Directions From Venice/Santa Monica and Playa del Rey And The South Bay
I was thrilled when I heard a Yard House was coming to Marina del Rey.
Great, I thought, a place to stop along the bike path for some adult refreshment in a place that’s bound to be lively. It’s a Yard House, after all!
Now that it’s open, I can indeed confirm it’s a hip and happening place to stop for adult refreshment and social entertainment. It’s just not along the bike path.
It’s on Maxella Ave., in that two-story shopping center that also houses Sports Chalet. That means in order to get there on a bicycle, you have to exit the path, cut through the Ralph’s grocery store parking lot and cross busy Lincoln Blvd. No sweat; it only takes a couple of minutes.
So here’s directions from the bike path to the Marina del Rey Yard House:
• At the beginning (or end, depending on which direction you are traveling; I come from south to north) of the part of the path that runs through the park in MDR, there is a break in a fence. This is the part of the trail that runs parallel to Admiralty Way.
• The break in the fence is across from the library, very near the light where you cross Admiralty. Look for the interestingly-shaped fallen tree.
• You have to get off your bike and walk it through the grass and over a small curb. A few feet of concrete here would do wonders. But, of course, that would take years of going through city planning commissions and cost tens of millions of dollars. For now, just walk the bike.
• Go through the break in the fence. You may hear kids screaming, as there’s a playground in front of you.
• There’s only one way to go, and that’s straight, and in seconds you will be in the Ralph’s parking lot.
• Turn left through the parking lot and proceed to the far side of the entrance to the high-priced high rises.
• Cross Lincoln Bvld., through the crosswalk. In a block and a half, the Yard House will be on your left.
You do have to be careful when you enter the Ralph’s parking lot, and in particular the driveway to the high-priced high rises. Drivers in the cars seem not to know what to do when they encounter someone on a bicycle, as if you’re some curious creature that has suddenly appeared in their windshield.
They stop, they start again, drive at angles and then in a kind of a left-right-left direction, unsure of which way to go next. Then again, maybe they were just trying to run over me.
Regardless, they are easy to outmaneuver no matter their intentions, then you have to cross Lincoln Blvd. There is a crosswalk, and here, after avoiding a few startled pedestrians and getting the advance attention from a few more perplexed motorists who are wanting to turn right onto Lincoln off Maxella, you are a block and a half from the Yard House.
Enter the parking lot to the left – there are two entrances, one before and one past the Yard House – and you’ll notice two long rows of bike racks.
The racks are, thankfully, of the design that actually work; they are the thick U-shaped continuous post. And don’t you just hate the low, thin racks in which you are supposed to roll the back tire into, but can never get the lock into because it’s too narrow when other bikes are there and besides it’s too far down on the bike to really be effective in the first place?
And then, cruise into the Yard House. They even have valet guys in the lot that help to serve as somewhat of a security guard for your bike, lest anyone come along and try to remove it, or any of its parts, from its temporary home.
The Yard House is at 13455 Maxella Ave., Marina del Rey.
Cheers!
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