Gym's Ramblings: Fall 2023 - October Meanderings: Marina Del Rey

Marina Del Rey

The desert south of Las Vegas is rather uninspiring, until you cross the state line into California. Here you notice that Joshua trees dot the landscape of ridges and gullies that lead up towards Victorville. From there, the I-15 continues west and skirts around Mount San Antonio, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. And then voila, you are in Greater Los Angeles area.

Gym left the I-15 in San Bernardino and then negotiated a spiderweb of LA freeways, on his way to the coast. As he sped along on freeway numbers 210, 605, 105, 405 and 90, Gym hummed along with the voice of Jerry Jeff Walker, singing "LA Freeway" in his mind:

"If I can just get off of this LA Freeway; without getting killed or caught...".

With a great sense of relief, Gym eventually left the SR90 and glided onto Admiralty Way. He had arrived in the Los Angeles seaside neighbourhood of Venice. Here, bracketed by Marina Del Rey and the Venice Canals, he had cruised into a very idyllic slice of the city. He checked into the Marina Del Rey Marriott which faces the marina and is only a few short blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Three nights had been booked here in the hotel and the trusty SUV was given a long, well-earned rest.

Over the next 3 days, our hero and his fetching companion walked all around Venice. They wandered over to the Venice Canals and checked out that unique upscale community where waterfront homes go for millions of dollars. They walked out to the end of the Fisherman's Pier. Most of the arms of the marina were explored and they dined at the decades old Tony P's Dockside Grill next to the Yacht Club on Admiralty Way. They also strolled along the Ocean Front Walk, from Venice Beach all the way to Santa Monica. They checked out the Venice Boardwalk. Muscle Beach, the Venice Skateboard Park, the Santa Monica Pier and they climbed up and across Palisades Park. Crossing Ocean Drive after their longest hike they celebrated with a cocktail in the historic Miramar Hotel. The weather was very pleasant the whole time they were there and since it was October, it wasn't very crowded anywhere they went.

That very pleasant stay was the apex of the trip and after Gym checked out of the hotel he would begin the long return trip home. On the way back they would stop again in Las Vegas for another Raider's home game and then would spend some time in Springdale, Utah to check out Zion National Park.