Last month I was lucky enough to spend a week in California and I’m missing the architecture, the sunny weather, the sea and the food. In fact, such is the development in American craft beer in recent years, I’m missing that too. So today I’m treating myself to a reminiscing walk along the canals of Venice – Venice, California.
They make a calm and uncrowded haven, at least at this time of year, away from the hustle and bustle of Venice Beach. They don’t cover a vast area, with just four east-west canals and two north-south. There are helpful signposts, but we don’t need them for our relaxing stroll.
We’ll pop down onto the walkway along the Grand Canal from South Venice Boulevard, and meander up and down.
I’ll wrap up with a bit of history. The canals here were the work of developer Abbot Kinney. They opened to great acclaim in 1905, with visitors flocking to take a gondola ride on the waterways of the “Venice of America”.
Promotional flyer for Venice of America in Los Angeles, California – image public domain
Within 25 years, its popularity had waned, with cars winning the popularity stakes. In 1929, after a long battle led by canal residents, many of the canals were paved over. The canal area you see now is only about a quarter the size of the original Venice.
By 1940 the remaining canals had fallen into a state of serious disrepair. Despite several renovation proposals, things remained this way for over 50 years; happily, the canals were eventually drained and cleaned, and new walkways and walls were constructed. The area reopened in 1993 and is now once again a desirable, upmarket residential section of the town.
Travel with Intent 
It’s very pretty but I expect there are too many tourists in summer?
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Maybe, though I suspect most tourists just head to the beach!
On Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 5:23 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Beautiful scenes!
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I have never connected California with a system of scenic canals. They are so beautiful and lined with lots of wonderful living greens.
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Wonderful canal view. Looks so clean too. Love seeing it.
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Very different to the real Venice in that respect
On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 10:42 AM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Great photos. Now I know why Venice Beach got it’s name. A little haven away from the hustle and bustle of the more commercial areas.
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Absolutely. Though the beach itself is very busy. And in the heyday it had piers and amusement areas.
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Oh, Debbie- you know how to pull on a girl’s heart strings! Canals, boats and warmth! I love that second shot especially with the heat haze over the distant mountains. Thanks so much for the share. It’s lovely! 🙂
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It made a wonderful break before a hectic conference. I just wished I could have stayed longer.
On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 2:16 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Looks so pretty. Any walk here would be refreshing and soothing.
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It must been nice to walk along the Grand Canal
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And the California weather helps :0
On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 10:38 AM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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