By Katy Crenshaw

Local guy, Bryan Moss Freeman, is a real hot ticket. I’ve been living in Venice for three months and I still feel fresh off the boat from San Francisco.  So, I wanna meet more locals. After casually meeting Bryan at an establishment on Windward I started wondering what his tours were all about. And maybe just maybe, use this as an excuse to get to know a nice dude. What I learned is Bryan is riding up to thirty miles a day showing International travelers and locals alike this little slice of nirvana we call Venice.

Currently, Bryan offers three bike tours a day – 9 a.m., Noon and 3 p.m. After a few failed attempts to join the party, I finally made the tour on what might have been the prettiest day of the summer thus far. The visibility was amazing; the sky was crystal clear and Catalina Island glistened like diamonds on the horizon.

I found Bryans’ bike tour at J’s Rentals on Windward, directly west of Danny’s Deli. What I found was a big family. Javier Cernas owns and operates J’s Rentals (trivia: the oldest bike shop on OFW) and rents bikes, skates and boards. And he employs hospitality. Jason Smith, local hunk, is the manager and if you frequent the area perhaps you’ve seen him or noticed his smiling face.

Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. The experience I had riding around getting to know the area I thought I knew enlightened me to what I didn’t know.

Of course, there are the obvious attractions such as Rip Cronk’s masterpieces around here and there and the references to the Doors. The tour included passing the quaint canals reflecting the sky, and the beauty that can be seen along the bike path beginning at the Venice Pier. Bryan’s Venice Beach Bike Tour captures the essence of Venice – the people, the spaces, the places, the hidden spots that are there for you to find, with good company.

Bryan is offering a special Venice Bike Tour on 8/7 at Noon. $10. (Regularly $45) Bring your bike or he can provide one. And he has been known to make an occasional stop at local pubs and places with views of downtown LA. Who says bike tours are only for tourists?