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Venice

American neighborhoods are changing, growing and re-defining themselves. Nowhere is this more evident than in Venice, California, where one of Los Angeles' most sophisticated and affluent creative enclaves sits side-by-side with a traditional working class community. This contrast has become even more stark recently, as residents build sustainable architectural homes in densely populated areas of Oakwood, which was once segregated by a covenant and was home to the Venice 13.

Despite all these contradictions, Venice remains a magical spot not only to the tourists that flock to its beaches year after year, but also to those-rich or poor-that call Venice their home.

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Featured

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Roy Choi: The Early Days of Kogi BBQ
The recent surge in mobile food has brought many unique food experiences including "Kogi". But no matter where they are parked, Chef Roy Choi, co-founder of Kogi, feels Venice is home
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Robin Murez: Resident
Robin Murez resides in the last green space on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Ironically, along a street lined with decadent shops and gourmet restaurants, sits an open studio space behind a protective chain link fence.
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Eames Foundation: Preserving the Legacy
The work of Charles and Ray Eames would make an everlasting impression on American architecture, design, and film .Grandson and filmaker, Eames Dimitrios now manages the Eames Foundation.
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Pischon Jones and Barbershop
On Abbot Kinney--Pischon was forced to relocate his barbershop due to rent hikes. Jones is disappointed, and relishes the days when locals would play dominos and chat outside his barbershop.
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Hal's Bar and Grill: A Local Eatery
Hal's Bar and Grill has remained a staple for Venice locals Abbot Kinney Boulevard for over twenty years.
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Glencrest Bar-B-Que: An Abbot Kinney Original
Very little remains of the 'original' locally run shops and restaurants in Venice. However, Chris Featherstone of Glencrest BBQ has served southern style food for over twenty years.
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Pacific Jewish Center
The Pacific Jewish Center struggled as Jewish establishments and synagogues closed. As the Venice boardwalk transformed from a broken beach community into a bustling strip, the center remained the last synagogue in Venice
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David Rusch: First Lutheran Church
The First Lutheran Church of Venice is ironically set in a community where art and surfing could be considered religion.
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Beyond Baroque: Literature and Poetry Center
Located in the old Venice City Hall, built in 1906, is LA's preeminent center for literature and arts directed by Fred Dewey.
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Pacific Resident Theatre
Theatre may considered lost to some, but not at the Pacific Resident Theatre thanks in part to the enthusiasm of theatre director Marilyn Fox.
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Mike Newhouse: Venice Neighborhood Council
Laws passed by city council often have little to do with the neighborhood they represent and many opinions differ over issues of privacy, parking, and homelessness.President of the Venice neighborhood council, Mike Newhouse mediates these meetings.
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Debra J.T. Padilla: Executive Director, SPARC
Chicano activist Debra J.T. Padilla drove her mint-condition 1964 Ford Galaxy from Deming, New Mexico, to Venice to become the new Executive Director of SPARC in 1993
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