The Ocean Front Walk — everyone calls it the boardwalk, though it is paved — runs for about a mile along the sand and is the stage on which Venice performs itself. Street musicians, henna artists, fortune tellers, caricaturists, and vendors of every description line the inland side, while the beach, the skate park, and the Muscle Beach gym fill the seaward edge. It is loud, occasionally seedy, and never dull.
It is at its best in the late afternoon as the light goes gold and the crowds thicken. Cyclists and skaters use the separate beach path just to the west; pedestrians should stick to the walk itself. Keep an eye on your belongings and your expectations loose — the show is free and the people-watching is the main event.