Quiet Time In LA? Beach Please!

If you find yourself in LA and want to get away from the chaos and people but enjoy the beach, there's a cute, quiet, seaside little niche wedged between Venice and the airport called... Marina Del Rey.
 I have a lot of love and nostalgia for Marina Del Rey, I think it's a very beautiful spot that many Los Angelinos overlook; I mean, it doesn't have major landmarks or Hollywood status, there's not really a "tourist destination" in it, honestly it's mostly residential and quiet... and I think that's what I love.
I first fell in love with Marina Del Rey when I decided to explore the LA Bike Path that leads from Culver City to Marina Del Rey. At the time, I had just moved to Culver City and was biking around and exploring my new stomping grounds; I came across this gigantic concrete river thing called "Ballona Creek" and started biking down it and realized "OMG this thing leads from my house to the ocean, I know what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my time here". And that's pretty much what I did a few times a week—I biked to the beach. Can you blame me?

So this bike path led right into Marina Del Rey, literally onto a gorgeous pier with a 360° ocean view. I usually biked in the morning, before the cool air turned to direct sun, before traffic got heavier and the world felt more peopley. The bike path led through a thicket of natural preservation, and then into a pier; I would park my bike and walk to the very end of the pier and watch the seagulls hunt for food and wave at yachtsman steering their yacht around in the marina, I always watched them and wondered how that person ended up owning an yacht, and I'd dream that someday I'll own one, too. Still hanging onto that dream, by the way!

Marina Del Rey is very peaceful and serene, there must be a hundred different places you can sit and relax without being disturbed... from a grassy knoll at Burton Chance Park, to strolling around the Marina near Mother's Beach. Their beach isn't crowded at all, especially compared to neighboring beaches, you'll find plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the surf.
There are also countless places for lunch and dinner in MDR, including Fresh Brothers Pizza and one of my favorites—The Counter, a gourmet burger-builder place (totally vegetarian & vegan friendly!).

Sometimes roaming around LA feels like you're in a cycle of traffic, people, parking, and lines; it's nice to have places without all that crap (okay, minus the traffic, that s*it is everywhere!) and that isn't too far out of reach. If you're ever near the area, stop by for lunch somewhere and enjoy the view!