Venice Beach is something special. These photos were taken at the Boardwalk where locals and tourists alike, flock to take in the experience. People are selling their wares and there's always performance artists around doing backflips and breakdancing or yelling at patrons to check out the famed Freakshow. Tacky t-shirt shops dot the graffiti-adorned promenade, hippies sell crystals and the skatepark is always buzzing. People play Dominoes under the palm trees while muscle maniacs frequent the outdoor gym and couples ride bikes or rollerblade past food shops that deep-fry Twinkies. The atmosphere is happy and exciting. I loved the day I spent rummaging through vintage clothing and people-watching. If I lived there, I'd go there all the time to snap photos. It's not just a hipster's paradise, this is where people from all walks of life come to hang out. I recall hearing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika blasting from somewhere, proving that one is never really all that far from home.