For a company that lives and dies by algorithms, Netflix has never been big on data sharing. But given the company’s growing status as a major entertainment player, what with Hollywood heavyweights like Martin Scorsese and Guillermo del Toro in its corner, it seems they’re ready to start shouting their numbers from the rooftops.
On Monday, The Verge reported that the streaming giant shared the viewership numbers of its biggest TV and movie hits—and they’re pretty damn impressive. On the television side, Lady Whistledown hears that the anachronistically steamy Bridgerton brought in 82 million viewers to take the top spot, while Sam Hargrave’s surprisingly good actioner Extraction, featuring Chris Hemsworth, got the attention of 99 million viewers. (No word on how much crossover there was between the two audiences.)
“We’re trying to be more transparent with the market and talent and everybody,” Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos said. “It’s a big black box for everybody.”
It’s certainly an enlightening pile of data, particularly to anyone (cough, this writer, cough) who has ever wondered: Did anyone actually watch Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in Murder Mystery? And was it really a big enough number to warrant a sequel? (The answer, amazingly, is yes and definitely yes!)
Here’s how the both lists broke down by the numbers…
Most Watched Netflix Movies
Extraction: 99 million
Bird Box: 89 million
Spenser Confidential: 85 million
6 Underground: 83 million
Murder Mystery: 83 million
The Old Guard: 78 million
Enola Holmes: 77 million
Project Power: 75 million
Army of the Dead: 75 million
Fatherhood: 74 million
Most Watched TV Series
Bridgerton: 82 million
Lupin: Part I: 76 million
The Witcher: 76 million
Sex/Life: 67 million
Stranger Things 3: 67 million
Money Heist: Part 4: 65 million
Tiger King: 64 million
The Queen’s Gambit: 62 million
Sweet Tooth: 60 million
Emily in Paris: 58 million
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the best is yet to come: Sarandos claimed that Squid Game, Netflix’s new Korean game show, is shaping up to be the company’s biggest-ever hit.
Is something amiss with former MTV VJ-turned actor, podcaster, and comedian Russell Brand? He’s long been known for left-leaning points of view (including raging against Fox News), but there’s been a telltale shift lately, like when he hopped aboard with Matthew McConaughey’s recent rant about how people shouldn’t ridicule Trump voters over their continued “denial” of Biden’s presidential win. That was a particularly uncomfortable exchange (since McConaughey won’t really air his own political stances, but he’s regularly reminding everyone that he wants to run for office), but there’s no denying that Russell’s prolific (not to mention persuasive) way with words attracts a millions-strong audience on his podcast, Under the Skin, on various social media platforms, and on YouTube.
While we’re talking about that last platform, let’s take a look at what’s going on with Russell over at his YouTube channel. He’s leaning further and further to the right, and that shift is now growing dramatic and (to put it bluntly) conspiratorial. Headlines like “Vaccine APARTHEID: Don Lemon’s Covid BOMBSHELL,” “THIS Is Why You Can’t Trust Big Pharma,” “Vaccine Mandates: An ASSAULT On Your Bodily,” and “SHOCKING Wuhan Evidence: Did Fauci LIE?” do present a certain perspective.
One video (called “So… Trump was RIGHT”) in particular is attracting a lot of attention because Brand, for whatever reason, went on a wild rant about how the 2016 election was all about collusion with Russia. However, he claims that the collusion was on behalf of the Clinton campaign, which Brand believes is a “conspiracy.” Within the video, he declared that all of the news coverage of Russia collusion by the Trump campaign — and the released emails by Don Jr. and Donald Trump’s own words — was part of some “propaganda, a construct, a confection by the Democratic Party.”
Brand continued to argue that he feels that the situation (Biden, a Democrat, holding the U.S. presidency, and Dems holding Congressional majorities), is “kind of beyond disappointing,” as through he believes that nothing went wrong in the Trump presidency (including the botched pandemic response, which has continued to reverberate) to motivate people to vote Democrat. Still, Brand says that his belief that the Clinton campaign colluded with Russia is enough to make him “begin to question and query what other things may not be true.”
Well. This hot mess has led people to wonder what, exactly, is going on with Russell Brand because he’s essentially spreading Kremlin propaganda.
What Russell Brand is saying is Russian disinformation..
From there, the jokes and remarks ran wild. Comparisons to Johnny Depp’s imploding career have been drawn (the two do have a similar aesthetic, and Depp’s recent rant on “cancel culture” went off the rails with similar vibes), and people are wondering whether “Russell Brand has officially lost his mind” or whether he’ll start shilling MyPillow soon.
Good morning to everyone except Russell Brand for believing that Trump was right in calling the Russian collusion a witch-hunt.
I would welcome Russell Brand to the QAnon cult, but let’s be honest: he’s been embodying their extremist mentality for years. It’s just that his narcissism finally overtook his drive to help others and I’m sad about it.
After decades in the music industry, Snoop Dogg is putting his music knowledge to the test once and for all. As the latest guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg attempted to guess song titles after hearing a short snippet of a track in a game called One Second Rap Song.
Snoop Dogg was very skeptical about the game at first but unsurprisingly went on to absolutely kill it. When Fallon first explained the game’s premise, Snoop said: “Who thought of this damn show? When you do what I do, one second just may not be enough.” But sure enough, Snoop Dogg was able to successfully guess the title of each hip-hop tune, even when he was played a quarter of a second of a song.
Elsewhere in the segment, Snoop Dogg reveals he has secured a new gig at Def Jam Records: Executive Creative and Strategic Consultant. “I was a fan of Def Jam Records as a kid, and knowing the talent that they have over there and the opportunity that was waiting on me, I wanted to go over there and give a lot of opportunity to the artists over there to get some information, some wisdom and some guidance from me and then also develop some new acts and give some opportunity,” he told Fallon. “So Def Jam was the perfect place for me, considering how much I love it and how much it means to hip-hop and how it really needed somebody like me to change the energy of the building. I’m over there for one reason: to get the music back poppin’ and to make the people feel the way they’re supposed to.”
Watch Snoop Dogg play One Second Rap Song on The Tonight Show above.
A few days ago marked one year since Idles released their latest album, 2020’s Ultra Mono. The band apparently got back into the studio quickly after dropping the album, because now they have a new LP ready to go: Today, Idles announced Crawler, which is set for release on November 12.
Accompanying the announcement is the soulful single “The Beachland Ballroom,” of which Joe Talbot says:
“It’s the most important song on the album, really. There’s so many bands that go through the small rooms and dream of making it into the big rooms. Being able to write a soul tune like this made me go, f*ck — we’re at a place where we’re actually allowed to go to these big rooms and be creative and not just go through the motions and really appreciate what we’ve got. The song is sort of an allegory of feeling lost and getting through it. It’s one that I really love singing.”
Bowen adds, “I didn’t know Joe could sing like that. He’s been trying to write ‘Be My Baby’ since the very beginning, but he didn’t want to be the punk guy wearing the Motown clothes. He wanted it to feel natural, and this song is.”
Press materials also note that on the album, “the group brings to life vivid stories of trauma, addiction and recovery with its most soul-stirring music to date. […] There are also fresh textures and experiments that push Idles into thrilling new territory”
Listen to “The Beachland Ballroom” above, and below, find the Crawler art and tracklist. Their previously announced North American tour also starts soon, so find those dates here.
Partisan
1. “MTT 420 RR”
2. “The Wheel”
3. “When the Lights Come On”
4. “Car Crash”
5. “The New Sensation”
6. “Stockholm Syndrome”
7. “The Beachland Ballroom”
8. “Crawl!”
9. “Meds”
10. “Kelechi”
11. “Progress”
12. “Wizz”
13. “King Snake”
14. “The End”
Crawler is out 11/12 via Partisan Records. Pre-order it here.
Here are six facts from the video above by The Story of Stuff Project that I’ll definitely remember next time I’m tempted to buy bottled water.
1. Bottled water is more expensive than tap water (and not just a little).
A Business Insider column noted that two-thirds of the bottled water sold in the United States is in individual 16.9-ounce bottles, which comes out to roughly $7.50 per gallon. That’s about 2,000 times higher than the cost of a gallon of tap water.
And in an article in 20 Something Finance, G.E. Miller investigated the cost of bottled versus tap water for himself. He found that he could fill 4,787 20-ounce bottles with tap water for only $2.10! So if he paid $1 for a bottled water, he’d be paying 2,279 times the cost of tap.
2. Bottled water could potentially be of lower quality than tap water.
Fiji Water ran an ad campaign that was pretty disparaging about the city of Cleveland. Not a wise move. The city ordered a test of the snooty brand’s water and found that Fiji Water contained levels of arsenic that weren’t seen in the city’s water supply.
” Bottled water manufacturers are not required to disclose as much information as municipal water utilities because of gaps in federal oversight authority. Bottom line: The Food and Drug Administration oversees bottled water, and U.S. EPA is in charge of tap water. FDA lacks the regulatory authority of EPA.”
3. The amount of bottled water we buy every week in the U.S. alone could circle the globe five times!
That sounded like it just had to be impossible, so we looked into it. Here’s what our fact-checkers found:
“According to the video, ‘ People in the U.S. buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week.’National Geographic says for 2011, bottled water sales hit 9.1 billion gallons (roughly 34 billion liters).
A ‘typical’ water bottle is a half-liter, so that’s about 68 billion bottles per year. Divided by 52 weeks would be a little over 1 billion bottles of water sold per week in the U.S. Because that’s based on a smaller ‘typical’ bottle size, it seems reasonable that a half billion bottles a week could be accurate.
The Earth is about 131.5 million feet around, so yep, half a billion bottles of varying sizes strung end-to-end could circle the Earth five times.”
4. Paying for bottled water makes us chumps.
Beverage companies have turned bottled water into a multibillion-dollar industry through a concept known as manufactured demand. Bottled water advertisements used a combination of scare tactics (Tap water bad!) and seduction (From the purest mountain streams EVER!) to reel us in.
Well, we now know their claims about the superior quality of bottled water are mostly bogus. And research shows that anywhere from a quarter to 45% of all bottled water comes from the exact same place as your tap water (which, to reiterate, is so cheap it’s almost free).
5. Bottled water is FILTHY.
It takes oil — lots of it — to make plastic bottles. According to the video, the energy in the amount of oil it takes to make the plastic water bottles sold in the U.S. in one year could fuel a million cars. That’s not even counting the oil it takes to ship bottled water around the world.
On top of all that, the process of manufacturing plastic bottles is polluting public water supplies, which makes it easier for bottled water companies to sell us their expensive product.
6. There are 750 million people around the world who don’t have access to clean water.
A child dies every minute from a waterborne disease. And for me, that’s the core of what makes bottled water so evil.
The video wraps by comparing buying bottled water to smoking while pregnant. That may sound extreme, but after learning everything I just did about the bottled water industry, I can’t disagree.
If you’re properly disgusted, here are a few ways you can help destroy the bottled water industry:
Don’t buy bottled water. Get a reusable water bottle. The savings will add up.
Rally your schools, workplaces, and communities to ban bottled water.
Demand that your city, state, and federal governments invest in better water infrastructure.
If you need proof standardized testing is setting students up for failure, just ask the students.
Sydney Smoot has a bone to pick with the Hernando County School Board. The issue? The Florida Standards Assessment Test, or FSA for short. On March 17, 2015, Sydney bravely stood up at her local school board meeting to share how she felt about the test and why she believes it’s failing students and teachers.
“This testing looks at me as a number. One test defines me as either a failure or a success through a numbered rubric. One test at the end of the year that the teacher or myself will not even see the grade until after the school year is already over. I do not feel that all this FSA testing is accurate to tell how successful I am. It doesn’t take in account all of my knowledge and abilities, just a small percentage.” — Sydney Smoot
Can we give this little girl a medal? She was speaking right to my soul with that speech!
I reached out to Sydney and her mom, Jennifer, via email to find out more about what prompted this passionate speech.
What inspired you to write your letter?
“What inspired me to speak all started one day when I came home. My mom asked me how the testing went, and I told her I was told not to speak about the test to anyone. I had not felt comfortable signing something in the test. I had concerns about this test because there was a lot of stress put on students and myself. I was a little nervous before the speech, but when I was called up to the podium, I did not feel nervous because I knew this speech was going to help a lot of people.”
Have you ever thought about running for president? Cause I’d vote for you!
“I’ve thought about running for president because if I’m president, I will be considerate about the people in this state.”
You gotta admit, she looks pretty good up there, right?
Parents have a right to be concerned about standardize testing regulations.
One thing that really stuck out to me in Sydney’s speech was that the FSA prohibits students from talking to their parents about the test. So I was anxious to hear what Sydney’s mom thought about the stipulation. She had this to say:
“When my daughter came home telling me she had to sign a form stating she couldn’t talk to anyone including her parents, I got concerned. Not only that I didn’t like the fact that the last four of her Social Security number was on the test labels along with other personal information. In today’s world of identity theft, it doesn’t take much for people to get a hold of these things and use them.
I would like to tell other parents to learn more before these tests start in your children’s school and know what they are testing. They have options, you can opt out so to speak, and the child can complete alternative testing if they are in the retention grades; or, if the child wants to take the test, support them and let them know that no matter how they do, it does not define them as a person.
It’s a test and a poorly designed one at best.”
Standardized tests are changing the classroom. And not for the better.
As Sydney shared in her speech, she and her classmates are feeling the pressure when it comes to preparing for the FSA. But they aren’t the only ones. Teachers are also struggling to get students ready and are often forced to cut corners as a result.
What standardized tests also fail to take into account is that in many ways, test-taking is a skill, one that not every student is ready for. When I was in school, we spent months gearing up for the dreaded FCAT, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. And if months of test prep wasn’t bad enough, if you didn’t pass the FCAT, you couldn’t graduate high school. Talk about stressful! The pressure of your high school career rides on one test, combined with the fact that standardized tests don’t accurately measure what students have learned. Plenty of capable students fail these tests due to increased anxiety and stress. If high school students are struggling to handle the pressure of standardized testing, imagine how difficult it must be for elementary school students like Sydney!
Young Sydney is a testament to how important it is that we listen to students and create curriculum that challenges and educates them, rather than scaring them into “learning.” I think Sydney’s suggestion of three comprehensive tests throughout the year makes way more sense than one big statewide test that interferes with teachers’ schedules and stresses students out. And let’s be real, when’s the last time you heard a kid ask for MORE tests?! Clearly standardized tests aren’t the answer or at least need some serious work. Hopefully Sydney’s message will make an impact and get her school board and schools across the nation to rethink how we measure students’ success.
There was a lot to like about the 2020-21 season for the New Orleans Pelicans. At the top of the list was the play of Zion Williamson, who stayed largely healthy in appearing in 61 games while averaging 27 points per game on uber-elite efficiency. Williamson’s breakout wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but he is the unquestioned centerpiece of the franchise and his play was stellar. There were other strong performances but, on the whole, the Pelicans finished with only a 31-41 record, even with the net rating (-0.3) of a near-.500 team. That 31-win effort cost Stan Van Gundy his head coaching job in the offseason and, even with Williamson and Brandon Ingram returning, the Pelicans overhauled much of their roster for 2021-22 and beyond.
Roster:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Jose Alvarado (two-way)
Zylan Cheatham
Wenyen Gabriel
Devonte’ Graham
Jared Harper
Josh Hart
Jaxson Hayes
Willy Hernangomez
Daulton Hommes (two-way)
Brandon Ingram
Herbert Jones
Kira Lewis Jr.
Didi Louzada
Naji Marshall
Trey Murphy III
Tomas Satoransky
Garrett Temple
Jonas Valanciunas
Zion Williamson
Projected Vegas Win Total: 39.5 wins
Biggest Addition: Jonas Valanciunas
Steven Adams wasn’t the problem for the Pelicans last season, but he has slipped since his prime years in Oklahoma City. Adams wasn’t a great fit with Zion Williamson either, as he is a limited offensive player that can’t space the floor. Enter Valanciunas, with the Pelicans paying a pretty hefty price to land him from Memphis. Valanciunas isn’t a dynamic defender, but he is a very gifted offensive player at center that can operate in the post and space the floor when needed. New Orleans also has backcourt changes to navigate, but Valanciunas should help the Pelicans offensively at the very least.
Biggest Loss: Lonzo Ball
The Pelicans have invested heavily in the backcourt, both in the draft and with the addition of Devonte’ Graham. That seemingly opened the door for letting Ball go this offseason, and it will be interesting to see if that calculus proves to be correct. Ball was the best defensive guard for New Orleans, and he has also developed into a reliable shooter with secondary creation skills. The Pelicans do have youngsters in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis, but they’ll have big shoes to fill.
Biggest Question: What’s going on with Zion?
As noted above, Williamson is the sun, moon and stars for the Pelicans. Ingram is also a budding star offensively, but Williamson is in a different tier and things have been rather weird between player and team. On top of all kinds of rumors about Williamson not seeing eye to eye with the Pelicans, word broke at Media Day that he actually had surgery on a fractured foot in the offseason. All indications, at least for now, are positive with regard to his health as the regular season nears, but the Pelicans aren’t going anywhere without Williamson healthy, invested and available to play.
What Makes This Season A Success
Given all of the player movement in the offseason and heavy investments to win in the short term, the Pelicans need to at least make the play-in tournament. In the big picture, New Orleans needs Williamson to buy in and be ready to go, but for this season only, the Pelicans need to show results. There are too many strong teams in the West to fully project the Pelicans to land in the top six, but getting into the dance would be a logical step.
What Makes This Season A Failure
A lot can go wrong here. What happens if the backcourt changes don’t work? What if Williamson is unhappy as the team scuffles a bit? New Orleans was better than the 31-41 record they had last year, but the results do need to follow in the standings. If they don’t, David Griffin and company will be in a strange place.
The only thing better than playing great video games? Playing great looking great videos games. Luckily for all you Xbox Series owners out there, Microsoft’s latest endeavor is focused on making games running on both the Series X and S look brighter and sharper than ever before with the launch of Dolby Vision gaming support.
As of today, Xbox Series X|S owners can now enable Dolby Vision gaming on their consoles, adding “brighter highlights, sharper contrast, and more vibrant colors” to their games, according to Microsoft (via The Verge). The feature — which has been in testing since May — seems to be a big part of Xbox’s future, with Microsoft reporting it will be available in more than 100 HDR games in the coming years. According to Xbox program manager at Microsoft Katie Slattery:
“There are more than 100 next-gen HDR titles optimized for Series X / S that will feature Dolby Vision, and in the future you’ll see more games like Halo Infinite taking full advantage of Dolby Vision.”
Today however, Xbox users can enjoy ten titles that already support Dolby Vision: F1 2021, Psychonauts 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Gears 5, Borderlands 3, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, DIRT 5, and Metro Exodus. While the visual upgrade is free for all console owners, it is worth noting you’ll need a compatible Dolby Vision TV to take advantage of it. Microsoft also recommends enabling automatic low-latency mode (ALLM) to better your experience.
LeBron James caused a bit of a stir earlier this year when he decided to sidestep questions about taking the COVID vaccine. As someone who understands the power of the positions he takes on things, James opting to not advocate for taking one of the vaccines designed to help end the ongoing pandemic raised eyebrows, particularly because he said he wanted to keep his thoughts on the matter private. Plenty of folks, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, called James out over this.
With vaccines — and, perhaps more accurately, the hesitancy that a number of players have over taking it — being a major talking point on Monday as the first group of teams went through media day in the lead-up to the 2021-22 NBA season, James was unsurprisingly asked about whether or not he received one. He opted to no longe remain private, saying that he did research and eventually decided getting it was the best thing for himself and for his family.
LeBron says he was very skeptical of the vaccine but after doing his research decided it was the right choice “not only for my family and for my friends, that’s why I decided to do it.”
LeBron says that he was “very skeptical” about the vaccine at first, but after doing his research he decided that it’s “the best thing for me and my family.”
James went on to say that he does not want to be a public advocate for the vaccine, and that he wants people to make their own choices.
LeBron on being vaccinated: “I think everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family.” LeBron said he was very skeptical about the vaccine, did some research, and decided it was OK. He does not want to be a public advocate for it.
Lakers’ LeBron James, who confirmed that he is vaccinated, explains his hands-off approach to vaccine advocacy: “That’s not my job.” pic.twitter.com/QNOG4wzGvr
Of course, James has enough clout that his saying he got the vaccine might be all the advocacy he needs to do to convince people to get it. As for the Lakers as a whole, Frank Vogel said on Tuesday that the team is on track to be 100 percent vaccinated by the time the season begins.
Frank Vogel says it’s “huge” that the Lakers are on track to be 100 percent vaccinated and lower their risk of COVID-19 interruptions, and notes that other teams are likely to be dealing with those issues. “I’m super proud of our guys for making that commitment.”
Los Angeles is the land of the beautiful people and home of the overpriced drinks. I’ve lived in LA for all of my adult life, and I’m still not used to the $17 cocktails (nor will I ever be). Despite the damage to my bank account, I genuinely love it here. You truly can’t beat the year-round sunshine, captivating ocean views, and endless supply of rooftop bars or glamorous late-night events.
While exclusive Hollywood Hills parties and boujee, influencer-packed restaurants are fun, I typically prefer a more laidback scene. That’s why I spend a lot of my free time on what we locals call the “West Side.” More specifically, I often find myself in Venice Beach.
If there’s one neighborhood that brings a little more color and character into an otherwise posh (and sometimes isolated-feeling) city, it’s Venice Beach. From vibrant graffiti murals painted on the sides of gas stations to beachgoers cruising down the boardwalk in rainbow rollerskates, Venice is the epitome of the California dream… but a little weirder and therefore more fun. If you’re not familiar, you might recognize the iconic Venice Boardwalk from a legendary Red Hot Chillie Peppers music video. Or maybe you’ve spotted it in the backgrounds of classic LA-based films like Lords of Dogtown.
Although the eccentricity is tenfold compared to other parts of LA, Venice’s prices don’t differ much from the rest of the city. Meaning generally expensive. But contrary to popular belief, there are ways to make an oceanside vacation in LA’s most vibrant neighborhood affordable without skimping on all that it has to offer. If you’re ready to check this Los Angeles gem off your bucket list without blowing all your cash, keep reading for my budget-friendly guide to Venice Beach, California.
PART I – Where to Stay
Stay Open
Via Chloe Caldwell
The best part of Venice is immersing yourself in all of the wackiness that can be found there. On any given day, you might stumble upon sword-swallowing street performers, drum circles on the beach, artists creating immaculate sand sculptures, and tipsy tourists who may have had one too many drinks at the Venice Whaler. Luckily, you don’t need to stay in any swanky five-star hotel to score accommodations in the thick of the fun. Book a bed at Stay Open for an elevated hostel experience, right on the boardwalk.
Stay Open is artistically decorated and super Instagrammable, always a plus. The co-living space has a shared kitchen and lounging area, so it’s easy to connect with others and make friends if you’re a solo traveler. When I spent the night at Stay Open, I felt instantly welcomed and invited into the festivities. One of the other guests was a chef from Dallas, Texas who was happy to cook burgers for dinner. Someone else showed off their impressive amateur bartending skills by making everyone margaritas to wash their meals down. Although I was only at Stay Open for one night, it really did feel like an inclusive and safe community.
The best part about Stay Open, though? Instead of reserving a bed with a curtain, like older-style Euro hostels, you get your very own sleeping pod. It’s literally like a cocoon in the form of a bunk bed. Closing the door to your pod makes for a dark, quiet, and private space for sleeping and downtime. Each pod includes its own twin bed (it’s seriously so cozy!), USB outlets, complimentary WiFi, and an LED light system. So you can do your late-night reading or get home after dark without worrying about waking the other guests.
Learn more about Stay Open and book a pod of your own here.
If shared living spaces aren’t your thing, check out The Kinney. With guest rooms hovering around $200 per night, this young-minded, party-centric hotel serves up everything that Venice is all about. It’s complete with bold, in-your-face designs, an outdoor courtyard with ping pong tables and firepits, as well a heated pool and spa. It’s the ultimate laidback hotspot for energetic adventurers and partiers.
Just one block from the bustling shopping and dining hub of Abbot Kinney Boulevard (hence, the name), The Kinney couldn’t be in a more prime location. It’s walking distance to the beach, of course, but it’s also conveniently located near some of the best Venice restaurants and bars. Right now, The Kinney is running a seasonal promotion for 25% off your stay, so you can get even more bang for your buck.
Use the promo code FALLSAVE and book your room here.
PART II – Where to Play
Walk or Bike on the Venice Beach Boardwalk
Via Spencer Rathkamp
Besides the early morning marine layer, you can pretty much expect sunny skies year-round in LA. There really isn’t a bad time to visit. If you’re trying to save on cash, the good news is you don’t need much to have a great time in Venice. You’re on the beach, after all! But if you get sick of lounging in the sand, take a walk or bike ride down the famous Venice Boardwalk. (Tip: If you book a pod at Stay Open, you can use their complimentary guest bikes.)
You’ll cruise by a slew of art, jewelry, food, and souvenir vendors that sell one-of-a-kind trinkets for only a few bucks. If you’re feeling dangerous, you can even get yourself a tattoo right on the boardwalk. Well, a henna tattoo that washes off after a couple of weeks. This boardwalk is probably one of the top three people-watching spots on the planet. Am I exaggerating? No, not at all. As I already mentioned, there are street performers every few hundred feet – from dance groups and acrobats to musicians and painters. You’re never short of entertainment.
If you’re one for outdoor sports and fitness, you’ll be happy to learn that the boardwalk leads to a skate park, outdoor gym, basketball courts, and plenty of open space for a quick sweat session. The skate park always makes for a good show, even if you don’t skate yourself. I love stopping to watch the skaters of all ages fly around the half-pipes and launching into the air. Sometimes you can even catch a Livestream of the action on the Venice Skate Park’s Facebook page here.
Along the boardwalk are also tons of sit-down restaurants, bars packed with day drinkers, and boutique retail shops. When you get wiped out from all the busyness, grab a bite or drink to-go and chill out in the grass areas under the cool shade of a palm tree.
To find out more about the many wonders of the Venice Beach Boardwalk, click here.
If you’re looking for some more free fun and creative inspiration, make your way to Abbot Kinney Blvd. Aside from the trendy restaurant and shopping scenes, there is a passionate community of art lovers. Abbot Kinney is home to several art galleries, including Art Unified, The G2 Gallery, and the Hamilton Press Gallery. With these creative spaces all within walking distance of each other, you can make your own Venice art crawl.
Not only are there galleries to peruse, but the streets are filled with beautiful works of art, too. Graffiti painted on the sidewalk, street art, and giant murals plastered on the sides of buildings can be found on every corner of Abbot Kinney. The entire mile-long boulevard is like its own outdoor gallery. You don’t want to miss it!
Check out all of the shops, galleries, and restaurants on Abbot Kinney here.
PART III – Where to Eat
The Butcher’s Daughter
Contrary to what you might expect based on the name, The Butcher’s Daughter is a plant-based restaurant, cafe, and juice bar. The healthy hotspot serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch so it makes for a delicious meal at any point in the day. If you go for brunch, order the Seasonal Waffle. It’s made with green tea and lemon verbena then topped with peach compote and plant-based chantilly cream – and it’s only $15. Savory, sweet, and tart all in one? Mmm…yes, please. Pair it with the Mimosa Flight for the brunch experience of your dreams. You get to select the base of each mimosa from the menu of fresh-pressed juices, so you can at least pretend it’s a healthy morning drink.
If you go to The Butcher’s Daughter for dinner, you’ll definitely want to try one of the restaurant’s stone oven pizzas. I am a loyal member of the fruit-on-pizza gang, so my go-to is the Dolce Picante Pizza. It’s topped with stone fruit, Calabrian chili, cauliflower bechamel, arugula, and feta. The plethora of flavors and textures packed into every bite is unbeatable. However, if you’re a fruity pizza hater, there are plenty of other classic dishes you’re sure to love on the menu.
Browse through The Butcher’s Daughter’s daytime, evening, and drink menus here.
Maybe it’s the Italian in me speaking, but you can never go wrong with any combination of cheese and carbs. That’s why I love Forma. Yes, it’s named in honor of formaggio — Italian for cheese — a promise which makes perusing the menu all the more enticing. Forma has a wide variety of main course meals, but it’s the small plates and sides that make it worth the visit. This is the kind of place that’s great to go with a group before a night out on the town. With many sharable options on the menu, it’s easy to order a ton of food for the table and split the check for an affordable pre-party dinner. My favorite shareables are the charcuterie board (a classic wine night essential) and the gnocco fritto, which is fried pizza dough, burrata, and tomato sauce spread (for only $9).
What really makes the Forma menu stand out, though, is the cheese bar. Let me repeat, a cheese bar. You can conduct your own cheese tasting by curating a plate of the restaurant’s selection of more than 50 cheeses. This selection also includes a few vegan cheese options, so all you dairy-free folks can join in as well.
In addition to splitting appetizers among your group, you can also get a bottle of wine to complement your food. If you down your bottle before you’re even halfway through dinner, try one of Forma’s signature cocktails. These are on the pricier side of things, but it’s worth splurging on at least one. I order the “Hot Stuff” cocktail, which seems like Forma’s take on a spicy margarita with an Italian twist. It’s made with tequila, Aperol, ginger, fresh lime, grapefruit, jalapeno, and mint. It is a whole mess of flavors that somehow blend together to form a tart and zesty refreshment.
Ready to dig in yet? Check out the full Forma menu here.
PART IV – Where to Party
High Rooftop Lounge
There’s a special place in my heart for rooftop bars. Sunshine, great views, and daytime cocktails are the key ingredients for a great time. I’ve been to most of the popular rooftops in every neighborhood of LA, and High Rooftop Lounge continues to rank at the top of my list. Sitting above Hotel Erwin, this trendy yet laidback bar offers one of the best views in Venice. Take a walk around the bar’s perimeter and you’ll get a full 360-degree view. On one side is the heart of the Venice Boardwalk and the Pacific Ocean, and on the other side is a view of the city, including the Downtown skyline and Hollywood Hills. (Tip: Check the weather forecast and make a reservation during sunset. High Rooftop Lounge has an incredible view of the sun setting over the horizon each night.)
Although it’s much of what contributes to the good vibes and carefree ambiance, the picturesque views aren’t the only thing High Rooftop Lounge has to offer. The beer, wine, cocktail list, and full bar are fully stocked with everything you need for a boozy beverage. Maybe it’s the quirky (and fitting) name that draws me in, but I always order the “LA Woman” cocktail — a concoction of vodka, prickly pear, lemon, and dragon fruit. On an extra hot day, I’ll go for the LA Palomita Slushee, a frozen blend of tequila and grapefruit. All of the specialty cocktails embody the endless sunshine energy that flows through all of Venice, and it’s hard to resist trying each one on the menu. If you go to High Rooftop Lounge in the fall or winter, they also have a seasonal selection of hot cocktails to choose from.
If you want to sip on a variety of drinks without going overboard on the check, head up to the rooftop between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday for happy hour. The happy hour menu features food and drink specials all for $10 or less.
See the High Rooftop Lounge 360-view for yourself by clicking here.
The Waterfront
Just a short walk on the boardwalk from High Rooftop Lounge is another one of my favorite spots called The Waterfront. It’s a beer garden and restaurant all in one, which makes for a chill, welcoming environment. It’s like a backyard summer barbecue packed full of young partiers and tourists alike, making it easy to mingle. The Waterfront is generally pretty rowdy on a nice weekend day since it’s an up-and-coming party scene (it just opened a few years ago in 2018). The line to get in can get long, so get there early if you’re going on a sunny Saturday afternoon. If you do get stuck in a line, though, it’s totally worth the wait.
I can’t go to The Waterfront without ordering at least one Frosé, a frozen mix of watermelon and rosé wine with coconut water, lime, lavender, and Lillet (and garnished with a cute little flower on top for fun). It’s like drinking a sweet boozy cup of frozen candy. If you’re not one for fruity pink drinks, there are plenty of draft beers and wine waiting for you behind the bar. As of right now, The Waterfront doesn’t serve any hard alcohol. This is good news for budget vacationers since wine and beer are cheaper, and if you’re a lightweight like me, they’re still equally effective.
View The Waterfront’s full menu of food and drinks here.
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