Getting your ‘freak on’ in Venice Beach

It’s an unseasonably warm late winter Sunday on the boho beach strip of Venice Beach.

I’m standing along the bustling Ocean Front Walk when a man named Frank comes up to me and says: “Man, you gotta get your freak on. It’s Venice Beach.”

I should have known better as I’m standing across from the Venice Beach Freak Show – a circus of “oddities, wonders and curiosities”.

He’s right, of course. Venice is LA’s melting pot of the buff, the beautiful, artists, hippies, hipsters and everyone else in between. For me Venice is where Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison met and formed The Doors in 1965 and set about “projecting the feel of the future”.

It’s not hard to see why they loved this place. The pair made it their home after graduating from University of California, Los Angeles, and found an endless well of inspiration to fuel their dark, psychedelic soundtrack to songs of poetry, sex and death. While walking along the boardwalk I’m taking in the beach scene: the transience, the colour and the panoply of people thronging (or should that be longing) to take in a whiff of what inspired one of the most influential bands of the 1960s.

As I walk around, the main smell I’m getting is a pungent cocktail of incense, marijuana and ocean air and yet I can’t help but warm to this crazy playground for all things raffish and outlandish.

A little further on I find 14 Westminster Avenue where Morrison lived with his friend Denis Jacobs. Legend has it the Lizard King used to feverishly write lyrics for many of the band’s future hits and sleep on the roof after tripping out on LSD. Today it’s a neat set of apartments called, not surprisingly, the Morrison Apartments.

Strolling around the streets of Venice constantly throws up the unexpected. How about a Gothic brothel (El Bordello Alexandra) featuring a rooftop of gargoyles and satyrs and centurions guarding the front door? I’m later told it’s now a set of apartments with rents of up to $US2500 ($A3500) a month. Or a manikin’s legs planted upside down in the well-kept garden of a bungalow?

After walking on the wild side I head across to South Venice Boulevard, starting at Dell Avenue, for a taste of the mild side around Venice’s canals. Yes, there’s a street named the Grand Canal but there are no gondolas despite Abbot Kinney’s original plan to evoke the old world charm of Italy’s famous city. Instead there’s expensive real estate and eclectic architecture in what is one of LA’s coolest neighbourhoods. The late Dennis Hooper was a long-time resident while Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Tim Robbins, Robert Downey Jr and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone all have properties around the 4km stretch of canals.

I chat with a resident, Ross, who tells me that the calm of the canals and its proximity to the beach scene are what makes the area hot property.

“There are so many successful people who live around this neighbourhood. I think for them, living here maybe offers them some peace and seclusion – a place to unwind.

“Sure, Venice is a wild place but the canals are on the relaxing side of the bizarre,” he laughs, before adding, “I think that’s what the celebrities around here really treasure.”

Be warned though, you might need a spare $US2 million or so to buy a small two-bedroom cottage in reasonable condition, otherwise a walk around this unique district is free.

IF YOU GO:

GETTING THERE: Los Angeles airport is about half an hour from the beaches of Santa Monica. Qantas is offering return flights from Sydney to Los Angeles from $A1199. Business class starts at $A8469. Details: qantas.com

PLAYING THERE: From Santa Monica to Venice Beach is about 3km. You can walk, take the bus or hire a bike and ride along the South Bay Bicycle Trail, a 35km-long stretch taking in Venice Boardwalk via Hermosa and Redondo beaches to Torrance County Beach. It’s the longest oceanfront beach path of its kind in the world.

STAYING THERE: Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, located on Wilshire Boulevard is a four-star hotel in the downtown area with excellent views looking across to Santa Monica beach. Details: fairmont.com/santa-monica

* The writer travelled as a guest of Visit California and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism.

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Venice Beach