Ferris Wheel on the Santa Monica Boardwalk

I think everyone has a favorite place, somewhere beautiful that makes you happy. There are a lot of places that make me feel this way. But over the summer I spent a lot of time in one of my favorite cities. Venice Beach, just north of Los Angeles. I spent five weeks in Malibu, while I attended the Los Angeles Ballet Summer Intensive (great school, by the way). Everything about Venice makes me smile. In the summer, the beach and skateboard ramps, and boutique ice cream shops along the boulevard. In the winter, galleries and coffee shops on Abbott Kinney, and my favorite restaurant, Superba-whose red sauce gnocchi and marshmallow chocolate fondue Smore is key. But I digress. The culture and vibe of the city is something I appreciate, and relate to.Venice beach holds a special place in my heart, and I suspect it always will.