wanted to "see the doctor for my weed prescription" (that I never received) and ending the day to a concert with homemade drums on the sand watching the sun go down with a cold brewski in my hand. It is the funniest and most unusual place I have ever lived in. The characters you run into on the strip are either holding signs that say "Pregnant- Any food will do!" or doing flips in front of a crowd of 100 people asking everyone to "hold up one dollar-just one dollar will do!"

It's a place where the homeless run rampant and live- who are all incredibly friendly and have learned how to work the system. For example, there was one particular guy who was wearing these glasses that say "WINE-O" on them and was acting like a drunk. Now, obviously whenever one sees a homeless person we think, "we're just helping them get drunk," and you can't second guess me on that one! This guy was honest-or so we thought and was beating us to the chase. So obviously, I gave him some money for his clever idea, and told him I thought it was great. The man actually said to me "You know I've been sober for 7 years, but this is the easiest way to bring in the most cash." Can you believe that? Neither could I- I mean what a smart individual! There are also many vender's that sell overpriced jewelry on the Venice Beach strip like the lady shown in this picture to the right.

Venice is located on the famous bike/running/walking path that runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean. It's very close to Santa Monica, but worlds apart. It's a great place to star gaze as I say Matthew McConaughey biking. He was actually singing some loud tune, and I was annoyed that day, so I turned around and gave him a bad look. It was only after he passed when I realized it was him. Sorry for the look Matthew!

Anyways, back to the weed prescription thing-it's SO annoying to be asked when I am on a jog, or a bike ride if I would like to "see the doctor." There I am utilizing my lungs to their fullest capacity, and they're aiming to pollute them. Weed is legalized in California so long as you have a prescription. I went to check it out one day and asked a doctor how difficult it is to get one. He said to me, "You can say anything, migraines, chronic pain, and I'll give it to you." So, clearly it's a joke. There's a monthly fee to get the prescription, but if you get caught with it then your safe & sound. The benefits are unreal. You can get beer with weed in it; you can buy food with weed in it, and you can even pick the type of high you would like to get. For example, if you want a giggly high, then you buy weed x, but if you want a mellow high then you buy weed y. It's that simple ladies & gents. If you're into that, go and check it out!

The bars & clubs, beaches, random festivals like the one pictured to the right, and people are all truly amazing. Most people are very active and fun there. For example, one night my sister and I were sitting outside our apartment. We saw hundreds of bicyclists riding in the evening with backpack lights, laughing up a storm and enjoying themselves. We were confused, like what were hundreds of people doing up at 1 in the morning-let alone biking in the dark?! We started up a conversation with on of the bikers and found out there is a "bike" club that meets once a month at midnight. The people fill their backpacks with beer, and bicycle along the pacific. How cool is that? There are about 100 plus bicyclists. One evening I joined them, it's a great time, even if you just watch from afar. Venice comes highly recommend by me. Definitely check this place out at least once in your life!