3 Things I Love About Venice from DJ Anthony Valadez

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DJ Anthony Valadez is a proud Venice resident and in celebration of his appearance at this weekend’s Abbot Kinney Festival (5-6pm on The Brig Stage) he shares some of his favorite things about the city:

I was born and raised in the Southern California. I moved to Venice close to two years ago and still to this day explore just about every street, avenue, canal and alley.

1) Townhouse, located in the heart of Venice off Windward.

This is where the locals all blend in with the tourists of the world who stay across the two hostels located across the street.   Décor is on point and the music is always graat every Thursday night with yours truly on the turntables (shameless plug).  But even when I pass by during the day, it has an old nostalgic feel as speak easy jazz plays and you can always see some old timers sitting up at the bar.

2)  Mao’s Kitchen

The dim lighting, chow mein and great service always does it for me. I thought that by now I would be been sick of this food, but I always find myself craving more!  The atmosphere has a lot to do with picking this spot.

Im not sure who is in charge of the music selections but this person is really hip!  From Bjork to some hip hop from some other portion of the world, Minor Threat to Sioxsie and the Banshees, the music always helps the mood while waiting for your food.

3)  Intelligentsia Coffee

The entire stretch of Abbot Kinney is a great area with lots of cool boutiques.  Unfortunately due to the recent downfall in the economy several of these shops have closed down but new ones have popped up.

Whether your shoe shopping or tagging along with your girlfriend to shop for sundresses (wippy) this is the spot to do so.  And the best part is Intelligentsia is the place to grab your cup of joe while doing so. The architecture and spacing alone of this small, but hip, joint is worth the visit.  And the quality is unlike anything I have ever tasted!

Abbot Kinney Fest-MUSIC-POSTER