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Funky Venice VacationBy Susan R. Norton
Upstairs, a room with a queen size bed, a romantic balcony and plaid woolen upholstered walls is called The Abbot Kinney Room, and is dedicated to the dreamer and founder of Venice in the early 1900’s, who bought a few miles of marshland on the coast near Los Angeles that people called “Kinney’s Folly.” He envisioned the magical transportation of Venice, Italy to coastal California. He dredged canals, built boardwalks and bathhouses, and created a popular seaside resort town that proved his critics wrong, and today attracts curious tourists and native Angelinos. Million dollar bungalows and sea shanties line the canals which have walkways along side and curved bridges, draped over them, much like those in the original Venice, Italy. They are They are definitely worth a stroll and are only two short blocks from THE VENICE BEACH HOUSE.
In the late afternoon / early evening hours, the guests gather together on the verandah or in the plush, atmospheric living room for refreshments, a welcoming fire and spectacular sunsets.
A special day’s program might involve a slow stroll (after breakfast to let the goodies settle) and head north. Somewhere along the line, you might want to rent a bicycle or roller blades, then keep on rolling. It is several miles north until you reach the boisterous Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park Fun Zone. If you get hungry along the way, you can grab some pizza or a dog on a stick and keep on trucking. If you want something posh, you can stop in at the beach front patio restaurant of The Shutters Hotel or simply take a break to visit the most beautiful bar and lobby in L.A. at the Casa Del Mar Hotel, right next door to Shutters. You’ll feel like you just stepped into the movie, Casablanca, and it might even be hard to tear yourself away.
Leave yourself time to stroll along the street, named after the founder of the town, Abbot Kinney. It houses wonderful restaurants, art galleries, antique and clothing shops. Each establishment has its own unique eclectic charm. One such favorite eating spot for the locals is Primitivo Wine Bistro, a drop dead wonderful place for wine, beer and tapas ( meaning hors d’oeuvres ). They also serve full entrees, but many guests like to order several outstanding appetizers and share. The food could be called Mediterranean with several local fish choices. The décor is warm and inviting, and the ceiling is punctuated with unique and different chandeliers, collected from antique stores around town. The atmosphere is jovial, and the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, which is especially important since they have an extensive international wine list. An extraordinary selection of wines by the glass is a special treat. You might even want to end your vacation here with a toast to the Pacific Ocean sunsets and the funky magic of Venice. If You GO: The Mosaic Tile House (310) 399-1469 Shutters Hotel (310) 458-0030 Primitivo Wine Bistro (310) 396-5353 Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Ocean Fun Zone |
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Nestled on a “pedestrian only” sidewalk street, just a hip
and a hop from the sand, surf and the canals of Venice Beach, sits the Grand
Dame Bed and Breakfast in the Los Angeles area, THE VENICE BEACH HOUSE.
Nine elegant guest rooms and suites drop you into the time
zone of the turn of the century, a period of rustic warmth and hospitality, yet,
the bathrooms have the modern touch, including complimentary accessories. The
bed chambers are all individually named and decorated with one of a kind
antiques, and that personal touch that make B&B’s so special.
The Aimee McPherson Suite has two garden view rooms,
one with a king size bed and another with a twin bed and desk. Ms McPherson was
a rather famous L.A. Evangelist / Faith Healer in the early 20th century, who
simply disappeared from her room one day. The rumor around town was that she had
merely walked out of her private entrance into the Pacific Ocean and never
returned. However, she did appear one month later in the Arizona desert with the
story that she had been abducted by aliens. Most people believed that she had
been involved in a tryst with her married accountant.
The Tramps Quarters are where Charlie Chaplin stayed
and has a queen size bed, a pine beam ceiling and garden view. The James
Peasgood’s Room (a former owner ) has a king size bed, a balcony, a jacuzzi
for two and cathedral wood ceilings.
A generous breakfast can be served in your room, in the
enclosed sunny alcove off the living room or on the outside verandah. One
morning it might be French Toast and the next, bacon and eggs, but always it
includes homemade breads, jams and apple butter, seasonal fruits, fresh squeezed
juice, tea or fresh ground coffee.
Your days here can be filled with intriguing, high energy
adventures as you wander along the Venice Beach Walkway with its down and dirty,
slightly crazy but free entertainers and sellers of anything and everything. There are jugglers, mimes, tumblers, fire eaters, singers and magicians and lots
of music. Artists, poets and potters abound with a background of sand, surf and
brightly painted buildings. You can gaze in wonder at the well built men and
women at Muscle Beach or buy sunglasses for your dog back home. There are
also inviting and separate walking and biking / roller blading cemented trails
that wind up the coast for miles into the city of Santa Monica where Baywatch,
the most seen television shown throughout the world, was filmed, and where warm
sand and hot bodies still litter the shore.
Your continuous goal, however, should be The Santa
Monica Pier, that boasts 3&1/2 million visitors a year.
There is no
admission fee to this wooden peninsula, built in 1909, and there is almost
always a film crew creating some kind of celluloid magic. In the middle of the
pier, rotates a nine story Ferris Wheel that is solar powered and has changing
light patterns at night. It can be seen and enjoyed up and down the coast from
Malibu to Palos Verdes.
If your visit to Venice occurs over a weekend, be sure to
plan for a stop at The Mosaic Tile House.