The Win-Dow - Excellent Cheap Eats In Venice!

There could not possibly be a more beautiful day than today in Venice, California. It's only Thursday (Little Friday!), but the holiday weekend seems to already be ON. The Boardwalk is packed. The Skatepark is packed. The bike path is packed. And the line at the new burger spot, The Win-Dow, on Rose Avenue was looong.

The Win-Dow is exactly that - a window to order, and a window to pick up, and you either take your food to go, or sit on little plastic chairs in the parking lot of the former Ranch Market and La Fiesta Brava space, which most everyone on this gorgeous day chose to do.

The new endeavor from Superba and Pitfire Pizza's Paul Hibler is open now, and the adjacent larger restaurant - American Beauty - is coming soon. I ran into Hibler in the parking lot as I was waiting for my lunch, and when I thanked him for providing a new place with actually affordable food in Venice (the burgers are $3.95!), he smiled and said, "I said I was going to do it, so I did." And we can all be glad.

The burgers are excellent. Basic cheeseburgers with super-soft buns, grilled with onions, so there's a slight White Castle vibe - in a good way. The fries are my favorite kind - thin, crisp, and hot. The lemonade is fresh, and the perfect way to wash down the food. There's a vegan burger and kale salad for the healthier options, and a fried chicken sandwich that is going to be my next conquest. I'm impressed.

The service was super friendly, as was the vibe in the parking lot, with friends and neighbors greeting each other as they enjoyed the sunshine. You wouldn't have been surprised if a dance party had broken out right there on the blacktop ... the day had that kind of feel. Stoked.

I carried on with my day, fully sated, and more than happy to report that The Win-Dow is awesome. I'll see you there again soon!

The Win-Dow
425 Rose Avenue
Venice
11 am - 7 pm Daily

Sunshine In The Rain

It's rainy and cold and it will most likely all blow past by tomorrow, but in the shivering of today, enjoy some bright sunshine from the other day ...

Brought to you by the Venice Art Walls and Dschianojr ... take a gander and feel your heart warm up and your spirits lift.

The sun will be back tomorrow.

Two Sides Of Venice

There are a lot more than two sides to Venice, really, but when I was out walking to my friend's house yesterday, I saw two examples of some stark differences right by each other. The first was natural beauty that was so stunning, you simply had to stop and stare. I love a hibiscus, and this one was among the top ones I've ever seen. Pink and orange and perfect there in the sunshine, it made you think about how almost heartbreakingly beautiful Venice can be.

Then, right around the corner I saw a trash can out for pick up, and the people had written on its side just exactly how they feel: We do what we want. We don't care ... Fuck the System. It's hard to disagree with ... and kind of how I've always thought of Venice. We do what we want ... we don't care what others think ... and most of us moved here because we don't agree with the system everywhere else. Only now it's starting to BE like everywhere else here a bit ... and that's why I think people get so upset, and so protective, and so argumentative ... because you're either feeling the uniqueness of Venice slipping away - or among the ones making that happen. Both are at odds. And the new ones that are trying to make Venice like everywhere else just don't get it. There's a long history of beauty, and art, and rebels, and music makers ... and the dreamers of dreams who want to live somewhere special, like nowhere else. In our Venice. In our COMMUNITY of like-minded friends and neighbors.

Beauty. Rebellion. That's my Venice. For as long as we can make it so.

Love For The Weekend

The rain has passed by, the sun is out, and the weekend is upon us. With all that's going nuts in the global world at the moment, the fact remains that we MUST seek out the love that still remains.

There was a nice little reminder of that at the graffiti walls (By @lovecrew), that we would all do well to carry with us in our minds this weekend. There is the massive anti-gun March For Our Lives tomorrow where we all will proclaim #ENOUGH, and if you can't make it to your local march, there are plenty of ways to show your love and support for each other every day. There are SO many problems happening on a global scale, but if we can remember the love at the root of all of us, we can still persevere.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ... and I send you all this love - unconditionally. Pass it on.

The 50th Annual Festival Of The Chariots!

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a Hare Krishna parade, that's for sure. The 50th Annual Festival Of The Chariots brightened up Venice in their yearly celebration that brings music and color to all of Venice, regardless of religious affiliation.

You'll most likely never see most Venetians with shaved heads and saffron robes chanting "Hare, Hare, Krishna!", but that doesn't stop anyone from dancing and parading along with the monks of the order. I've been out of town for the last few festivals, so it was a delight to attend again yesterday for their milestone jubilee anniversary celebration.

My favorite part every time is when the unsuspecting tourists see this spectacle come upon them. Everything stops as the enormous, marigold-bedecked floats pass by, pulled along by Hare Krishna devotees. Everyone chants and sings and bangs drums and blow horns and the whole thing is just a visual and aural kaleidoscope of positive energy. You can see the wonder and surprise on all of the visitors' faces as the parade envelops them in a massive group hug. It's special, even if you've seen it all 50 times.

I saw a bunch of old friends, kids waving from atop their Dad's shoulders, tourists on tip-toe aiming for the best angle to capture this - to them - once in a lifetime deal. As the procession went along, it picked up more and more revelers, as passersby and the general Boardwalk crowd would join in and walk and clap alongside their fellow fun havers.

The only drag in the whole day - as it is every year - is the group of protesters that hold up their hellfire signs and yell through bullhorns about how we'll all burn in hell. Um. Yeah. Here's a whole group of happy people dancing and singing together in the sunshine, holding workshops about enlightenment, offering a free vegan feast to all who wish to partake, with everyone calling each other "Brother" and "Sister" - and they're the ones going to Hell.

 I highly doubt it, and also highly doubt that Jesus would condone the foul behavior of the (mainly middle-aged white angry biker looking men) Bible thumping agitators. But you know what, Free Speech. And the cops are there to separate the two factions, should it get out of hand, but mostly all the Hare Krishna party just laughs at them and their signs with the black metal fonts insisting on gloom and doom. Dumb.

The hatred was easily forgotten, however, in light of the explosion of color and joy that was going on all around.

Giant crowds lined up to get plates of vegan dishes (I see they've added Hawaiian shaved ice and cheese pizza to the mix now days so parents can get their kids to partake, I assume), watch the dancers, listen to the music, get faces and hands henna painted, , look at all the gorgeous saris and costumes, shop for similar stuff from India in the pop-up Govinda's store, and/or partake in the many workshops and speaker tents filling you in on what exactly this group of people believe. It's always felt a little cult-y to me, but I can't really be mad at any religion that is spreading the love like this, and in such a fun way.

There was much to do and see, but then, there always is in Venice. I had an important bloody mary meeting at The Townhouse I had to keep, and another, even more pressing engagement on the sand and in the sea (my Sunday worship) that was crucial that I get to in a timely fashion (and then a stint at Hinano's to make it a perfect Sunday in Venice!), so I had to leave the Hare Krishnas to it, and thank them for another excellent celebration in the heart of Venice.


Here's to 50 more!

A Living Wall

This weekend was so gorgeous, it was pretty unbelievable. Everything felt Summery and festive, the beaches were packed, and the winds were tropical. I felt happy just looking out the window. On the way to the beach, I took a new route just for fun, and passed by this incredible living wall surrounding a home on Olive Street.

What a great idea, to cover your walls with living plants! The house it surrounds is actually pretty dark and severe looking (and big), but this wall livens up the whole thing, with the added bonus of being natural! I think it's great.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, wherever you are, and that this new week shows you something surprising and beautiful and inspiring as well. Or even a few somethings! Good luck!

Real Springtime In Venice!

Spring has sprung in Venice, and as we celebrated the vernal equinox yesterday, the spring in everyone's step was extra noticeable. The flowers are bursting out all over, and the smell is jasmine and mock orange (my very favorite) wafts everywhere on a breeze. It couldn't be more lovely.

As we know our days are numbered at The Roosterfish, we made that be our afternoon sunny spot. People were partying in the daytime, perhaps feeling it even more since we know these times are precious. We ate our awesome $3.00 burgers out on the back patio (try to find that anywhere else on the boulevard anymore!) and clinked our glasses together in the sunshine, thoroughly enjoying being in the very present moment.

When the sun shifted and the late afternoon grew chillier, we took it inside to my friend David's office, where they create virtual reality. You can tramp around on an Icelandic countryside. You can go to a virtual fortune teller. You can fly over animals stampeding in Africa, with more than full 360 degree views, it's also up and down. It's interactive, so you're choosing your paths and adventures. It's nuts.

I think it's all super fun to see and do, but I worry that with all this technology, people won't get outside and do things for themselves anymore, they can just strap on a headset and go wherever they want. And become fat, unhealthy, sloth-like Wall-E people. A friend pointed out that it's great for those with disabilities, so they can experience all the same cool things able-bodied people can, which is true and great ... but still. It all makes me a little nervous. Especially when there are SO many great places and things to see and REALLY do, that ... I don't know. I'm mixed.

I'm mixed about a lot of things these days, with so much turmoil and division going on in the world. It's now that we really need - more than ever - to not only have real and special moments, but to appreciate them while we're in them. Like our awesome afternoon at The Roosterfish, together with good friends, all knowing and feeling the value of the time we were spending.

Later on, after a wonderful outdoor dinner with friends next to a fire pit, I was back home thinking about it all. I recalled a quote from Jack Kerouac's Big Sur:

"On soft spring nights I'll stand in the yard under the stars - Something good will come out of all things yet - And it will be golden and eternal just like that - There's no need to say another word."

The Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club Rally

The roar of what sounded like a thousand motorcycles woke me up bright and early on Saturday morning, as what turned out to be over 200 Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club bikers took off for their morning ride up the coast, kicking off the day's VVMC Rally.

The Farmer's Market location was turned into a mini-Sturgis for the day, as bikes lined the parking lot and motorcycle-related booths showed off their wares. A heat wave enveloped the Southland over the weekend, and Venice has never been hotter, both temperature and fun-wise.

 

There was live music and a festive atmosphere going on all day, I saw as I passed by on the way to the beach (there is simply no way to not get in the water when it's hot and awesome like this, so I had a beach day first). Noting the fun, I let the gang know that day's beach day would be the condensed version.

I got there just in time for the Pin-Up Contest, where a slew of hot retro-looking ladies vied for the title of the Venice Vintage Pin-Up Girl for 2014. Bikes and chicks ... lots of guys were happy in Venice this day.

Hosted by Nik Rae Falco, the girls took their struts across the stage, where ultimately, Miss Luci was crowned Miss Venice Vintage, and received her banner, applause and whistles.

There was a special guest judge, friend and actress, Drea De Matteo. It was great to see her again, sporting her Trim swag in support.

It was a blast to catch up with old friends, while the House and PBR beer and Sailor Jerry lines were steady all day long, keeping the proceedings pretty upbeat and rowdy.

There was an awesome band (who no one seemed to know what they were called) of tweenage kids, playing covers from Rage and The Chili Peppers ... making both my day, and the future secure.

I had Brook from Minnesota visiting, so it was the perfect day to show off all the fun and hijinks that go on around town. She was not disappointed.

The VVMC donated a fresh, brand new motorcycle to be raffled off, and it was won by actor, Jason Lewis (of Sex and The City fame), who had told his friend earlier in the day, "If I win that bike, I'll give it to you." Well, he did, and he did! How great is that? You can feel the fun and friendship coming right off of this photo, with the little girl sitting on the winner's bike...

 

It was fun for all ages, as I saw grandmas in wheelchairs, the most darling kids on the planet, and everyone in between.

Then it was time for the Hell City Rockers to rock the event to a close, and they blazed through a set that had everyone dancing, fists raised.

The day had turned golden, with that California light that you just don't see anywhere else, and we really all were out there having fun, in the warm, California sun. All day.

It was fun to see the husband and wife team of Hell City's Carter Falco being cheered on by our Mistress of Ceremonies, Trim's Nik. A very Venice family, for sure.

We could have listened to the Hell City jams all night, but there were after-parties and Saturday night things to get into (and probably permits that said to stop at 6 pm), so things actually wound up as the event wound down.

A great day, morning 'til night ... and yet another reason why we love to live, work and play here.

Thanks to all at the VVMC, and all the sponsors, volunteers, performers and riders who made the day so extra fun (But aren't biker people supposed to be partiers? Can the morning ride start a little later next year? Just wondering ....) Vrooom!

Today Is Beautiful

Just look!

Counting blessings, every single day. Especially in January.

The Good Times Roll ...

The sun kicked its way back out today, and everyone's in a good mood about it here in Venice ... everything, too. Check out this little VW Bus on the corner:


Ahhhh. Exactly how I feel today. Attitude of gratitude.

Now right around the corner, it's less clear what this car is feeling, but it made ME smile at least:


You know you're in the right spot when even the cars have real (and sometimes split) personalities.

Good times.



*NOT good times? The Red Sludge poisoning the Danube River right now... And the filth covering our beaches today after the rain. C'mon, People. We don't have to be done with Earth just yet! Try a LITTLE harder every day, PLEASE! For more good times.