The Canals of Venice (California)
Back around the turn of the 20th Century, a developer named Abbott Kinney and his partners bought the land which is now Venice, California. Their idea was to create a beach resort for day trippers from Los Angeles, a sort of Coney Island West. Just one problem: the land was mostly a swamp (they didn’t know the value of wetlands back then).
Kinney drained the swamp by building canals, then called his development Venice of America. He even imported gondoliers from the original Venice. The gondoliers did not stick around, but otherwise Venice of America was a success for several decades. In fact, a second set of canals were eventually built on some adjoining land.
We spent a very pleasant afternoon wandering along the canals that still remain. These have a total length of about two miles, arranged mostly in rectangles and lined with private gardens and houses.
Eventually, the original canals were filled and turned into roads so that people could get around by car. Venice of America became just Venice. The second set of canals fell into disrepair, but were restored in the 1990s.
There were a decent number of waterfowl making themselves at home, including these egrets.
Judy caught one with a fish in its mouth, and one with a fish in its talons.
Almost every house had a small dock with canoes or kayaks. A few had creative variants, like a flamingo boat. Wouldn’t paddling to your office in a flamingo boat be an excellent way to commute?
Narrow bridges provided a means for crossing the water.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a yellow Aeonium before, if that’s what this is.
Most of the houses had front gardens open to passersby, but there were exceptions.
Judy was entranced by this giant metal chicken. She has an inexplicable thing about chickens – but only those made out of metal, concrete, or ceramic.
The houses themselves were a mix of new and old, modest and deluxe.
I wondered if this was perhaps a California version of decorating the Christmas tree.
There were so many beautiful reflections in the calm water.
David and his friend Meridith take a moment to relax on one of the bridges.
After strolling around the canals, we walked back to our cottage via the beach and Abbott Kinney Boulevard. The Boulevard is full of outrageously overpriced stores but it also has a truly excellent ice cream shop called Salt and Straw. We all had ice cream cones to restore our strength before returning to base.
Incidentally, I wondered at first if Abbott Kinney was some kind of monastic real estate developer. But it turns out that Abbott Kinney was not an abbott, that’s just his name. Either way, we were glad that this part of his legacy can still be enjoyed.
gardeninacity 
Isn’t it fun to go traveling!
It certainly is. There are a lot of things I’m not interested in spending money on, but the more I get to travel, the happier I am.
Looks a really tranquil place.
Very much so.
Love all the egrets that you saw, it must be a good habitat for them.
Apparently so. There were also a bunch of ducks and other duck-like waterbirds I couldn’t identify.
Thanks for a delightful tour, Jason. An interesting place, indeed. I’ve been there, but never went strolling along the canals.
We’re really glad we made time to see them.
I have to admit I didn’t know this history. Thanks for sharing it. It is waterfront living in the city. Nice that the beach is in walking distance too.
Yeah, lots of people want to live in this area now.
That looks like a beautiful place to live. Any idea what those canal homes sell for?
If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it! 😉 Six zeros are definitely involved.
If not seven.
I think I could get use to one of those houses on the canal with a boat. Yes, I know I could. 🙂
Same here.
Lovely! Even if the wetlands were drained to achieve the effect.
They didn’t know any better.
Sigh.
I have always heard of Venice, CA. I have been to CA several times but never to Venice. It is interesting to hear and see what Venice is about. I always wonder how towns get their names. It is amazing to see how large the succulents and other plants grow that don’t grow here. Everything looks lush.
I’m always amazed at how gigantic the “houseplants” get growing outside in places like California.
Egrets, I’ve had a few, But then again too few to mention…
Was one of Abbott’s partners Costello?
Seriously beautiful shots and interesting story about Venice. I had no idea.
Looks like Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ http://debraleebaldwin.com/aeonium-photos-labeled-feel-free-to-use/
I deeply egret not thinking of that pun myself!
Thank you for sharing these photos. Now I want to visit there.
Also, Happy New Year to all.
Thanks. Happy New Year to you as well!
What great photos! A reminder that it’s been way too long since I’ve taken a walk along the beautiful canals.
First time I had seen them.
I swear I should have been born rich. I could be very happy there. I was going to ID the aeonium for you, but see Peter beat me to it. Salt & Straw huh? That’s a Portland company. Interesting to know they’ve made it that far south. Here there are lines out the door…did you have to wait in line?
Lines out the door both times we went, and worth the wait. Yum!
Yay for Portland’s fine ice cream stores. I also love Blue Moon in NW.
Your failure to be born rich is clearly a case of poor planning on your part. At Salt and Straw I had the apple brandy and pecan pie ice cream, then the chocolate/chocolate brownie. Worth the wait!
Salt & Straw is know for offbeat flavors like dill pickle. Did you go mainstream? Most people only know the beach but, to me, the canals are by far the best part.
The canals were very cool. I guess my flavor choices were more mainstream than some of the offerings. I went for the apple brandy ice cream with chunks of pecan pie, and on our second visit the chocolate ice cream with chocolate brownie. I was happy.
Aren’t they marvelous! I did enjoy discovering them here, how lovely it must be to have a home on the bank completer with little boat….oh yes, that would be a great way to glide to work! I was fascinated by the egrets complete with fish, a great capture indeed. Love the lantern tree too. What a fantastic place to spend the holidays.xxx
Having one of those homes on the water makes for a great fantasy.
Looks like my kind of place. 🙂
You would love it.
Thanks for an interesting post, it would be lovely to have a house so close to the water, and watch all the birdlife go by. I liked the shot of the egret catching the fish, Judy, and the palm tree reflected in the water. Enjoy your holiday..
The sun was difficult, and I had no idea the egret had a fish until Jason looked at the photos – much as I’d like credit for a brilliant photo! The light on the water was beautiful in places.
What an interesting post. I like idea of the ebb and flow in the development of Venice too. You’ve managed some intriguing shots and Judy must have a sharp eye and fast trigger finger to have caught that egret and fish!
Venice does have an interesting history. It started out as a sort of resort, was briefly an oil town, then was absorbed into the City of LA.
What a great way to spend an afternoon. Definitely the type of place I would enjoy too.
Yes, I’m sure that’s true.
I had no idea that there were any canals in California’s Venice. It’s nice to see that some modest, smaller homes still exist on the water there. My mother lives on the intracoastal waterway in Venice Florida. All the small, old homes there are being replaced with humongous, grotesque, monsters of houses that eat almost every square inch of the lot (leaving token patches of greenery) and block out everyone else’s view. Very sad.
I’m afraid a similar process is happening in Venice right now. Perhaps there is hope, though.
Love the shots where the water is so still and you got the great reflections. Enjoy!
Thanks.
Like Brenda above, I had no idea there were canals in CA’s Venice. My family has lived in CA for years. We drove by Venice countless times, but I never actually explored the area. It looks so pretty. Thank you for the photos, Judy!
Might be worth a special trip.
Such a fun post–thank you for the tour! What is not to like about living on such lovely waterways?
Nothing I can think of!
I’ve been to Venice Beach many times but never the canals – sounds like a destination for my next trip. Great photos, Jason!
Thank you, but Judy deserves all the credit for the photographs. By the way, I think my comments in your blog may be ending up in the spam folder.
This looks like a rather cool place to live.
Definitely – if you can afford it. Is it possible my comments on your blog are winding up in the spam folder?
I hope not, I will check. Thank you for any comments
Beautiful. I Live in Los Angeles for 10 years now and didn’t even know this existed!