A Surprising Saturday Becomes Another Beach Fun Day
Sometimes, the most fun you can have is when you least expect it.
Imagine riding a bike up the Southern California coastline, going for a walk with 50 people to a part of Venice Beach that you would never guess is a part of L.A., and then arriving back at home to a party.
It happened. It’s real. And it’s life in L.A. Especially when you live at the beach!
It was a warm Saturday afternoon in January. I hopped on the beach cruiser bicycle to meet a group walking along the beach and canals in Venice Beach to Marina del Rey. The group, by the way, is called the Happy Hour Hiking Club.
It took a while to get out of my starting point in Hermosa Beach. You wouldn’t believe the traffic!
I’m not talking cars, mind you, but people and other bicyclists on The Strand. I was stopping and dodging people for blocks.
It took an hour to get to Venice Beach, which itself was buzzing with activity. I was tempted to go have a beer (or two) at the Venice Whaler, lively with people on its upper deck, but I figured I would get stuck there and miss the walk.
Which was great, along the canals in Venice; I’ve driven past this part of Los Angeles hundreds of times in the past but never knew there was a walkway. And we walked past a few mansions. The walk lasted about 2 1/2 hours and went fast; it was relaxing, educational in that I was exposed to a part of Los Angeles I never really knew existed, and I chatted with several pleasant people who were also on the walk.
Afterward, I had planned to roll home, grab some dinner and put my feet up until meeting up with a friend later that night. Instead, I walked into a party.
Several of my friends where huddled around my tiki bar (yes, I have a tiki bar inside the house) and they were blitzed. Bombed. Hammered. And it was only 6:30 at night!
“We’re going to Water and Wood,” one explained, which of course explained nothing. Water and Wood?
Turns out it was an art show – with free wine! – just down the street. The art show was slow but we had our free wine and returned home. When my friend arrived, we never even bothered going out; we stayed in drinking at the tiki bar.
At around 11, there was a knock on the door. Standing there was a Hermosa Beach police officer.
“I’m looking for Kevin,” he said. My eyes got huge and and as my brain was going through the mental rolodex of what I may have done wrong, I just held out my hands and confessed. “I’m Kevin,” I said.
Turns out he was there to give me a booklet for the Hermosa PD citizen’s watch committee. Whew! My heart was pounding so loudly he could probably hear it over the music. My friends just laughed in the background.
Just another Saturday night, you ask? Not really but in Los Angeles, and in particular the South Bay, you always have to be prepared for a party.
Resource: 7 Best Cruiser Bikes For Men & Women
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