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There is a sandy, three-mile beach here but that is not what attracts visitors. You go to Venice to shop and gawk. During the busy summer season and especially on weekends, there is entertainment at every intersection along Ocean Front Walk. And walk you should. It is congested, gritty and well-worn. Some call it a boardwalk but it really is paved. If you arrive via the bike trail, you may be forced to get off and walk in the Venice Pavilion area because the skate and foot traffic sometimes is too thick to negotiate.

You haven't seen it all until you've seen Venice. Street performers include instrumental musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, prophets, fortune-tellers and other assorted freaks. Some are trying to make a break for themselves into show business; others just want to make a few bucks for rent and food. Some vendor may try to sell you a fake Rolex. Watch the parade of people and watch out for pickpockets. Check out the tricolor hairdos, painted faces, weird tattoos and outlandish clothing -- or lack of it. It is a virtual sidewalk circus.

There are lots of funky shops too, if you want to buy an unusual souvenir or T-shirt. There are courts for basketball, handball, shuffleboard and paddle tennis. Muscle Beach is a special area with bleachers where bodybuilders pump iron in a public show of strength. Unfortunately, gangs have used Venice as a gathering place in recent years and crime is getting worse. So don't bring valuables or credit cards that might get swiped.

Go south of the closed Venice Pier if you want the beach more to yourself. But street parking is difficult to find as you get closer to the Marina del Rey entrance channel, where you must make a U-turn. -- Los Angeles Times