Eager to avoid getting behind the wheel after the parking ticket fiasco, I mailed a letter of dispute to the city's Parking Violations Bureau on Thursday morning before hopping on Line 1 of the Big Blue Bus to check out Venice Beach.
I strolled along the boardwalk, embracing the beach bum vibe while observing street performers court tourists for money. After trekking across the sand to the Pacific Ocean, I spent the next few hours alternating between getting a tan -- not that I needed one -- and walking along the shore. When I became bored with doing nothing (imagine that), I stopped by Muscle Beach with the hope of admiring the male physique up close. Unfortunately, because of the weather, it was closed, so I grabbed a bite to eat at Figtree's Café. There, I wasted the rest of my day munching on a turkey burger, enjoying a fruit crisp (their terminology for fruit salad), and gulping a Cheap Thrill -- a smoothie made of frozen yogurt, raspberry swirl, and banana, orange, and strawberry juices.
