Venice Beach reminds us of one of those PC games where you have to avoid obstacles or avoid getting hit by aliens. In this case you weave through the streets of Venice Beach avoiding hippies, the homeless, druggies and oddballs speaking to themselves or the pigeons. There are so many of them its untrue! Our personal favourites are:

1) The unwashed guy surrounded by pigeons holding a sign saying "Parents killed by pigeons, need money for a BB gun"

2) The nearly naked black man in a leopardskin loincloth standing on a stool holding 3 live snakes by the necks and making a speech about helping the poor

3) The rastafarian with a sign saying "Biggest wino in the world, need money for booze" who sings loudly "I don't need espresso I just need beer" when you venture near

We spent an hour walking up to the famous Muscle Beach and Santa Monica Pier where they filmed Baywatch and White Men Can't Jump... but to be honest I think Brighton Pier is better! Still we do feel a sense of belonging in this place and are a part of the smelly unwashed - all of our clothes are falling apart and we think its only a matter of time til a passerby throws a dollar at us and says "get yourself some food".