This year I wasn’t able to
travel to Europe for vacation, but I was still able to go to Italy! Okay, not
really, but we took a day trip to the beaches near Los Angeles, including
Venice Beach. We love unique and fun places, so it was definitely on our list.
Since Venice Beach is just 8 miles from Santa Monica, I decided to do them both
in one day. Before our trip, I looked up more things to do in Venice and it
turns out that developer Abbot Kinney had a Venice in America plan and
recreated 16 miles of the Italian canals in 1905.
Unfortunately, 75% of the
canals have since been covered up, because the sidewalks and houses surrounding
them fell into disrepair in the 30s and 40s. The city was salvaged and the remaining
canals are lined by million-dollar homes and looked amazing online, so Eric and
I wanted to see them for ourselves. We parked at the beach and walked down to
Washington Boulevard on the advice of a local walking his dog. Although I was bummed that I couldn’t rent a gondola to float down the water, I still wanted
to experience the neighborhood.
The houses aren’t large, though
they are fantastic “beachfront” houses with small yards and large
mortgages/rents. They have the advantage of being steps from the beach, having
a great walking neighborhood and being on a manmade river that they can cruise
down. The banks of the canals are lined with small boats owned by the
residents. Maybe they row down the river to their friends’ houses when the
weather is nice. Whatever the case, I’m sure it’s a beautiful view from their
tiny balconies.
We visited the beaches on a
weekday on the off-season, so we didn’t get the whole experience of Venice, but
I love that the beach is clean and there are two sidewalks. One is specifically
for bicycles and the other is for walkers. It’s a great way to keep traffic
separate and minimize accidents. I did
get to see an old guy rollerblading in a pair of jean cut-offs, but mostly we
enjoyed the quiet day and watching bicyclists roll by.
Venice is a great way to enjoy
both the beach and a recreation of the European canals on a budget. Both are
free, there are usually unique street performers and there are plenty of fun
shops and restaurants to choose from, too.
Have you been to Venice Beach?
If so, what was your favorite part?
