*once a week, every week, I embark on a new adventure to check off one of my many LA bucket list items. Follow along my journey being a tourist in my own town and get in on the action!*
Between the epic beachside location, some of LA’s best boutiques for shopping and infamous eateries, it really is no wonder that Abbot Kinney has been dubbed “America’s coolest street”. First Fridays, a monthly event held on Abbot Kinney on (you guessed it) the first Friday of every month, has been a part of the Venice/LA culture for years now. With each month/year in passing this Venice Beach tradition continues to bring the community and visitors together to appreciate all of what Abbot Kinney’s coolness has to offer. What used to be a small gathering along the boulevard has slowly but surely morphed into the preferred place in Los Angeles to catch the best food trucks, visit galleries, and shop late all in one place – all in one night.
Parking on Abbot Kinney is enough of a nightmare on a daily basis as it is, so as you may imagine the option to attend an event in that area would usually lean towards the less appealing end of the spectrum. But, after years of living Westside and still never having been to First Fridays I decided to remind myself of my first world problems and suck it up for a night in hopes of finding greasy/meaty/cheesy/sugary treats to make it all worth the effort. Little did I know that getting there early would result in plenty of available parking, hardly any foot traffic, and a confused yet vastly improved attitude on my behalf – clearly Los Angeles must have been messing with me.
The food trucks are parked along the street or in parking lots in small clusters at both ends of Abbot Kinney; there is quite a bit to choose from so take inventory and choose wisely! The usual suspects I’m told are food truck favs like Kogi, Grilled Cheese Truck, South Philly Experience, and many many more. By the time I’d walked up and down the Summer crowd masses began to ascend, so in my best moment of panicked decision making I did what anyone would do – I decided I’d just skip dinner and go straight for dessert. I’ve tasted and tried most of the food trucks that come out for First Fridays, but I’d never had a Waffles De Liege waffle. Teeeeny tiny bite by teeeeeny tiny bite I devoured that beautiful sugary sweet morsel, silently thanking it for reminding me why I’d come to First Fridays in the first place and why I love living in Los Angeles.
This isn’t the most strenuous or exciting of activities in Los Angeles but it is a great way to experience Abbot Kinney in a new light and eat some great street food from a variety of LA’s best trucks while you’re at it. There are usually events of some sort going on at the stores/restaurants on Abbot Kinney so be sure to check in on the Abbot Kinney social for updates. Or you could just go and see what happens – there is ALWAYS that.
What: Abbot Kinney First Fridays
Where: Abbot Kinney Boulevard Venice, CA 90291
When: The first Friday of every month from 6 – 10 pm
Tip: The early bird gets the first tacos/burgers/waffles/ and parking spots!
Bonus Tip: For more info and goings ons about First Fridays, visit this awesome blog entirely dedicated to the events!
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