Well, it’s much like what its name implies; it’s a bus that travels on water taking passengers to various stops along the way; public transit at its finest.

Where can you find the WaterBus?

It’s only available at the harbor at Marina del Rey. Of course, you can’t catch it just anywhere. Just as with any “normal” bus, the WaterBus has stops:

• Fisherman’s Village
• Burton Chace Park
• Waterfront Walk / Fire Station #110
• Marina Beach
• Dolphin Marina
• Esprit 1
• Marina Harbor

If you’re a map person like me, this will help:

When can you catch the WaterBus?

It’s only available on the weekends during the summer from now – September 7^th

• Fridays: 5:00pm to midnight
• Saturdays: 11:00am to midnight
• Sundays and Labor Day: 11:00am – 9:00pm
• Summer Concert Series (Thursday nights): 5:00pm – midnight
• Labor Day: 11:00am – 9:00pm

Okay, so now you know the what, where, and when of the WaterBus. What about the Why?

1. You get a bird’s eye view of the marina

2. You get to sit back and enjoy the ride

3. You’re using public transportation

4. It’s quick and easy

5. It only costs $1.00 one way

I took my first WaterBus trip when I was on my Marina del Rey bike ride, and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

During my bike ride in Marina last week, a family asked how me how to get to Venice. At the time, I was on a side street off the beaten path, and really wasn’t sure how to answer. In fact, I told them I thought Venice was about 4 miles away. Then they pulled out a map, which showed it was much closer. I was surprised. After all of us consulted the map, we figured out the best way for them to get there was via Ocean Avenue.

However, I wondered if there wasn’t a better and more scenic way to get from Venice to Marina del Rey—and vice versa. As yours truly loves to do Travelin’ Local’s research, this project was no different.

Is it possible to go from Venice to Marina del Rey via the Venice Canals and Ballona Creek?

Because I was totally new to this section of Ballona Creek, and have only been to the Canals twice before, I wasn’t completely knowledgeable about the best course to get from one place to another–but, I quickly learned.

After you enter the Venice Canals from Venice Boulevard, take a break and enjoy a walk through the canals. If it’s your first time here, you might want to look around as well. If you’re just going to Marina del Rey, just keep heading straight.

Once you reach Washington Boulevard, you’re faced with two choices–the obvious one is taking the trail to the left, but there’s also a trail on the right. Take the one to the left:

As you can see by the construction material in the photo, the ongoing restoration of the plant ecosystem is being heralded by volunteers. Here’s a photo taken on June 26^th, via the Ballona Institute’s facebook page:

If you noticed the trail on the right side, you can walk it for a while, until, at the end, you’ll find this:

I admit, this is a beautiful scene, except for the end of the sidewalk–it would be great if a walking bridge was built here connecting this trail with the trail on the other side of the lagoon.

But, by following the trail on the left as mentioned above, you’ll discover this trail also ends, sort of. After you pass a high rise apartment building, the trail turns into Via Dolce Street.

Turn right here and follow the sidewalk. You can’t see the canal, but Via Dolce leads right to the orange house at the far left of the photo above. That’s where the trail starts up again, leading past the beautiful scenery, bird habitats, and wonderful architecture.

From here, you can see where I made my earlier mistake:

See the sidewalk that ends on the right– I was standing there a few minutes ago.

To help you retrace and show my hike from Venice to Marina del Rey, I traced my steps and put them in the map below:

View Walking from Venice to Marina del Rey in a larger map

What will you find once you reach Marina del Rey or in the alternative what will you do once you reach Venice and its beautiful canals?

Amazing that each of the two beautiful spots are less than 2 miles away. To make a day of it, take your bike along and do the Marina del Rey Biking Route. Just be ready to walk your bike for a while. No bikes are allowed on the Ballona Creek Walking Trail.

What can I say? I love living in Los Angeles!

So this past Sunday was my “Play Hard” day where I combined several different activities in one action packed afternoon of fun; I got my bike out and took the perfect Southern California bike ride at Marina del Rey.

My chosen route consisted of a scenic 5 miles, so it’s great for new riders who might be a little nervous about riding a long distance. Plus, for those riders who are a little nervous about street riding, it includes super-wide street portions, providing essentially an entire lane to yourself.

If you want to make this route a tougher weekend warrior workout, the second beauty of this ride is that it passes through a park with a fitness course. So you can combine bike riding with some cross training. Be careful to not push yourself too hard as soreness can hasten sports injuries.

A 5 mile ride really encompasses an entire afternoon if you pack a picnic lunch, incorporate a cross training workout, and/or include time for hanging out for some serious sightseeing.

Let’s retrace my Sunday:

My starting and ending point for this ride is the small park at the end of Via Marina Street (see the map below). It’s a great spot to watch the boats go in and out of the Marina. There’s something soothing about watching the boats in the shining and aquatinted water. You can also catch a few rays, or walk to the end of the breaker.

As you ride up Via Marina, which includes a lane basically entirely unused by the cars, cyclists feel safe and secure. The harbor is on your right, so as you ride, you’ll get to check out all the boats in the queue waiting to be taken out on their next ride. Soon, you’ll approach a major intersection.  That’s Admiralty Way, so turn right.

Here the street gets a little narrower but there’s still plenty of room for bikers.  As you round the little bend in the road, you’ll see the Yvonne B. Burke Park, off to your left. Cross the street at the crosswalk, and from here, you’ll meet the Marvin Braude Beach Bikeway.

As you can see, paralleling the bike path is a jogging trail with an accompanying fitness course. As I mentioned above, here you can choose to have a more intense workout. There’s nothing better than enjoying the cool ocean breeze while working up a sweat and getting your body and muscles moving.

Because we’ve joined the popular Marvin Braude Beach Bikeway, a lot of other bicyclists are around. Being a bit of a bike enthusiast, I enjoy checking out what the other guy—or girl—is riding. In front of the Lloyd W. Taber Library, we’ll be crossing the street again.

From here, the bike path twists and turns through a parking lot, but with the Marina so close it doesn’t take too long before you’ll find yourself back on the street again, but this time, there’s a marked bike path. From this point you’ll be riding single file along Fiji Way, but if you’re hungry and didn’t pack a picnic, the local’s hangout, Fisherman’s Village, is just off to your right.

Continuing on the bike path, you’ll get to the end of Fiji Way where the Bikeway meets the Ballona Creek Bike Path. From there, you can continue on the Marvin Braude Beach Bikeway all the way down to Torrance.

But, if you’re only here for the afternoon, and if you have your picnic ready, then going to the Burton W. Chace Park is the best and easiest place to go.

Once you’re round the bend at the end of Fiji Way, you’ll be retracing the route.

Following the bike path further along, within a few minutes you’ll reach Mindanao Street. Here, instead of continuing on the bike path, make a left turn and head down the street. Ahead is a beautiful, quiet park with grassy slopes, and the perfect place for relaxing or having a picnic lunch.

After lunch, I got back on the bike path to return the same way I came, but today, I had something different in mind.

You see, Burton Chace Park is one of the stops on the Marina del Rey WaterBus route, (I’ll be writing more in depth about this later during the week), so for $1.00, I’m hopped onto the Water Bus boat that will take me back to the other side of the harbor, where I’m going to get back on my bike and ride back to my starting point.

I can’t think of a better ending to my bike ride than a boat ride, especially one that welcomes bike riders.

For a different view of the harbor, take the WaterBus ride before stopping off at the Marina Harbor stop, which is at Tahiti Way. Now, I’m only a few minutes from where my short ride started. If you’re looking for a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, try the same bike ride in Marina del Rey.

Here’s a map to help get you started and to replicate the above ride:

View Marina del Rey Bike Ride in a larger map

For the uninformed, they range in size and shape, can host up to who knows how many people, and they tend to have just about every common household gadget imaginable. Indeed, RVs have become a way of life for many people.

To plan a trip with an RV takes homework, but where can you truly enjoy the beach when in an RV?

At Dockweiler RV Park , to be sure!

A few days ago, Travelin’ Local covered the storied history and current services at Dockweiler Beach, but we omitted the RV Park that’s there. We felt it deserved a single story by itself.

As LA County’s only recreational vehicle campground on the beach, Dockweiler RV Park is located at 12001 Vista del Mar, in Playa del Rey, CA.

For RV aficionados they host complete hook-ups, a handy pump-out station, hot showers, and a laundromat.

Each campsite has its own picnic table and barbecue, so you can wake up in the morning, grab your coffee, and get your grill fired up for your meal of choice. Better yet, why not put on your bathing suit or get your surfboard and head 25 feet toward the Pacific ocean.

Here’s some basics you’ll need to know about the Dockweiler RV Park:

It’s year-round camping fees include the following:

• Front Row Full Hookup Space – $65 per day
• Middle Row Full Hookup Space – $60 per day
• Back Row Full Hookup Space – $55 per day
• More than 4 guests – $3 per person (maximum 8 guests per site)
• Pets – $3 per day (maximum 2 per site)
• Dump Station Use – $10
• Non-refundable Reservation Fee – $10 + first night’s deposit
• Early check-in fee – $17

Remember:

1. Reservations must be made at least 7 days in advance and must be arranged for with a maximum of 90 days from the arrival date. You can make a reservation by calling (800)950-7275 or (310)322-4951, during 9:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday. One permit is required for each space.
2. Check-in time is 1:00pm and check out time is Noon.
3. Permits are required for each space, including registration of additional vehicles.
4. Recreational Vehicle size limit is 37 feet.
5. Maximum 8 persons per site.
6. No tent camping is allowed.
7. Cancellation Fee – 1st days fee if not cancelled at least 7 days before arrival date.
8. No visitor or guest vehicle parking at any time.

Holiday Fee: $4 additional per day

NOTE:

1. Holiday Fee applies to the holiday, 3 days prior to the holiday and 3 days after the holiday. A minimum of a 3-day reservation is required during the 7-day holiday period. This includes Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
2. The only changes permitted to reservations that include these holidays are adding days and changing sites if the changes are made at least 7 days prior to the arrival date.
3. No refunds will be issued for reservations that include these holidays, even if cancelled 7 days in advance. Also, no refunds will be issued for checking out early once you have registered at the RV Park.
4. Please only reserve the dates that you need, and register only for the dates you can actually stay to avoid paying any unnecessary fees. Source: LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors

Because Dockweiler RV Park is open year-round, you can enjoy the beach while ringing in the New Year. There are a few rules and regulations you need to be aware of, but other than that, it’s all about relaxing, resting, reading, and reclining. Oh, you might want to throw in a little swimming, surfing, sunbathing, and sand castle building, too.

Over the next several weeks, Travelin’ Local will be heading to the beach, several beaches in fact to provide both locals and non-locals alike various tips, tours, history, and facts that you will want to know about them to fully be able to have as much fun in the sun as possible while remaining “in the beach loop.”

Dockweiler State Beach is just one of the 30+ beaches that line the Los Angeles County coastline. Named in honor of Isidore B. Dockweiler, a native born Angeleno, who lived in LA when it had a population of less than 4,500 people. Dockweiler was the father of 14 children, practiced law for 58 years, held numerous political positions, and was characterized by Will Rogers as "the Democratic Party of California".

In 1955, in memorization of him and his family’s contributions to the public, the California State Parks Commission renamed a portion of the then Venice-Hyperion Beach State Park to the moniker, the Isidore B. Dockweiler Beach State Park, commonly known as Dockweiler Beach.

If you plan on visiting Dockweiler Beach, here are a few of the amenities you’ll find there:

Barbecue grills
Bike path/trails access
Bus stop nearby
Disabled facilities
Firepits
Fishing
Food and drink
Lifeguard on beach
Parking lot
Picnic facilities
Playground equipment
Restrooms
Showers
Stairs to beach
Street parking
Surfing
Swimming
Volleyball
Windsurfing

With its 3.7 miles of ocean frontage, and 255 acres of beach, it’s virtually impossible not to to find something to do at Dockweiler State Beach. It’s located at 12501 Vista Del Mar in Playa del Rey, just across the street from Los Angeles’ Ghost Town.

Dockweiler Beach is one of the few beaches in Los Angeles County that allows bonfires. Just be sure you use the firerings provided.

Because Dockweiler Beach is open daily from 6:00am-10:00pm, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner while doing everything you have planned all on the beach.

Just bring your cooler and BBQ supplies, and you’ll be set. The majesty of the Ocean is right there for your permanent enjoyment.

Some might have hear about it, a few of the bikers who ride Vista del Mar between Marina del Rey and El Segundo have seen its high fence lined with barbed wire at the top.

On the other hand, maybe some visitors to Dockweiler Beach might have seen all the empty roads and high weeds that occupy the area, while getting out of their cars to head down toward the beach.

But there is a story behind that chain-link fence and those abandoned roads.

Its name is Palisades del Rey also known as Surfridge. What was once a community of 822 homes today stands as a reminder of progress, a remnant of the advent of jet planes.

Opened in 1928, Palisades del Rey soon became a popular spot for home builders. What’s not to love about the area–it’s close to the beach, has the cool ocean fresh breezes blowing through, and rolling hills abound.

However, around the same time, Mines Field, a small local airport, broke ground. By 1937, the City of Los Angeles purchased Mines Field and thus our Los Angeles International Airport aka “LAX” was born.

At that time, the airport was totally located east of Sepulveda Boulevard, so nobody expected that LAX would expand closer and closer to the Pacific Ocean. However as Los Angeles’ expansion and explosion in growth ensued, it started encroaching on the West.

The photo above, courtesy of Wikipedia, was taken in 2007. The white arrow is pointing to Palisades del Rey. See the empty streets? From this shot, Sepulveda Boulevard, where the airport first broke ground, isn’t even visible.

It is one of the classic and inevitable urban battles-airports verses the neighborhoods that feed into them. Playa del Rey became the worst-case scenario, a scarred place, a place of heavy losses, tears, lawsuits and hard negotiations over fair-market value.

New runways, various federal restrictions on jet landings and takeoffs, and potential liability for hearing loss were all part of the equation and problem for this once promising neighborhood. As a result, wonderful old buildings were knocked out, in other cases, moved in sections to other neighborhoods. Source: Los Angeles Times

In the late 1960s when the Palisades del Rey demolitions started, the average annual passenger volume at LAX was only about 7,000,000. Today, the number is approaching almost 60,000,000, making LAX the sixth largest airport in the world.

Now only 2 of the original 470 acres are in use, home to the El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve where an estimated 50,000 Blue Butterflies, an endangered species live.

Now when you come near the Los Angeles Ghost Town of Palisades del Rey, you’ll know what and why it is what it is.

What’s interesting is that someone hasn’t figured out a way to capitalize on this issue after all these years considering the price of land in prime Los Angeles beach areas is very expensive, and this area of over 400 acres is just sitting empty.

In the our ever moving city, perhaps doing nothing there is the right thing to do.

The two times I’ve previously visited this park, I had no trouble finding parking, and the weather and scenery were to die for.

I really don’t know why it’s not better known, but what’s not too love about it?

Del Rey Lagoon Park is the ending or beginning point, depending on how you look at it, of the Ballona Bike Trail. Across the bridge, you’re on your way to Culver City.

Although the park doesn’t have any basketball courts or baseball diamonds, it does have a Lagoon.

The lagoon is home for several varieties of water fowl ready for a stale loaf of bread, as this stately gentleman found out.

Playa del Rey Lagoon park also has a small playground for kids. Here a fine young fellow enjoying a game of hopscotch. The playground’s surface is made of some sponge like material for safety reasons, and after feeling its buoyancy, I felt compelled to jump up and down on it–I’m still a kid at heart.

Its swing set is useful, delightful, and well situated facing the beautiful homes alongside the coast.

When visiting here, don’t forget to bring your bathing suit and beach toys.

With the beach directly across the street, you can relax in the shade at Del Rey Lagoon one minute, and catch some rays at the tide’s seashore the next.

Just remember, there’s lots to see and do while Travelin’ Local, but:

Please do not climb trees.

During the 1930’s, the Army Corps of Engineers carved it into a large channel and lined all but its last couple of miles with concrete to speed the water’s flow to the ocean. An extensive system of drains, mostly underground, was built to funnel storm water into the creek. While these projects were effective in accomplishing the task at hand, the transformation of the creek from a natural waterway into a massive storm drain has broken a link in the ecological chain and severed the connection between the community and the land on which it resides.

With about 95% of Southern California’s original coastal wetlands have been destroyed or degraded, open space is a valuable and rare commodity in urban environments – especially in Los Angeles. The fact that California voters approved the purchase and rehabilitation of this area showed that the Californian’s want their environmental resources preserved.

The Ballona Wetlands are part of a 1,087-acre property that industrialist Howard Hughes used for aircraft production and testing.

In recent decades, the area has been degraded by manufacturing, farming and dredge spoils. Yet it has managed to remain a habitat for a number of endangered and threatened species, including the California brown pelican and the Belding’s savannah sparrow.

The idea that this land could ever be preserved and restored for wildlife purposes would have been a complete shock to Howard Hughes and to many other leaders in Los Angeles over the years. It represents a shift in attitude and a shift in Los Angeles’ vision of itself and its future.

Today, Ballona Creek is a nine-mile-long flood control channel. It drains the Ballona Creek watershed, which covers approximately 130 square miles: from the Santa Monica mountains on the north to the Baldwin Hills on the south, and from the Harbor Freeway (110) on the east to the Pacific Ocean.

Work continues on Ballona Creek, to the bike path, to the landscaping, and continued active volunteer work by several organizations, Ballona Creek Renaissance and Ballona Institute.

The section I visited is at the end of the creek bordering the marina. Riding my bike, I headed for the trailhead. Surprisingly, bikes are not allowed on this particular part of the trail, so I walked my bike at this juncture. Standing at the end on the man-made platform, I was amazed at what I was seeing, a wetland in the city. It was quite an accomplishment of the non-profit groups mentioned above to talk the various municipalities into saving as much of it as possible and of course the voters who made it happen to allow the State to originally purchase and rezone these crucial environmental resources.

Brimming with small wildlife, Ballona Creek is a fantastic place to see nature up close and personal. Today I only had time to spend about a half an hour here, but I will definitely be going back to walk the whole trail. And often–indeed it will be sooner rather than later.

Do you have nature in your backyard? Well, Ballona Creek isn’t exactly in my backyard (although I would love to own one of those houses), but it’s only about 20 minutes away.

That’s the beauty of Travelin’ Local; everything is only a stone’s throw away.

With water, the element of reflection comes into each picture. Because I’m quite new to this, I’m usually focused intently on my subject matter, what I want to be in the frame, making sure the picture is level, or looking at the lighting or the action, I often forget about the picture’s inherent artistic and emotive reflection–until I come home and actually take my time to look at what I’ve shot.

Although this is a place for people with a lot of green, everyone is welcome, proven by the various forms of transportation available.

I wasn’t the only one outside today. In fact, I ran into a few people on the Walkway; and these two gentlemen with their dog were also enjoying a relaxing day at the harbor. I think they both appeared conspicuously amused and curious as why a woman on her bike was taking pictures of them but clearly they didn’t mind and were enjoying themselves. However, I do wish the dog had shown me a better side.

I’ll leave you with this wide expanse of boats–Have you ever owned a boat? Do you want to?

I hope you enjoyed my little jaunt to Marina Del Rey. Until next time, when I feature a little known walking trail at Ballona Lagoon, be safe, happy, and take a little time to relax by Travelin’ Local.