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The First Fridays in Venice Experience You Weren't Expecting
The concept of First Fridays in Venice evokes a certain vision—twinkling streetlights and dozens of food trucks lined neatly together. The boutiques that dot the upscale Abbott Kinney Boulevard keep their doors open well into the night, with clusters of bemused costumers perusing through novelty merchandise and purchasing a necklace here, a top there. Large crowds of people mingle though the streets, enjoying a relaxed Friday evening.
And the food—oh, the food. Imagine the rich scents of butter, garlic and spices floating from the dozens of gourmet food trucks, cloaking the thick night air in a blanket of savory aromas. Then, picture waiting in line for what seems an eternity at the famed Cousins Maine Lobster Truck, growing weary from temptation after watching people order their food and greedily devour every bite. With the soft hum of urban street noise set to the tune of growling stomachs, a lobster roll is finally served, and the exquisite taste that follows can only be described as a divine encounter, worth every second of the wait.
This is not what one will find at First Friday's in Venice.
Instead, the First Fridays in Venice that locals and tourists experience is a bit of a jumbled mess. The event falls on the First Friday of every month, and the experience is dominated by the street-fair-feel of food trucks. It's not the only First Friday in the greater Los Angeles area—Westchester and the L.A. Country Natural History Museum host their own—but it claims the title as the most recognized event of its kind.
The shops that dot Abbott Kinney do remain open, but the insides of the stores are ghost towns. Several food trucks park along the road, but the cluster of trucks that sloppily park in the Brig parking lot drive the majority of First Fridays' traffic. The crowd is an eclectic mix, with distinguishable characteristic indistinguishable based on the poor lighting. For Venice local Suzy, who declined to provide her full name, First Fridays isn't worth the hassle.
"I've lived in Venice for two years, and I've come down here three times," she said. "It's crowded and the food truck lines are obviously so long. It's hard to get something and actually enjoy it."
Without the hip pulse that beats through Venice culture, the lure of gourmet food trucks and the idea of being spotted at the 'it' locale, Suzy doubts many would come to First Fridays at all.
"People come down here to be seen, absolutely. It’s the hotspot, " she said. "It doesn’t have much to do with the food. I feel sorry for the restaurants in the area, because they get robbed by the food trucks."
Another bite that puts a bad taste in Suzy's mouth is the fact that many of the aforementioned "people" that flock to the event aren't from Venice at all.
"People come from Marina del Ray and LMU. The majority of people are from out-of-town," she explained. "Not many people on my street come down here. And I absolutely wouldn’t miss it if it were gone. Sorry."
The First Fridays that takes the streets of Venice today is a corrupted version of what the event was initially. Suzy explained that the initial Friday night gathering revolved around local merchants trying to attract new costumers.
"It first started with all the stores on Abbott Kinney doing First Fridays," Suzy said. "They were all open late, and then what happened was a couple food trucks came down. Then it became a food truck thing, but it wasn’t like that in the beginning. In the beginning it was just the stores, and they served cookies or some kind of treat. Then the food trucks came.
"It was never supposed to be about food trucks."
Sugar Babies Cupcakery co-owner Rachel Crystal remembers the initial First Friday less than four years ago in 2010, before the event's distinct identity was established. With her sister and business partner, Kassandra Workman, the cupcake truck owners (who also maintain a permanent location in Sherman Oaks, Calif.) were among the initial stampede of food truck enthusiast who filled Abbot Kinney on the first Friday night of the month. Then came drama.
"We started coming at the beginning of first Fridays, and it was really crazy," Crystal said. "Soon after, the trucks had trouble with the merchants, and there was a lot of discontent and back-and-forth between the truck owners and the merchants. Trucks were parking in spaces they weren’t supposed to in front of businesses, and merchants were putting up their own 'no parking' signs to keep the trucks away."
After nasty conflicts ensued between the food truck owners and the Abbot Kinney merchants, Crystal and Workman left the scene altogether for the food-truck-friendly Westchester First Fridays.
"We just don’t like drama," Crystal added.
But on one recent Friday, Crystal returned to the First Fridays frenzy in Venice. After spending three years at Westchester First Fridays, she explained that slowing business prompted Sugar Babies Cupcakery to drive back to Abbott Kinney. Since she served her last cupcake in Venice three years ago, the rules changed: Instead of 40 to 50 trucks swarming the scene, there's a predetermined, 20-truck lineup.
"It was tough to get a permit to come back, since there's a truck limit at First Fridays now," Crystal said. "We were pre-selected this time. We had to apply, and they picked us. The LAPD guided me into my spot tonight; it was intense!"
That said, Crystal is more enthused than ever to return to First Fridays. She loves sharing her bite-sized sweets with a hungry crowd. Strawberries and cream, red rose and s'mores are all customer favorites, but it's the pancakes 'n' bacon variety with maple sugar frosting and candied bacon bits that sells out every time.
As far as the other food trucks, Crystal's not afraid to taste-test the competition. She frequents barbeque food trucks, and The Grilled Cheese Truck is beyond compare for the cupcake baker. And with a variety of homemade grilled cheese options that range from simple cheddar to brie and slice pears, she's not the only one who frequents the cheesy truck.
"I'd never been to First Fridays before, but the food truck I'd heard the most about was The Grilled Cheese Truck. I had to try it," Mia Hendricks, a Pepperdine University student, explained. "It took forever to get my food, but when I did it was delicious. I got a French onion soup melt that came with onion soup broth, and it was hands-down one of the best grilled cheeses I've ever tasted."
Grilled cheese aside, Hendricks felt that Venice's Frist Fridays did not live up to the hype. She expected more food options, more organization and a cleaner environment.
"It was just totally different than what I thought," she said. "I think I spent more time looking for the line to The Grilled Cheese truck than I actually waited in line. All of the food truck lines overlapped in that tiny parking lot, and it was just a mob. People were bumping into me all night, and even thought every one was friendly, I was irritated. It was really expensive, too—$9 for a grilled cheese!"
Indeed, the Venice First Fridays that newcomers experience doesn't resemble the preceding scene. Instead of quaint crowds, it's cramped masses. Instead of quick bites at good prices, it's long lines and hefty rates. That buttery blanket of savory aromas is instead a cloud of kerosene fumes from the food trucks.
And as for that lobster roll? Chewy, dull and disappointing.
The concept of First Fridays in Venice evokes a certain vision—twinkling streetlights and dozens of food trucks lined neatly together. The boutiques that dot the upscale Abbott Kinney Boulevard keep their doors open well into the night, with clusters of bemused costumers perusing through novelty merchandise and purchasing a necklace here, a top there. Large crowds of people mingle though the streets, enjoying a relaxed Friday evening.
And the food—oh, the food. Imagine the rich scents of butter, garlic and spices floating from the dozens of gourmet food trucks, cloaking the thick night air in a blanket of savory aromas. Then, picture waiting in line for what seems an eternity at the famed Cousins Maine Lobster Truck, growing weary from temptation after watching people order their food and greedily devour every bite. With the soft hum of urban street noise set to the tune of growling stomachs, a lobster roll is finally served, and the exquisite taste that follows can only be described as a divine encounter, worth every second of the wait.
This is not what one will find at First Friday's in Venice.
Instead, the First Fridays in Venice that locals and tourists experience is a bit of a jumbled mess. The event falls on the First Friday of every month, and the experience is dominated by the street-fair-feel of food trucks. It's not the only First Friday in the greater Los Angeles area—Westchester and the L.A. Country Natural History Museum host their own—but it claims the title as the most recognized event of its kind.
The shops that dot Abbott Kinney do remain open, but the insides of the stores are ghost towns. Several food trucks park along the road, but the cluster of trucks that sloppily park in the Brig parking lot drive the majority of First Fridays' traffic. The crowd is an eclectic mix, with distinguishable characteristic indistinguishable based on the poor lighting. For Venice local Suzy, who declined to provide her full name, First Fridays isn't worth the hassle.
"I've lived in Venice for two years, and I've come down here three times," she said. "It's crowded and the food truck lines are obviously so long. It's hard to get something and actually enjoy it."
Without the hip pulse that beats through Venice culture, the lure of gourmet food trucks and the idea of being spotted at the 'it' locale, Suzy doubts many would come to First Fridays at all.
"People come down here to be seen, absolutely. It’s the hotspot, " she said. "It doesn’t have much to do with the food. I feel sorry for the restaurants in the area, because they get robbed by the food trucks."
Another bite that puts a bad taste in Suzy's mouth is the fact that many of the aforementioned "people" that flock to the event aren't from Venice at all.
"People come from Marina del Ray and LMU. The majority of people are from out-of-town," she explained. "Not many people on my street come down here. And I absolutely wouldn’t miss it if it were gone. Sorry."
The First Fridays that takes the streets of Venice today is a corrupted version of what the event was initially. Suzy explained that the initial Friday night gathering revolved around local merchants trying to attract new costumers.
"It first started with all the stores on Abbott Kinney doing First Fridays," Suzy said. "They were all open late, and then what happened was a couple food trucks came down. Then it became a food truck thing, but it wasn’t like that in the beginning. In the beginning it was just the stores, and they served cookies or some kind of treat. Then the food trucks came.
"It was never supposed to be about food trucks."
Sugar Babies Cupcakery co-owner Rachel Crystal remembers the initial First Friday less than four years ago in 2010, before the event's distinct identity was established. With her sister and business partner, Kassandra Workman, the cupcake truck owners (who also maintain a permanent location in Sherman Oaks, Calif.) were among the initial stampede of food truck enthusiast who filled Abbot Kinney on the first Friday night of the month. Then came drama.
"We started coming at the beginning of first Fridays, and it was really crazy," Crystal said. "Soon after, the trucks had trouble with the merchants, and there was a lot of discontent and back-and-forth between the truck owners and the merchants. Trucks were parking in spaces they weren’t supposed to in front of businesses, and merchants were putting up their own 'no parking' signs to keep the trucks away."
After nasty conflicts ensued between the food truck owners and the Abbot Kinney merchants, Crystal and Workman left the scene altogether for the food-truck-friendly Westchester First Fridays.
"We just don’t like drama," Crystal added.
But on one recent Friday, Crystal returned to the First Fridays frenzy in Venice. After spending three years at Westchester First Fridays, she explained that slowing business prompted Sugar Babies Cupcakery to drive back to Abbott Kinney. Since she served her last cupcake in Venice three years ago, the rules changed: Instead of 40 to 50 trucks swarming the scene, there's a predetermined, 20-truck lineup.
"It was tough to get a permit to come back, since there's a truck limit at First Fridays now," Crystal said. "We were pre-selected this time. We had to apply, and they picked us. The LAPD guided me into my spot tonight; it was intense!"
That said, Crystal is more enthused than ever to return to First Fridays. She loves sharing her bite-sized sweets with a hungry crowd. Strawberries and cream, red rose and s'mores are all customer favorites, but it's the pancakes 'n' bacon variety with maple sugar frosting and candied bacon bits that sells out every time.
As far as the other food trucks, Crystal's not afraid to taste-test the competition. She frequents barbeque food trucks, and The Grilled Cheese Truck is beyond compare for the cupcake baker. And with a variety of homemade grilled cheese options that range from simple cheddar to brie and slice pears, she's not the only one who frequents the cheesy truck.
"I'd never been to First Fridays before, but the food truck I'd heard the most about was The Grilled Cheese Truck. I had to try it," Mia Hendricks, a Pepperdine University student, explained. "It took forever to get my food, but when I did it was delicious. I got a French onion soup melt that came with onion soup broth, and it was hands-down one of the best grilled cheeses I've ever tasted."
Grilled cheese aside, Hendricks felt that Venice's Frist Fridays did not live up to the hype. She expected more food options, more organization and a cleaner environment.
"It was just totally different than what I thought," she said. "I think I spent more time looking for the line to The Grilled Cheese truck than I actually waited in line. All of the food truck lines overlapped in that tiny parking lot, and it was just a mob. People were bumping into me all night, and even thought every one was friendly, I was irritated. It was really expensive, too—$9 for a grilled cheese!"
Indeed, the Venice First Fridays that newcomers experience doesn't resemble the preceding scene. Instead of quaint crowds, it's cramped masses. Instead of quick bites at good prices, it's long lines and hefty rates. That buttery blanket of savory aromas is instead a cloud of kerosene fumes from the food trucks.
And as for that lobster roll? Chewy, dull and disappointing.