Break for Summer - On Abbott Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA

Once one of those arty backwaters, Abbott Kinney Boulevard is now approaching peak glam

with (tear down) homes in the neighborhood starting at a million dollars, and a boho chic atmosphere

where bicycles, flip flops, bespoke coffees and

pizzas reign......

Where flowers are sold from the backs of camper vans.

And modest little gates lead to secret hideaway retail destinations......

Of course the flip flops are not your dime store variety.  They have to have a little attitude

  and atmosphere and BRANDING - a Brazilian flag doesn't hurt in that regard.

The plantings on Abbott Kinney Boulevard are more elegant and more tidy and more

d-e-s-i-g-n-e-d  than anywhere else in L.A.

And the exotic cement tile rage has taken hold big-time.

Abbott Kinney is only about a half a mile from Venice Beach so it's never not the season for bikinis.  Especially if they're in bleu-blanc-rouge for Francophiles and all those other Frenchies who flock to this seaside neighborhood.  (And open lovely little Francophone schools for preschoolers.)

Some are trying harder than others to evoke the atmosphere of summer holidays.

This location was in transition - shall we put it nicely?

Making a stand commercially, on Abbott Kinney can be very expensive and if you don't get the formula quite right....it might be ruinous.

Making a stand horticulturally

or artistically - not so much!  (That's the good news.)

You will find lots of lanky and handsome shoppers on Abbott Kinney Boulevard.

Abbott Kinney is as much now a destination for tourists-from-abroad as for lucky locals.

 (Thanks to Suzanne at SakuraSnow who reminded me of this artist's name)

It can also be a showcase for artists and makers such as Makoto Kagoshima, a Japanese ceramicist.

 - I also loved how he did the walls with scraps of blackboard paint.

Could you - or I - do this at home?  Yes we could!  I would like that!

You will be tempted by both the luxe and the

laid-back.....

The glistery - AND always the green

The new

and the notable.

On Abbott Kinney Boulevard you will be inclined to feel that

LIFE IS A BEACH and that a visit there is like a summer holiday.  Wherever you're coming from.

Yes.  I'm talking about: Happy Faces All Around.  

Abbott Kinney is worth the detour on your next visit to L.A.  Be prepared for great visuals and bring a generous credit limit!  It's a nice complement to seafront wanderings (Previous Venice posts here).

I hope your summer is going well.  Wherever you are!