Any beaches in New England comparable to Venice and its boardwalk? (Boston: real estate, houses)

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by el_greco

Are there any beaches that have a vibe comparable to Venice beach boardwalk in California? Crowds of locals and tourists, young people, freaks, innovators, eccentrics, music, art, and so on? Busy feel with exciting energy?

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

I love the grey ... most things are grey. There's little to no grey within this inquiry ...if looking for a permanent residence in an area which reflects the culture/vibe of Venice beach. Doesn't exist here outside the thinnest of thin veneers in areas like the outer Cape or Cape Ann. The 'boardwalk' towns in New England are culturally distant.

Maybe you know something about the OP I don't, but I get no sense from this they are looking for a permanent residence. As someone not from here, the "what's comparable" questions always mean "what's the closest". Maybe the OP is interested in moving here and "no" is the best answer, but just stopping the "what's the closest" conversation seems premature.

For example, I know the White Mountain National Forest isn't comparable to Yosemite, but knowing that it's the best I can do without a plane ticket is still useful information. And yes, it is important to say "it's not really comparable", so I someone can manage expectations. Still, some information is better than no information.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Maybe you know something about the OP I don't, but I get no sense from this they are looking for a permanent residence. As someone not from here, the "what's comparable" questions always mean "what's the closest". Maybe the OP is interested in moving here and "no" is the best answer, but just stopping the "what's the closest" conversation seems premature.

For example, I know the White Mountain National Forest isn't comparable to Yosemite, but knowing that it's the best I can do without a plane ticket is still useful information. And yes, it is important to say "it's not really comparable", so I someone can manage expectations. Still, some information is better than no information.

Yes, and the only thing which comes close to attracting those crowds in MA is the Outer Cape during a narrow season. Hampton beach, Revere beach, etc. are working-class and share little to nothing in common beyond "it's a heavily developed beach".

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Maybe you know something about the OP I don't, but I get no sense from this they are looking for a permanent residence. As someone not from here, the "what's comparable" questions always mean "what's the closest". Maybe the OP is interested in moving here and "no" is the best answer, but just stopping the "what's the closest" conversation seems premature.

For example, I know the White Mountain National Forest isn't comparable to Yosemite, but knowing that it's the best I can do without a plane ticket is still useful information. And yes, it is important to say "it's not really comparable", so I someone can manage expectations. Still, some information is better than no information.

OP did not ask what's the "best he can do", or "is there anywhere that contains a few characteristics of Venice Beach". He asked one simple question, that is does any beach in New England have a "vibe comparable to Venice Beach". The answer is clearly no. Any other answer is being disingenuous and dishonest. And yes OP has lived in New England before.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by massnative71

OP did not ask what's the "best he can do", or "is there anywhere that contains a few characteristics of Venice Beach". He asked one simple question, that is does any beach in New England have a "vibe comparable to Venice Beach". The answer is clearly no. Any other answer is being disingenuous and dishonest. And yes OP has lived in New England before.

How is "no, but the closest you can find is..." dishonest? I don't think anyone directly said an answer without prefacing it with "it's not really close, but..." in one way or another.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Yes, and the only thing which comes close to attracting those crowds in MA is the Outer Cape during a narrow season. Hampton beach, Revere beach, etc. are working-class and share little to nothing in common beyond "it's a heavily developed beach".

I admit it's been 20 years, but are we talking about the same Venice Beach? The one with all the bodybuilders and skaters and tourist traps? And, from what I read now, a gigantic homeless encampment?

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

How is "no, but the closest you can find is..." dishonest? I don't think anyone directly said an answer without prefacing it with "it's not really close, but..." in one way or another.

It's dishonest in the sense that is so different that it's meaningless to say they are somewhat related.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I admit it's been 20 years, but are we talking about the same Venice Beach? The one with all the bodybuilders and skaters and tourist traps? And, from what I read now, a gigantic homeless encampment?

The main strip might remain kitsch, but the immediate neighborhoods behind ... these days ... are extremely pricey and the businesses and general vibe reflect it.

IMO, the only thing which comes remotely close, albeit at a tiny scale, is P-Town during peak season. A mix of transient artists, tourists of all sorts, and some very well heeled seasonal residents.

Hampton beach ain't it. I'd say Portland is closer, but obviously the weather and lack of beach renders it a rather abstract interpretation. It's also super white and lacks a real jobs market like Venice has.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I admit it's been 20 years, but are we talking about the same Venice Beach? The one with all the bodybuilders and skaters and tourist traps? And, from what I read now, a gigantic homeless encampment?

There's still plenty of all that. But it has also been a counterculture hub for a long time and remains so. More recently (last decade), it's diversified further with the growth of "Silicon Beach," the third largest tech hub on the West Coast. Snap, Inc. was headquartered on VB before moving to their new Santa Monica HQ a little over a year ago. Vice, Google, Buzzfeed, and a bunch of other smaller startups have offices in Venice. So the culture has evolved a bit with the influx of the young tech crowd. It's a big mix of everything (including the homeless) and there's nothing that comes close to replicating it out this way.

Originally Posted by Lampert

It's dishonest in the sense that is so different that it's meaningless to say they are somewhat related.

This. I love drawing parallels as much as the next guy, but there is no alternative that offers even a reasonable approximation of Venice Beach or Venice Beach "light" out this way.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by lrfox

This. I love drawing parallels as much as the next guy, but there is no alternative that offers even a reasonable approximation of Venice Beach or Venice Beach "light" out this way.

People are getting caught up on the beach bit.

IMO, something like South Congress in Austin or Lousiveille/Boulder is much closer 'culturally' despite being nowhere near a beach. Source: I've been to these places.

[brk330]

Here's a great tour of Hampton Beach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXpobkojPI