Though it’s been raining consistently as of late (and I’ve been a big baby about it), the first day of the year was too nice not to be outside. 70 degrees and sunny – exactly why people move to Los Angeles (and a few other reasons, perhaps).

So, after a quiet night spent in on New Year’s Eve, my husband and I hopped on our bikes the next morning and rode the 5 miles down to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a street in Venice chock full of small business and designer shops, ice cream joints, and restaurants. We really just needed to run a quick errand, but sometimes you have to make your happy, so I suggested we ride down there in the sunshine and get our bodies moving.

I generally can’t afford many of the high price shops on Abbot Kinney (though they are SO PRETTY), but there are some great ones for small gifts or household goods, like Burro, and the cutest paper boutique, Urbanic, for cards and stationary. The boulevard also holds the Artists & Fleas market every 2nd and 4th Saturday and boasts delicious treats like Blue Star Donuts AND Salt & Straw ice cream (THANK YOU PORTLAND).

Many of the shops were closed on New Year’s Day, so we grabbed a cup of Intelligentsia coffee, picked up eyeglasses (for him) and sunglasses (for me) from Warby Parker (my first nice pair!), ate big slices of pizza at Abbot’s Pizza Company, and hopped over to the Venice Canals (yes, kind of like Italy. This is the land of movie magic, is it not?). It was a leisurely day of no demands and the perfect way to kick off the new year.

If you’re around Venice, Abbot Kinney and the canals are definitely worth a stop. It’s a much nicer visit than the famous Venice Beach boardwalk (which to be honest, is kind of gross and not that exciting).

P.S. A slice of Copenhagen in LA and a pretty hike.

P.P.S. Fun fact: that bike you see up there? A couple of years ago, when it was virtually brand new, my bike was stolen from our apartment. Five months later the police called us from two hours away because SOMEONE TURNED IT IN. Miracles do happen (also, save your serial numbers, y’all).

-wonderland sam

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