Surfside Venice Opens Surfside!

Surfside Venice had their grand opening jamboree last night, and it was a complete blast. Taking over the space left vacant by Danny's Deli, Surfside was an instant hit with locals and visitors alike. You could tell because it was jam packed inside with a ton of people I knew, and by the end of the night a line had formed outside of people I didn't.

The evening began with a little ribbon cutting ceremony thing, complete with big, fake scissors and crepe paper red ribbon. As it was taking place in Venice, it did not take place on time. The new owners are the same folks that run the travel hostel upstairs, so this venue has been kept in the family. There was a big photo op of all of those involved, the ribbon was cut, and the fun moved inside.

Venice Paparazzi was on the scene, and there was even a Surfside step and repeat for the occasion. Neighborhood favorites from the Danny's Deli days are back on the staff, like Dakota Rayfield, who painted the custom board proclaiming the Surfside love for Venice.

That love is apparent everywhere you look. The new rooms are bright and airy, with a turquoise and white beachy color scheme. The dining room is anchored by a big mural of a wave - perfect for the close proximity to the Venice Breakwater.

One pleasant surprise was how actually good the food was. Beach food is not famous for being that good, so the expectations were not that high. Well, exceeded! The menu has something for everyone, and while it might be a little steep price-wise, it's not that bad for a place that's right at the beach. I had fish and chips - delish. My friend had the seafood pasta - yuuuuum. My brother had a Mexican bowl with fish, and he rolled his eyes at its savoriness. Our neighboring table had just about everything it looked like, and all seemed extra satisfied.

The drinks must also be mentioned, because they're delicious too. I had a "Pink Bikini", and it was even better when delivered by Christina Marquez (of Davy Jones' Liquor Locker fame). Friends everywhere we looked ... that's what you want in a new joint to hang out at. Solid.

We kind of lucked out because as we were eating, the staff began clearing tables and setting up an actual stage right in front of us. The debut band for Surfside was none other than Peace Frog, the ultimate Doors cover band. The singer, Tony Fernandez, channels Jim Morrison (and my pal Shooter Jennings a bit too) so well that if you close your eyes, you've time traveled back to seeing Jim live - which nearly nobody has these days, so it's even cooler.

The room was dancing the entire time, with total enthusiasm. Loud group singalongs went down with every song, because pretty much everyone in Venice knows every word to every Doors tune. Or should. Another live music spot in Venice was sorely needed, and Surfside is delivering. If sports is more your game, you're covered there too, with large t.v.'s set up all around for whatever event you're into. It's gonna be a hang, trust me.

The dancing was not limited to inside. In fact, the best moves were going down outside on the sidewalk behind the stage, courtesy of Tonen and Company. It was rad, and so fun on a summer night in Venice.

The line to get inside was long by the time we left, and I was happy for the Surfside folks for having such a great time on their opening night. I hope they will continue to honor the Locals vibe, not only by letting us cut the line (crucial!), but by making it clear that our Community is a priority. Venice needs that so badly right now.

It was a super fun night, with a super fun crew, at a super great new spot for Venice. See you there!

Surfside Venice
28 Windward Avenue (Windward & Speedway)
Venice

The 2015 Abbot Kinney Festival - A Locals Reunion

When the sun rose yesterday morning, you just knew it was going to be a great day for the 31st Abbot Kinney Festival. It was HOT, it was bright, and everyone was all the way ready for it. I live right around the corner from Abbot Kinney, so you could feel the anticipation (and hear the tent poles clanking) all night long leading up to the big day.

Booths lined the boulevard from Venice Boulevard to Main Street, where you could purchase or learn about pretty much everything under the sun. I have a friend who saves her jewelry budget all year to get new things at the Festival, and this year probably gave her a huge haul, as there were so many great artisans selling their original pieces. You could buy art, soap, clothes, chimes, hot sauce, or even get a massage ... the only problem is having enough time to see and do everything - which I never do.

The Abbot Kinney Festival is great because it ends up being a big reunion of your favorite Venice locals, many of whom now totally avoid Abbot Kinney these days, due to its influx of chain stores and scenesters. We again had an advantage this year to meeting up with our locals by having the "Locals" stage located at Andalusia.

With the School Of Rock kids kicking it off, then Kim Michaelowski, then our Venice Symphony Orchestra, it definitely was the place to find your favorite people. In fact, the line-up was so good that it actually made it hard to leave and see any of the rest of the Festival! A good problem to have. We had the pleasure of watching our dear Lacey Cowden make a whole slew of new fans, while accomplishing the major feat of getting a festival crowd to be stone silent while they listened to Cowden weave her musical spells. It was awesome.

The Spirit Of Venice Awards were appropriately given out at the Locals stage, and I was so happy to see my friend, Edizen Stowell of Venice Paparazzi, receive her richly deserved honor.

WIth a break in the music, it was time for a quick lap to see what and who else we could see. The kids area down at Westminster was very popular for families, though the Ferris wheel looked a little rickety for my taste. Also on Westminster was an area for the chalk artists, a Gary Palmer spearheaded project that hopes to become its own fun festival soon.

Kids were taking part in a big colorful chalk mandala, exactly the kind of participation and color you want to see during your neighborhood festival.

After a quick spin through the Roosterfish, and stopping every few feet to greet a new old friend, we made it back to Andalusia to see Matt Ellis and his band blaze through their set.  Ellis organized the Locals stage, so it was beautifully curated with all our talented friends playing. His own set was a true highlight of the day, as our gang all congregated and danced around. Ellis and his wife/bandmate Vavine arrived in Venice ten years ago exactly, and the Festival was their welcome to town, so it was extra special to have them playing at it.

With all the hoopla of the day, I have to envy a kid who can sleep this soundly through it all. Beckett wins! I bet he had awesome dreams.

The great National Anthem played next, a fun and purely rocking set. My friend Quinn's reaction was not a good review of the band, it just got loud.

I kept running into long, lost faces, and to me, that is the very best part of the Abbot Kinney Festival. We always call it "Venice Thanksgiving", and this year was no different. People will avoid AKB all year, but they'll come back for the Festival. And they'll have a blast.

It's great to live right around the corner now, so we can have a headquarters. A place to take a break, use the bathroom, get out of the sun, take a nap, make road drinks ... I did none of that myself, but it was nice to know I could. There was too much to do to hang out at home!

Our friends and neighbors Nocona headlined the Locals stage, and have quickly become one of our favorite bands after complete throw down shows at block parties earlier this year. We love them.

I also love that their kids and their kids' friends all play instruments, and are gearing up to take on the Locals stage for years to come. This year it was enough for them to watch their parents rock.

The sun began to set on the 2015 Festival, but things only got more heated up. Crowds flocked to all the watering holes and beer gardens up and down the street, DJs took over for bands, and everyone either kept dancing, or stumbled off to watch the lunar eclipse go down (I did the former and totally forgot about the eclipse until it was too late - oh, well.).

The annual sweep down the street by the lights and sirens came along to clear out the people, and with it, the clanking of the tent poles dismantling for another year.

It was a completely beautiful day in every way, made most so by all the beautiful, wonderful people that came out to celebrate our home. I don't think of the Abbot Kinney Festival as a celebration of the boulevard, but as a celebration of the man, Abbot Kinney. As an all day opportunity to toast the cool dude who created the playground where we now dwell, and thank him for it.

On days like yesterday, you forget about any differences among us and our individual ideas and ideals for Venice, and just get down with your people. Gratefully.

Cheers to another year of the Abbot Kinney Festival, and to all of us - for being there, and for being Venice.

Yo Santa Monica? The Selling Of Yo Venice.

A couple of weeks ago I started getting texts and emails from bothered, annoyed, and downright disgruntled friends in Venice, over a snarky little article posted on Yo Venice. In all honesty, I haven't really paid much attention to Yo Venice, since its founder, Bret Haller, passed away from cancer just over a year ago. It just felt different, you know? And now it IS different, because Heller's family sold the site to a corporate media group, that also owns the Santa Monica Mirror. Much like the Jules Muck mural of Haller has now been a bit defaced by graffiti, so now too has his site been defaced.

After all complaints I was hearing about this article, and about the new Yo Venice itself, I had to go read the thing. I won't bother reprinting the smarm, because it's infuriating, but you can read it here. If you want.

Its author, Steve Stajich (who I understand lives and works in Santa Monica), ends his bitchy top ten list with "Thanks for the chuckle, Venice. Now, everybody, back to work." Ooooh. Really, dude? Right there he lets us know that he is not OF Venice, so probably shouldn't be writing for a site that represents Venice. And should certainly not be ripping on the town and its sense of fun and freedom. Then, later in the week, I was at lunch in Santa Monica and saw that the exact same article was in the print version of the Santa Monica Mirror! So Yo Venice basically now IS the Santa Monica Mirror. Which I don't read.

That is what the whole topless sunbathing thing is really about. We don't WANT to be Santa Monica. We want to live in a town that values and celebrates freedom and self-expression. We have a topless "Bare Your Breasts" march down the Boardwalk each Summer. We used to have a naked co-ed bike ride down the middle of the Abbot Kinney Festival every year. We had naked poetry readings on Wednesdays at Abbot's Habit. We've always pretty much done whatever we want (and can get away with) in the name of innocent fun and artistic freedom. Now, Money is killing the very spirit of Venice. It is all being threatened with extinction. Not only by the big monied pockets of people that don't get it, but also now, seemingly, by our own sources of news and information.

I was told that Yo Venice is now ran by "a Venice local", but no local I know would have ever dreamed of publishing that bratty article. Bret Haller would NEVER have let that thing get by. I've always loved Yo Venice (aside from the very nasty fake name chat room trolls I've been told about, but can't be bothered to pay attention to), but today I pretty much find myself missing and mourning the old site as much as I do my good friend, Haller.

No worries at all though. For up to the minute Venice info, go to the always awesome Venice Concierge. They're the REAL local deal.

As for Venice, itself ... it's up to all of us who love and care about it to keep it fun, to keep it free. If that means I'm sunbathing topless on the beach, so be it. For Bret, and for the future of Venice. I'll see you out there!

Butterface

We've been talking about people caring here in in Venice, and yesterday I heard the most beautiful example of this. I was riding down the Boardwalk when I ran into Edizen Stowell from Venice Paparazzi. After the greetings and hugs among the gang, we started chatting and wound up getting into how we both strongly believe that there is a sense of community here that is palpable, and actually informs how we live our daily lives. It was then that she said, "Listen to this ..."

Everyone has seen Edizen cruising around on her longboard with her skateboarding Bulldog, Butterface, alongside her. They were true buddies, like on a human scale. Well, poor Butterface had cancer, and last weekend her husband, Alex, called her while she was up in Canada celebrating her Mom's birthday to tell her that things did not look good for Butterface. Edizen got on the next flight out, and while waiting out a layover in Phoenix, had a nap and dreamed of Butter's face, and saw his eyes close. She called her husband and he told her they were waiting for her, but in reality Butterface had died two minutes earlier ... right when she dreamed of his eyes closing.

Edizen finally got home, where Alex broke the news to her. She was upset and crying, and at about 1:00 a.m. Alex went outside and asked for Edizen to join him. This is what she saw:


An anonymous neighbor had gone out at night and created this wonderfully touching mural of Butterface right on the side of their building! In close up, you can see that it says "Venice loved U Butterface". While Edizen was telling me this, both our eyes were welling up that the people of our community feel and care about each other to lengths that you're not even aware of sometimes, until you really need it.


Through the next day and on until right now, people have come by and put out candles, notes, little toy skateboards, and even a stick of butter!! Man.

This gem of a story gives Dogtown a whole new meaning ... and I couldn't be more proud of the compassion and sweetness that continues to endure in our home by the beach.

(and to the Anonymous painter ... THANK YOU for your caring heart.)