Parking in Venice is no picnic and you’ll be really lucky to find an available space along the street. You should read the signs carefully because you don’t want to get a ticket, or worse, have your car towed away. We couldn’t find any street parking so we parked at the lot on Rose Ave and Speedway for $4. Interestingly enough, there was a parking lot a few blocks south that was charging $14.

Venice Beach has always been one of my favorite places to visit because there are tons of things to see and do. If you’re looking for some cheap souvenirs or pieces of art for the house, you’ve come to the right place. Another thing you’ll find abundant on the boardwalk are Tarot Card and Palm Readers…about 2-3 per block. Some have their own shops while others are nestled along the boardwalk between the street performers and the animal rights activists.

Eugene (the genius behind PlanJam) is a big fan of psychic readings and I know that he would have been disappointed had I passed up the opportunity. So I picked the one that looked the most professional (he had a crystal ball on the table) and sat down for my tarot reading. His name was RA and he began by explaining how Tarot Card readings work. Basically, you shuffle the deck while thinking about a question you want answered. What essentially happens is that based on your subconscious thoughts, the cards will come out in a specific order that will contain the answer to your question. Without going into too much detail about the reading, let me just say that you won’t find the answer you’re looking for from a Venice Beach psychic. With that said, it was still tons of fun and well worth the $10 spent (about a 30 minute reading). Thanks Euge!

After the reading, we walked over to a cozy little Italian restaurant on Dudley Ave called Piccolo Ristorante. It’s a romantic neighborhood spot that is only steps away from the boardwalk. They open at 5pm and don’t accept reservations, so you’ll have to either come in early or be prepared for about an hour wait (depending on how busy it is of course). If you find yourself on the waiting list then you have a few options. There is a neighborhood bar right around the corner where you can enjoy some drinks and live music. You can also hang out inside the restaurant, but you’ll have to settle for sitting on the steps (with a bottle of wine of course).

Once we got our table (after an hour and a half wait) and ordered, the food came out pretty quickly. The wine list wasn’t particularly amazing, but they did have a good selection of Italian wines. Their signature dish – the Potatoes and Fig Tortellini was excellent, but the rest of the food came out a little too salty (something we all noticed). I’m not one of those people who complain and send the food back, so I did end up eating it all. It wasn’t my first time at the restaurant so this could have just been an isolated incident.

In total, we had a bottle of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and dessert, which came out to $150 (with tip). Overall, the food was good – but if I could do it over again, I would not have waited that long.

Total Cost: $164

Total Time: 5 Hours

12:00pm – We arrived at the Zoo at Noon and I was surprised that there was no charge for parking. You would think that finding parking would be almost impossible, but there were a ton of open spaces right near the entrance.

At first glance, the line to purchase tickets looks really intimidating, but it does move really quickly. We got to the ticket window in about 25 minutes and the price of admission was a reasonable $10 per person (children get in for $5).

We quickly glanced at the program of shows and there was nothing too impressive…about a half dozen shows centered on birds. That didn’t matter though, I came there to see the Tigers and Lions (btw, I love cats).

Since it was a warm day and we stood in line for about half an hour, we were a little hot so we decided to get a cold treat. Liz went for the Shaved Italian Ice, at $5.95, and I went for the Dippin Dots which were priced at $4.35. Now that we had cooled down a bit, we were ready to go explore the zoo!

As we walked from exhibit to exhibit, we couldn’t help but notice that almost all of the animals were either sleeping or hiding. This made it really frustrating after taking multiple detours around the zoo to get to them. Specifically, we were unable to see the Snow Leopard, Tigers, Bears, and Wolves. The only animal we were actually able to see during our first hour was the Tortoise, which really had nowhere to go. Now I am not sure if you have ever seen a Tortoise in real life, but it’s not that exhilarating.

It may have just been the time we decided to visit, but we were getting really annoyed having to play “Where’s Waldo” at each exhibit. The second half of our visit was a little more fun. They got around to feeding the hippopotamuses which allowed for some great close-up shots. There was also a family of Orangutans which were absolutely adorable and the Koalas were really cute (see pictures below).

We were at the Zoo for a total for 2.5 hours and we weren’t really rushing through it. All in all we had a wonderful time, but the selection of animals was far from spectacular. And no, I didn’t get to see any cats (which was a little disappointing). In the future we will probably take a trip down to San Diego and visit the Zoo there.

If you’ve never been to the Los Angeles Zoo, I would really suggest that you check it out (plus its right next door to Griffith Park where you can set up a picnic). But if you frequent Zoos often, you may get a little bored here.

Total Cost: $30.30

Total Time: 2.5 Hours

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Now that you are in your thirties the concept of group dating may seem as grubby as those flannel shirts you used to wear every day, but group dating is the perfect opportunity to embrace the retro. If you are single you may have anxiety over the dreaded third wheel syndrome. This is why a group (defined as a cluster of person or things) is for you.

Not quite ready to spend so much alone time with the possible Mr. Right? Chances are you have friends that are also in different spectrums of the dating rainbow. A couple that has been together for ages can rekindle some of their old spark in a group date setting.

Much like compiling the perfect mixed tape, approaching group dating is all about the right balance. The first thing to consider is who should be in the group. Even when best behavior is anticipated, some personalities just don’t jive well. This is not the time to bring together people with opposing political or religious views. While the heated conversations might make a great floorshow in the back seat of your car, after a while everyone will be miserable. This is also not the time or place for dabbling in matchmaking. In general people don’t like the surprise set-up, even if it was done with the best of intentions.

Now that you have your group in mind it is time to mull over activities. The time-honored classic ‘dinner and a movie’ is fun in a group. There is nothing like taking up a full row in the movie theatre and passing tubs of popcorn down the line. There are, however, many other options for group dating.

Consider going en masse to a concert just out of town. The car ride there is a perfect way for new people to get to know each other. By the time you are on your way home new friendships have formed.

Trying out the trendy and hip new nightclub downtown might seem daunting. You may be tempted to go for the old standard of doing it up as a girl’s night out. Contemplate expanding your invite list to make it a group date. Established couples get the nudge to break their routine, new couples aren’t saddled with just one dancing partner, and singles can play the field with the added security of knowing that a group is there for back up or security. Group dating is your ultimate wing-man.

Pet grooming has become a hobby for many cat and dog owners. There is a sense of pride in walking your pooch in style. Many major cities now offer classes to teach owners how to groom their pets. For example, in Georgia, The International Academy of Pet Design has just expanded their class schedule to include several evening time options. Your Great Dane may drool over the treats on display, but you may find something of your own to drool over three stalls over.

Walking your dog can be viewed as a chore or one your most cherished moments with your pet. For many that depends on what time of day it is and how much coffee you’ve had a chance to ingest before Fido can’t hold it any longer. So many urban professionals end up opting out of walking their pet themselves, either because of time or schedule constraints. For the rest of us this can be the perfect foible for casing out attractive men with friendly dogs.

Even more infallible is the local dog park. A couple of clicks in an internet search engine yields many options for selecting the perfect spot to let your pal run free and frolic with others. If you are traveling you can search in advance in on line directories that will guide you to finding a park on the road. Watching your dog joyfully chase squirrels or even his own tail is a unique bonding experience that can lead to meeting people – even a candidate for a date without the dog.

There is also the new latest craze in fantasy: the McVet. Made popular by a favorite nighttime soap, many women have traded in firemen for Veterinarians in their aspirations for dating bliss. While chances are that you already have a an established relationship with your vet, if you don’t, consider getting those pets up to date on their shots – just make sure you don’t make the trip in your sweats. You never know who you might meet.

One of the worst situations pet owners can find themselves in is what to do when your new beau is allergic to Fluffy or Fido. There are many so many horror stories about people feeling like they have to make a choice between their pet and their boyfriend. Luckily the science has finally caught up and countless reunions have been enjoyed between pet owner and allergy sufferer.

Close to 15% of the U.S. population is allergic to dogs or cats but many of these people still opt to own a pet anyway. If your date isn’t one of the lucky ones that responds to allergy medications consider creating a “safe zone” in your home. All you need is a high quality HEPA filter system and everyone can exist in harmony.

Today, ice skating can still be done on a natural ice surface, but most of the time people prefer to skate on a man-made ice skating rink. Because of the popularity of the sport, indoor ice skating rinks are available in most cities, and you can now ice skate all year round.

Ice skates are available for rent at ice skating rinks, and many people who ice skate on a regular basis tend to purchase their own skates. If you have ever been roller skating, you will probably be able to pick up on ice skating without much trouble. You do not need lessons in order to do the basics, but if you wish to learn how to be a better skater or how to do tricks on the ice, lessons are certainly an option.

Ice skating can be a really fun date idea. In the summer months, it is a great way to cool off and get bundled up together. There will be plenty of opportunities to hold the hand of your date while trying not to fall over. There are many ice skating rinks that have quite a romantic feeling to them, with twinkling white lights or a view of the night sky. While an indoor rink is not as romantic, many rinks host special themed nights for adults only so you won’t have to worry about being upstaged by a twelve year old who skates better than you.

Ice skating is also ideal for large groups of friends because you can all participate at once. Ice skating rinks typically are equipped with snack bars and even arcades so if someone is not up for skating they won’t be left out. If you and your friends have children, this is something that everyone can do together which is enjoyable for people of all ages.