Is the Venice Beach weight pen the best literary salon in L.A.?

You’ve walked past it. If you’re a tourist, you probably snapped a picture — if you’re a native, you almost definitely haven’t. No matter what, chances are you got an incomplete idea of what goes on at the Venice Beach Weight Pen.

The weight pen, a small, open-air weightlifting gym more commonly known as the “pit” is, perhaps, the most important fitness landmark in a city renowned for the fitness of its inhabitants. It is also a fairly intimidating-looking place to the uninitiated.

Though there are some machines and a single stationary bike, the pit is generally best suited for lifting large quantities of gray iron. Almost all of those using the facility are male. They are generally some combination of huge, shirtless and heavily-tattooed. Often, all three.

But stop and listen to what is being said.

I’ve had, or overheard, conversations about the reliability of various translations of the gospels from the Greek; the intricacies of derivative trading; and exactly what C. Wright Mills meant by the term “the sociological imagination.” I’ve learned an enormous amount about local history and had a native of Birmingham (U.K., not Alabama) correct me when I referred to his hometown as a “northern” English city.

One gentleman who could, without a doubt, have picked me up over his head and tossed me for distance had he so chosen (I weigh 200 pounds) looked positively sorrowful when admitting he had only made it through the first two (roughly 800-page each) volumes of Taylor Branch’s extraordinary history of the Civil Rights era and had not yet attempted the third.

Of course, not all of the conversation resembles the above. Some involves weightlifting programs and the, um, physical charms of various passersby. But this, along with the creamy Pacific breezes, just serves to reinforce the fact that, as important as books and ideas are, other parts of life should not be ignored, either.

So, next time you’re in Venice, stop in for a workout. You’ll definitely get a great one for your body. You just might get an even better one for your mind.

Leff is a writer living in Santa Monica. Among other things, he greatly enjoys teaching writing at the Los Angeles Public Library.

My Turn is a forum for readers to recount an experience related to health or fitness. Submissions should be no more than 500 words. They are subject to editing and condensation and become the property of The Times. Please e-mail health@latimes.com. We read every essay but can’t respond to every writer.