Travel Channel 

Best B&B
The Venice Beach House
Web site: www.venicebeachhouse.com
If you visit Venice and want to stay near the beach, the best chance for a peaceful rest will come at the Venice Beach House. Hidden on a quiet side street, this rustic Craftsman-style bed and breakfast dates to 1915. Rooms are named for the Beach House's more memorable guests, such as the 1936 U.S. Olympic Swim Team (the Olympic Suite) and the ubiquitous Charlie Chaplin (Tramp's Quarters), who seems to have slept in every room in Venice. The décor is simple and nice enough, though it may warrant refurbishing. The owners host a number of cats, so if felines aren't your bag of nip, you might want to look elsewhere.

Best Luxurious Hotel
The Ritz Carlton Marina del Rey
Web: www.ritzcarlton.com
Chainsaw jugglers, singing beggars and mermaid sand sculptors? You'll find all 3 and other unimaginable oddities in Venice. What you won't find is anything remotely conservative, which is why the luxurious Ritz Carlton is located in adjacent Marina del Rey. The traveler who needs pampering will clamor for the Ritz after a day among Venice natives. The award-winning hotel features amenities you won't find on Ocean Front Walk, including a regulation NBA basketball court, a fitness center with spa and private, in-room yoga lessons. Two critically acclaimed restaurants - the Terrace and the Dining Room - round out the Ritz Carlton, which captures the essence of everything Venice is not.

Best Family Hotel
The Marina Beach Marriott
Web: www.marriotthotels.com
With the unforeseen problems that can accompany a trip, the last thing a vacationing family should worry about is the quality of its accommodations. That's why the Marina Beach Marriott is the perfect place for Venice Beach visitors. It's relatively affordable, the staff is highly professional and the rooms are pleasant, and many offer views of the ocean. If unoccupied, visit the Bayview Room and sneak a panoramic peek at the marina, ocean and Santa Monica Mountains. The Marina Beach Marriott isn't in Venice, but the short drive is well worth the safety and security. The immediate vicinity is home to numerous shops and family-theme restaurants.

Best Budget Accommodation
The Cadillac Hotel
Web site: www.thecadillachotel.com
The Cadillac Hotel is the only hotel directly on the Venice waterfront. That said, it's not half bad - which is to say it's not altogether good, either. Built in 1915, this "completely restored art deco landmark" makes one wonder what the hotel looked like during its heyday. The hotel has a generally grungy feel, and although rooms are large, they are not particularly well-decorated or well-kept. Still, if a first-hand Venice experience is what you seek, the Cadillac may be the place to stay. The hotel lobby is among the funkier around, and the staff - who all seem to be British - are quite courteous and helpful.

Best Close-By Accommodation
The Inn at Venice Beach
Web: www.innatvenicebeach.com
Is the Inn at Venice Beach actually in Venice Beach? According to its brochure, it is. According to its Web site, it's not. The US Postal Service Web site says that the address is in Marina del Rey. What does this mean in real world terms? Basically, that you have to walk two or three blocks from the Inn at Venice Beach to be in Venice Beach. Oh, and about the hotel ... it's not bad. Rooms are clean and comfortable, though hardly as posh as the management's pictures lead you to believe.

Best Bar
Hal's Bar and Grill
Web site: www.halsbarandgrill.com
A neighborhood favorite, Hal's - like many other Venice restaurants - will surprise you with its hip decor and quality, first-rate food. What's more, it's the place to go to rub elbows with area singles. Grilled half chicken and Israeli cous-cous are lunch stand-outs, while dinner specialties include the sashimi appetizer of scallop, tuna and salmon, braised veal osso bucco and crayfish étouffe. If you plan to come for dinner, allow plenty of time - dinner at Hal's packs a full house.

Best Waterfront Atmosphere
The Sidewalk Café
Web site: www.thesidewalkcafe.com
The patio of the Sidewalk Café offers a front row seat to the freak show parading up and down Ocean Front Walk. Sit back, have a few drinks - you'll need them - and order breakfast, lunch or dinner, all of which are served all day. The menu is a laugh. Omelets are named after battier eggs, like the Walt Whitman (stuffed with chopped bacon) and the Carlos Casteneda (chorizo and cheddar), and burgers after those with minds on the rarer side, like the Kurt Vonnegut (cheeseburger with chili and onions) and the Timothy Leary (cheeseburger with sautéed mushrooms and avocado).

Best Local Seafood
Chaya Venice
Web site: www.thechaya.com
Venice Beach may be gritty and urban, but its restaurants shine with stellar food and arresting interiors, and none more so than Chaya Venice. The restaurant is a small-scale architectural gem with a gleaming metallic facade that catches the eye of townies, tourists and students alike. Inside, the elegant use of wood, highlighted with glass and chrome, gives Chaya a sleekness that is sophisticated and modern, yet friendly and unpretentious.

More Excellent Local Seafood
Joe's
Web site: www.joesrestaurant.com
The only ordinary aspect of Joe's, one of the Los Angeles area's highest-rated seafood restaurants, is its name (which, coincidentally, happens to be the name of the owner). Everything else is extraordinary, from the cultivated decor to the neon-blue-trimmed bar to the inspired cooking. Choose from such delicacies as tuna tartar; porcini mushroom ravioli; roasted beef with mashed potatoes; and crepenette of pork. Weekends book quickly, so call ahead for reservations.

Best Family Restaurant
The Rose Café and Market
Web site: www.rosecafe.com
Ask anyone in Venice to name 3 standby restaurants and the Rose will be one of them. Patrons have raved about this long, concrete deli and bakery since it opened in 1979, which is why regulars include John Cusack, Heather Graham and longtime fan Arnold Schwarznegger. Recommended items? Any of the salads, though the Thai beef and sesame chicken have a certain appeal; the seared tuna or grilled swordfish sandwich; swordfish tacos, which are filled with feta cheese, grilled scallions and avocado salsa; and a cinnamon bun - square or twist - for dessert. Yum!

Best Pizza
Abbot's Pizza Company
Web site: abbotspizzaco.com
Self-proclaimed originators of the "Bagel Crust Pizza," Abbot's is known for having the best pizza in Venice. In addition to the Bianca pizza (onion, tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, ricotta, basil and a garlic pesto sauce) - a certifiable vampire killer - other pizzas to try inlcude the five onion, barbecue chicken, wild mushroom and Gypsy (spinach, mushroom, onion, tomato, ricotta, mozzarella and an olive pesto sauce). 

Best Kid Stuff
Ocean Front Walk
Provided that parents accompany them, children will never be more entertained than when they mosey down Ocean Front Walk. Where to begin? With a hot dog from Annie's, a Venice institution since 1965? With new t-shirts purchased from one of the street's countless vendors? And this is only the beginning. Down the road, artists await, eager to paint caricatures, and others sell handmade jewelry, incense, body oils, henna tattoos, shaved ice and cotton candy. Need your fortune told? A tarot reader can help. Rent rollerblades or a bike and journey along the paths to Santa Monica. As Venice attractions go, nothing is as kid-friendly or as magical as Ocean Front Walk.

Best Day Trip
Disneyland
Web site: disneyland.disney.go.com
After a vigilant day supervising the kids at one of the strangest places imaginable, a trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth" just makes sense. Less than an hour away from Venice (and the freakish Ocean Front Walk), Disneyland promises fun from start to finish. Best of all, it's safe enough for the kids to journey off on their own. Ride nearly everything once, but be sure to visit Pirates of the Caribbean (an unparalleled classic), the Haunted House (still mystifying), Star Tours (touchy stomachs should keep an air-sickness bag handy), Splash Mountain (if in front, you will get wet) and It's a Small World (touching). If on a budget, consider packing a lunch. Once inside the park, Disneyland controls the prices ... and they aren't cheap.

Best Beachside Gym
Muscle Beach Venice
Aptly described by its female manager as "the only gym where you can work out and get a tan at the same time - and look at women in bikinis," Muscle Beach Venice is at least partly responsible for the well-known California beach stereotype. None of those expectations will be unmet by a visit here. Not only can you observe the more swollen, muscular members of our species laboring to grow their absurdly bulging bodies, you can also tear off your shirt, flex your guns and join the iron-pumping spectacle. And if your timing is right, you may get a glimpse of occasional visitors Arnold Schwarznegger, Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed from "Rocky"), and Lou Ferrigno (a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk).

Best Game of Hoops
Venice Beach Courts
It would be no surprise if the phrase "white men can't jump" was uttered for the first time on the Venice Beach basketball courts. Players best have either a mean jump shot or high self-esteem if they want to survive a game on these courts. Like Muscle Beach Gym, Venice hoops is as much entertainment as it is game. Shirts disappear as do any restrictions on trash talk. Not even your mama is safe. If you have any doubts about playing, any at all, do the safe thing and have a seat in the stands. It's far less taxing on the ego and much more entertaining. Trust me.