McNamara Travel Blog

Friday 27th Oct

It was another sunny and beautiful morning for our last day in the US. We headed out for a final beach walk before breakfast, taking a southerly route this time. Check out wasn’t until 3pm and we planned to spend the morning at Venice Beach taking two of the Detour walking tours.

The first walking tour was ok as it gave us a bit of history about the development of the Venice Beach area and it took us to some of the remaining Canals that we wouldn’t have found on our own. It was fascinating to think that the whole area was once just canals! The second tour was not quite as good but there were two highlights: one was seeing where Snapchat is located and we also saw Muscle Beach, where Arnold Schwarzenegger started at his body building career.

Last day under this sign

This is end of the ’10’; road from Florida in east to Santa Monica in west

Morning view of the Santa Monica Pier

Breakfast at the hotel; plenty here!

One of the murals of Venice Beach

Street modelled on St Mark’s of Venice, Italy.

To think that this 5-way intersection was once all canals!

One of the remianing Venice Canals

Lovely homes along the Venice Canals

More Venice homes

Another Canal Bridge shot

Snapchat offices in Venice Beach

Snapchat’s front door

Snapchat: only real clue is the security detail

‘Arnie’ photos from his Muscle Beach days!

Muscle Beach, Venice.

An oxymoron; don’t you think?