By Jonathan Pearce
Staff Writer
Ah, Venice! The canals, the gondolas, the Doge, the calamari, the blown glass and the romantic atmosphere — all can be found in sunny Southern California (except the Doge and the blown glass).
It all started in 1890 when Abbot Kinney, a local millionaire tobacco mogul, became owner of the southern half of the del Rey peninsula at the flip of a coin. Several years before Kinney had the notion to turn what was then essentially the large marshland south of his thriving Ocean Park Casino into a new “Venice of America,” complete with canals, gondolas, buildings reminiscent of Venetian architecture and several amusement piers similar to the one in Santa Monica.
Much of his vision came to be, and by June 1905, the American Venice celebrated its official grand opening. For almost 30 years, Venice grew in both fame and size as the “Coney Island of the Pacific.” At one point, there were three piers built in the area surrounding Venice, including the Fraser Million Dollar Amusement Pier, which opened claiming to be the worlds largest. At the height of its glory, Ocean Park and Venice were home to the three piers, a Ferris Wheel, a rapids ride, two carousels, a fun house, several dance houses, a miniature electric railroad to move people from place to place, an aquarium, a roller coaster, a bandstand, 16 miles of canals, several casinos and a 2,500-seat amphitheatre.
In 1930, Venice was annexed by the City of Los Angeles. With the increasing pressure of the depression and the booming success of the horseless carriage, many of the canals were filled in and replaced by roads and many of the amusements were slowly dismantled and removed. From then until the late 1970s, Venice fell into decline.
In recent years, many of the houses surrounding the remaining canals have been drastically remodeled, and today the neighborhood is an expensive place to live. When asked whether she liked the area, one afternoon stroller from Marina del Rey said, “Yes, very much.”
Other patrons enjoyed the area but found the replications wanting.
“(My friend) likes them, and says they look just like the real thing,” a visiting New York student said of the canals. “But, I think they are kinda cheesy.”
For the incurably sentimental, a walk around the canals would make an ideal late afternoon trip, provided dinner, a walk on the beach, or both were also included in the bargain. The houses range from quaint to outrageous, but most are well cared for and the neighborhood is calm and nice to stroll through away from the nearby bustle of the city traffic.
If one wishes to visit the canals, they are not-so-conveniently located just south of South Venice Boulevard about two blocks east from Pacific Avenue. There is very little free but abundant pay parking in the immediate area.
Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, is the world’s largest selection of all the things you never knew you didn’t want. In the area immediately adjacent to Venice Beach, is one of the largest concentrations of unwanted-yet-miraculously-purchased-in-volume-anyway sunglasses in the world. There is an incredible selection of tattoo parlors and T-shirt stores for one’s recreational enjoyment.
Nonetheless, the boardwalk, which is not actually made of wood, is one of the liveliest and strangest places around. Imagine 3rd Street in Santa Monica with only stores that sell nothing you could ever want and with the sales people actively recruiting on the street. But the people are friendly and there everything only one would want to see within about seven blocks up and down Venice Beach. The main part of the boardwalk runs from just south of Zephyr Court to just north of North Venice Boulevard.
As for fine dining, Venice along the boardwalk is not the place to be. However, just south on Washington Boulevard, there is an abundance of restaurants for almost any appetite. C&O Trattoria, A great Italian eatery famous for its garlic knots, is a short walk or drive south from Venice toward Marina del Rey. A short distance inland on Washington from C&O and the pier is a restaurant called Killer Shrimp. Things are done simply there, as Bubba Gump would appreciate. Shrimp in any way imaginable is on the menu complete with bibs for the mess.
Venice has been affectionately dubbed “one of the funkiest places on earth,” by author Mark Cramer. Using an “objective scale,” including such strange rankings as non-mainstream recreation and alternative economy as indicators of “funkiness,” Cramer has christened Venice as the third funkiest place on the planet.
March 28, 2002