Tag Archives: #california

California Adventure Pt 7- Santa Monica Pier

Posted on August 31, 2026 | Leave a comment

One key location that’s synonymous with Southern California is the world-famous Santa Monica Pier. I was excited to tread its boards!

The walk from my hotel at the northern end of Venice Beach, along “The Strand” towards Santa Monica was exactly what I had anticipated Southern California to be like – palm trees, endless beach, beach volleyball courts, joggers, cyclists, skateboarders, VW Camper vans in the parking lots loaded with surf boards, cool cars. I quickly fell in love with that two-mile walk to Santa Monica Pier!

Santa Monica Pier holds a unique place in American history and has appeared in countless tv shows and Hollywood movies, most notably as the finish line for Forrest Gump. It also marks the end of Route 66 that connects Chicago to Southern California. (More on that shortly)

The pier first opened in 1909 and unlike many pleasure piers, its original purpose was more practical than recreational. Santa Monica Pier was originally built to carry sewer pipes out into deep water and away from the beach. In 1916, the pier’s original design was modified and the Looff Pleasure Pier was incorporated into it. These combined structures make up what we now know as Santa Monica Pier.

The first time I approached the pier I was filled with child-like excitement. I was finally visiting Santa Monica Pier!

Having climbed up the wide steps leading up from the plaza at the lower east end, I was greeted with a more familiar “boardwalk” feeling than I had experience in Venice Beach.

One of the first buildings I came to houses the pier’s historic carousel. It appeared to be closed and I never saw anyone riding the beautifully painted carousel on any of my visits. Not far beyond it is the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant and gift shop famous for its Forrest Gump theme. (I resisted the lure of that particular gift shop until my very last visit)

Stretching ahead of me was a beautifully chaotic boardwalk scene- amusement arcade, street entertainers, various gift and souvenir shops and stalls, Pacific Park amusement park and the pier’s famous Ferris wheel, the Pacific Wheel.

At the very end of the pier there’s a lower-level fishing pier that felt like an oasis of tranquillity after the buzz of the main pier. I stood at the railings gazing out across the Pacific Ocean. Next stop from there is Hawaii, some 2448 miles to the west if the sign outside the most westerly gift shop on the pier is accurate.

Pigeons rather than seagulls are the feathered pests of the pier. They’re everywhere! I fell into the habit of walking out to Santa Monica Pier for a late lunch/early dinner most days (I became rather partial to Smashie burgers) and when I sat down to enjoy my meal there would be pigeons nearby grudging me every bite.

Every visit to the pier, a bit like the Venice Beach Boardwalk, was different. On one visit there was a music festival in progress. On another, there was a tightrope walker walking from the western end of the pier across to the Pacific Park corner. I frequented the various gift shops, debating what souvenirs and gifts to take home and ended up purchasing keyrings, pens, fridge magnets, tees, and a tote bag. I’ll be honest, I had gathered quite a collection by the time I came to pack my suitcase at the end of my trip…oops!

Near the start of the pier is the famous Route 66 End of the Trail sign. (There’s another older Route 66 sign round near the entrance to Pacific Park.) The mother road, Route 66, is celebrating its centenary this year. Is the signpost the actual end of Route 66? No, but it is the symbolic end. The actual end is in Santa Monica itself.

As the end of my California adventure approached, there was still one thing that I hadn’t done at the pier. I hadn’t ridden the Pacific Wheel!

On my penultimate trip out to Santa Monica Pier, I decided that that was the day to ride the famous Ferris wheel. (It was 2nd July and I figures that it would be quieter than on 4th July when I planned to pay a final visit.) I stood in line at the ticker desk to buy my ticket ($15 to ride it!) only to be told that there were no single riders allowed on the Pacific Wheel. The girl behind the desk said that the only way I could get to ride as a single rider was to speak to the ride operator to see if he would let me share a gondola with some other riders. I’ll admit, initially, I was gutted by this but I’ll confess to also being a bit “hangry” at the time. Sulking, I went to get something to eat and sat gazing up at the giant wheel as I ate my burger (Yes it was another Smashie burger) I hadn’t come all this way to be thwarted at the last hurdle!

When I was finished my meal, I went back into Pacific Park and spoke nicely to the ride operator, explaining my dilemma. He understood and went to speak to the young couple at the head of the queue of ticket holders who were waiting to climb aboard. Luck was on my side! The first couple he spoke to agreed to share their gondola with me! (They were a lovely couple form Kentucky who had been touring California for a week. It was their last day before flying home.) The views from the Pacific Wheel were fabulous! I felt as if I realty was on top of the world as I gazed out along the California coastline to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean beyond.

On my final trip to Santa Monica Pier (more on that in the final blog in this series) I finally succumbed to the lure of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co gift shop and bought myself a tee that says “Life is like a box of chocolates” on the front.

Santa Monica Pier had certainly been a box of delights!

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California Adventure Pt 6 – Venice Beach Boardwalk

Posted on August 26, 2026 | Leave a comment

My hotel while I was staying in Venice Beach was just off the north end of the famous Venice Beach Boardwalk.

Officially it’s called Ocean Front Walk but to the world it is Venice Beach Boardwalk. Unlike other boardwalks that I have experienced on the east coast, this one is a concrete walkway that runs north from Marina del Ray to Santa Monica. (There’s also a parallel beach bike path running alongside it.)

The Venice Beach Boardwalk is the second largest tourist attraction in Southern California, attracting around ten million visitors a year. (Disneyland is the biggest- just in case you were wondering.)

There are several key attractions that make the boardwalk so famous. Windward Avenue with its iconic Venice sign strung across the street is the main centre of activity. Just to north of it is the open-air gym, Muscle Beach (although the original Muscle Beach is actually in Santa Monica.) Slightly further north and jutting out into the beach there’s Venice Beach Skatepark. All along its two-mile length there are street vendors, entertainers, fortune tellers, musicians plus bars/restaurants and the best people watching opportunities in the world!

Every walk along the boardwalk was different!

I tended to meander along it late afternoon or early evening, ensuring that I was at the skatepark in time for sunset. (Yes, I was chasing that elusive shot of a skateboarder in mid-air at sunset.)

The first evening I wandered along, still pretty jet lagged, there were two female street entertainers on stilts dressed as giraffes dancing. They were mesmerising to watch!

Along near the Sidewalk Café there was a musician sitting on the wall playing an acoustic guitar then later in the day (they may have done it throughout the day but I only saw them in the evenings) he would swap his spot with another musician who played the piano. The piano sat there wrapped in a tarp when not in use.

The vendors who stretched the length of the boardwalk were selling everything and anything from hand painted skateboard decks, signs, paintings, jewellery, crystals, dreamcatchers, beaded hummingbird ornaments, clothes…you name it, it was most likely for sale.

Jack Sparrow, sometimes accompanied by Bootstrap Bill (at least I think that’s who the guy was meant to be) was usually to be found beside a boom box playing the Pirates of the Caribbean music looking to earn a few bucks by posing for photos with tourists. I resisted temptation although he did comment one night in my direction “Yes! I made her smile!” Well, what girl could resist the charms of Captain Jack Sparrow! LOL

There were fortune tellers aplenty offering tarot or psychic readings.

I also saw one of the legends of Venice Beach Boardwalk- Diablo (real name apparently Amir Edward) suntanned and oiled in his leather speedos with horns glued to his forehead. I’m sure he’s a lovely guy but I opted to give him a wide berth. I was also a bit scared to sneak a photo of him. He was so intense looking!

There was also another local that I saw a few times who was entirely yellow/orange – hair, skin, clothes, shoes, the lot. Colourful but why?….

Along nearer Muscle Beach, the boardwalk was busier and a bit edgier feeling. Numerous “wannabe” reggae stars hung about there, offering their CDs to passersby. Usually a polite “No, thanks” was enough to ensure safe passage past them but on once occasion “No thanks,” wasn’t cutting it and it cost me $30 for two CDs which the two guys signed, before I was able to continue on my way. That rattled my confidence somewhat. After that encounter, I tended not to stray so far south, making the skatepark by unofficial boundary line.

From one end of the boardwalk to the other, you’ll always hear music whether its street performers or boomboxes on bikes, there’s no shortage of music in the air.

Perhaps it was because I was a woman on her own, but I felt that I needed to keep my wits about me at all times. There’s an edge to all that artistic eccentricity.

My favourite way to end each day was to hang out at the skatepark as the sun began to sink lower in the sky. There was always a crowd gathered round the fence watching the action.

The public skatepark first opened in 2009 and features steps, rails and two bowls, one of which looks like an empty swimming pool. It attracts skateboarders of all ages and abilities.

After a few nights spectating, I began to recognise the regulars- the shirtless blonde guy with the red baseball cap, the couple who skated round following each other at high speed, the young blonde girl who flowed round the bowl like water. As I watched I got a sense of the skatepark’s dynamics. There were a handful of younger teenagers who clearly idolised the older skateboarders. When one accidentally got in one guy’s way wrecking his run, it was almost heartwarming to see the older boy playfully chasing the youngster round trying to crack his twisted-up t-shirt off his butt like a whip. Everyone knew their place and respected the pecking order through some unwritten code.

Then there was the tall willowy girl in roller boots. Almost everyone stopped to watch her. So graceful. So fluid and boy, could she jump!

Each night as the sun sank below the horizon, I turned to head back to my hotel thinking “Maybe tomorrow night I’ll capture that elusive jump shot.”

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California Adventure Pt 5 – Mt Hollywood and the Griffith Observatory

Posted on August 18, 2026 | Leave a comment

I mentioned in a previous blog that I had had two trips pre-planned before I flew to LA a few weeks ago.

The second of those was to the Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign and to hike to the summit of Mt Hollywood (all those Witchwood trail miles back in May had planted the seed) The observatory itself could wait.

From Venice Beach, where I was staying, it was a 45-minute Uber ride to the Griffith Observatory. As the driver made his way up the winding road, he paused to point something out to me. It was something I hadn’t bargained on seeing – a coyote was standing on the pavement!

The start of the trail was clearly marked from the carpark in front of the observatory and I could see it winding up the side of Mt Hollywood.

Before I set off I paused for a walk around the outside of the observatory to admire the view from the roof terraces while it was still quiet. (This was around 10:30am and the observatory was still closed) It was quite a hazy morning but the views were spectacular!

As I headed back to the start of the trail I paused to admire the Hollywood sign which sits high up on Mt Lee off to the north-west.

My initial plan had been to hike to the top of Mt Hollywood and find a trail that crossed over to Mt Lee so I could admire the view from behind the sign but, going by my reading of the map, which would have brought me out quite a way from the Griffith Observatory itself and I did actually want to visit it while I was there.

With that plan abandoned, I set off. Walking up was an easy hike to be fair. The path was wide and even most of the way and the views were fabulous. What was slightly un-nerving were the numerous signs saying, “Caution Rattle Snakes.” EEK!!!

Eventually I reached the summit, apparently named Tom La Bonge Panorama and what a panorama it was! According to a guy who was sitting on top of one of the picnic tables you can see the Pacific Ocean on a clear day. The Griffith Observatory seemed extremely far below!

Now, how to get back there?

There were several paths leading away from the summit. I could have easily opted to go back the way I Came but instead opted to head down what looked like the opposite side towards Dante’s View and the Hogback Trail.

I’ll be honest, after a few hundred yards, I almost turned back. The Hogback Trail was far narrower than the trail I’d come up and more challenging. I gave myself a talking to, reminding myself that I had decent shoes on and I ket going.

In the spirit of continued honesty, parts of that trail really stretched me. It had ridge walk sections and a particularly challenging descent but I took my time, kept calm and kept going.

(Looking back up the way I had just come down)

Eventually, the trail evened out and widened. I’d made it!

The next signpost indicated I was now on the Riverside Trail. I’ve still to see or hear any rivers!

The trail led me out onto Vermont Canyon Road, across the street from the Greek Theatre. Not exactly where I’d planned to be but at least I knew where I was. Now to find my way back up to the Griffith Observatory.

I started up another trail but it wasn’t signposted and I wasn’t 100% convinced that I was on the right one. A local Hawaiian gentleman was coming towards me so I asked him if the trail led up to the observatory. He had the softest, most gentle voice that I think I’ve ever heard. He said it did but that it was a very long way and very steep and advised me to walk up the road instead. For a moment or two I swithered. My left knee was protesting loudly after the steep descents on the Hogback Trail so I erred on the side of caution and doubled back onto the road and walked the last half mile or so up the easy way back to the Griffith Observatory.

It might not have been the longest hike that I’ve done but I was pleased with myself for doing and for not getting lost. It had taken me quite a distance out of my comfort zone.

The Griffith Observatory was busy when I returned to it. Having travelled all this way, despite being tired and a bit grubby from the trail dust, I decided that it would rude not to visit it…plus it had a café and I was hungry! (Yes, I know to some folk that makes me sound like a Philistine. Sorry.)

After a quick wipe down with a baby wipe to remove the worst of the dust from my legs, I took the steps back up to the roof to go and see the observatory’s famous telescope. Lord, climbing those stairs that I had climbed so easily in the morning felt tough!

The 12” Zeiss refracting telescope is the most viewed telescope in the world. More than 9 million people have looked through it. Obviously, as my visit was during the day and the dome above it was closed, I am not one of them. Another time…

Downstairs, in the main building, it was crowded. The first key exhibit to catch my eye was Foucault’s Pendulum. There’s something hypnotic about watching it, waiting for the next peg to fall. Spellbinding.

I followed the signs and found myself at the Leonard Nimoy sponsored theatre. For once in my life, my timing was perfect- the next film slot was about to start and equally important after my hike, it meant a seat in an air-conditioned theatre for twenty-five minutes. (I know…I sound like a Philistine again.)

The film itself was fascinating as it gave the history of how the observatory came to be there, its importance to Hollywood, listing several films that it has featured in, the most famous of which is Rebel Without a Cause. (That explained the James Dean statue outside… I had been wondering.) During WW II, the planetarium was used to train America’s pilots on the art of celestial navigation and in the 1960’s it was used to train the original Apollo astronauts.

Having initially opened the public in 1935, the art deco building needed renovating and expanding by around 2000. In 2002, the Griffith Observatory was closed for four years to allow a $93M renovation and expansion programme to be undertaken. With limited space available (no pun intended), the engineers expanded downwards into the hillside. The original building was jacked up to allow this excavation work to take place- no mean feat of structural engineering! The very theatre that I was sitting ion was one of the results of the expansion programme.

My stomach was grumbling something about starvation by the time the film ended so the café was my next stop for a rather disappointing, over-priced egg sandwich. Rookie mistakes were made too. I opted to picnic on the terrace and sun very quickly turned my bar of Hershey chocolate into chocolate sauce. Oh well! The apple juice and Lays crisps were great! LOL

After a quick obligatory trip the gift shop, I took a final look around the remaining planetary exhibits then decided it time to head back to my hotel.

With a final pause to take some photos of the observatory garden and statue, plus a few extra shots of the Hollywood sign, I ordered my Uber and called it a day. Happy days…

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California Adventure Pt 4 – VROOM! VROOM!

Posted on August 10, 2026 | Leave a comment

I only had two outings pre-planned for this trip before I flew out to LA.

The first of those, at Boy Child’s prompting (I’ve still to figure out why he never thought to visit this place himself when he was in California two years ago) was a trip to the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Yes, I was indulging my inner petrolhead.

And the added bonus to this plan… there was an exhibition running featuring some of the cars from The Fast & Furious film series. Vroom! Vroom! What’s not to love about those films?…well, the first seven of them.

Visiting the Petersen Museum wasn’t the cheapest museum. I bought my ticket online the night before for $40 but that included access to “the vault”, an underground level featuring around 250 rare vehicles. (We’ll come back to that thought.)

When I arrived, I checked in at the admission desk, was given a “P” sticker for my shirt and wristband confirming my vault access. The guy behind the desk gave me a floorplan and advised me to start on the top floor and work my way down. Seemed as good a plan as any.

The top floor is badged as “History” on the floorplan map along with a section for Hollywood cars. The various exhibits certainly take you through the automobile’s history and the history of tyres. I had always though that “run flat” tyres were a 21st Century thing. I was more than a little surprised to learn that they’ve been around since the 1930s.

In a prime spot on the top floor, there’s one of the museum’s most popular cars… well, most popular with the younger visitors that is. I’d shared the link to the museum’s website with a car loving friend when I’d first planned the visit and they’d confessed that they would go just to see this car alone… I kind of hope they were joking but I’ve a sneaky feeling they weren’t. And the car?…Lightning McQueen from Disney’s Cars. Too cute!

Nearby there were other Hollywood icons – the Ducati motorbike from The Matrix, the yellow Fiat 500 from Mission Impossible, the Batmobile, the Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future and the first of The Fast & Furious cars- Dom’s 2009 Dodge Challenger from Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6! You could almost hear Bohemian Rhapsody echoing out of the Mirthmobile from Wayne’s World!

On the floor below, I found what I had really come to see- The Fast and Furious car collection! Oh, I had died and gone to Dom, Brian, and Letty heaven!

There was Brian’s orange 1993 Toyota Supra from 2001’s The Fast and The Furious. There was Letty’s pink 1995 Nissan 240SX from the same film.

There was the only surviving 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX from 2006’s The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. Ten were made and the museum is proud to host the only surviving “Tokyo Drift Evo.”

A flash of bright green and I’d found Brian’s Mitsubishi Eclipse from 2001’s The Fast and The Furious. Then there was Dom’s 1970 Chevrolet Charelle that was used in 2001’s The Fast and The Furious and again in 2009’s Fast & Furious.

Dodge Chargers are synonymous with Dom Toretto and there was another one on display nearby – a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T used in Furious 7.

Another star of the film series was nearby- Brian’s 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R from 2 Fast 2 Furious from 2003. This was the first car that Brian was seen in in the film series. Parked beside it was another of Brian’s cars- the Toyota Supra from Furious 7. The last car he drove in the series. I had a lump in my throat looking at them both. R.I.P Paul Walker, gone far too soon.

On the walls around the exhibition were film posters, stills from the films and quotes from Dom and Brian. They brought a smile to my lips.

I’ll be honest, I stopped watching the film franchise when Paul Walker died. It was never going to be the same without Brian O’Conner so the cars from the more recent films, although impressive, were wasted on me a tad.

There were countless more cars to see! Mercedes, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Ford, and every other manufacturer that you can possibly think of were on display.

On the ground floor, I found another Furious 7 car -Letty’s 1970 Plymouth Aar Hemi Cuda. It was next to an elaborately painted 1953 Mercedes Benz 220 Cabriolet.

It was time to head to The Vault!

When I descended the stairs down into the bowels of The Vault, I was met at the foot of the stairs by the Michelin Man, LOL

The James H Frank Family Vault did not disappoint, It set the bar high with the first car I stopped to admire – a 1947 Ferrari 125S, the first one fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari to bear his name. That model was one of only two ever built.

Deeper in The Vault, I found a 1957 Jaguar XKSS formerly owned by the late great Steve McQueen.

There was another iconic movie star car hiding in the midst too – Herbie!

More cars from The Fast and The Furious family were secreted in The Vault, including a 1959 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning driven by Brian in The Fast and The Furious back in 2001.

Potentially the most sinister movie star car sat quietly off to one side- a red 1958 Plymouth Fury better known to Stephen King fans as Christine…. perhaps it was time to go.

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California Adventure Pt 3- a Roman villa and giant thistles

Posted on August 4, 2026 | Leave a comment

What to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon in California?

At a bit of a loose end, I got an Uber out to the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades.

No, this isn’t some fancy Hollywood home. This villa is a Roman villa…well, one built in the 1970s to house J Paul Getty’s collection of Greek. Etruscan and Roman antiquities.

You could argue that there are two distinct reasons to visit the Getty Villa – either to see the contents or to see the villa itself. I was curious to see both.

My Uber driver dropped me off at the top of the driveway in front of a beautiful colonnade, a hint of the architecture to come. I followed the signs and eventually came out at the top of an amphitheatre. The outdoor theatre faced the entrance to the villa itself. Walking down its steep steps felt like making a dramatic entrance!

The Getty Villa is a recreation of the Villa dei Papiri that was buried in Herculaneum, Italy when Mt Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. While not identical to the original, the Getty Villa is the epitome of a Roman villa and has been built to the same scale.

You enter the two-storey villa via a vestibule then step into the impressive atrium, the heart of every Roman home. The coloured marble floor is laid out in a geometric pattern that is a replica of the floor found in the House of the Faun in Pompeii. The villa’s stunning inner peristyle and gardens were just visible beyond the atrium.

For the next hour or two I explored every inch of the villa and found the most incredible collection of artifacts that I think I have ever seen.

One of the key highlights of the ground floor is the Temple of Hercules. This temple is a domed room and its complex, circular, geometric patterned floor is a copy of a floor found in the Villa dei Papiri. The life-size statue of Hercules was originally discovered near Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. Getty purchased it from the Marquess of Lansdowne in 1952. It’s an impressive sight!

The various rooms in the villa house a magnificent and varied collection of artifacts. The faces of some of the marble sculptures are incredibly lifelike and expressive. I’m not the biggest fan of Greek pottery (it seems to fill every museum the world over!) but the examples on display in the Getty Villa are second to none.

What struck me in general about many of the pieces on display throughout the villa was the level of detail that had been achieved in items that were more than two thousand years old.

Having visited all the rooms, including a temporary exhibition on the first floor featuring an Egyptian Book of the Dead, it was time to explore the inner peristyle.

The inner peristyle is essentially a private garden surrounded by thirty-six ionic columns. It has a long narrow pool in the centre. Replicas of statues that would have adorned the peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri are sited around the gardens and pool. It is a uniquely beautiful space and it didn’t surprise me to find one newlywed couple having some of their wedding photographs taken there.

At the far end, underneath the east stair, through two bronze doors, I found one of the most peaceful areas of the villa, the East Garden. It’s a small, secluded space and in the centre is a circular fountain. Along the east wall there’s a niche fountain adorned with mosaic and shell tiles. This spectacular fountain is an exact copy of one originally discovered in the House of the Great Fountain in Pompeii, complete with two theatre masks of Hercules. Truly a special space.

The Getty Villa had one more surprise up its sleeve for me.

Running down one length of the villa is the Herb Garden. It’s a recreation of a Roman kitchen garden with many of the plants used for medicinal as well as culinary purposes. Imagine my surprise to find several huge Scottish thistles in one of the beds! They were the biggest thistles I have ever seen.

I also saw something else growing in the garden that I had never seen before- papyrus.

As I climbed back up the amphitheatre steps, I paused to take one final look back at the villa and found myself thinking back to my early Latin classes in high school (Yes, Mr Bicket, I still remember those days.)

“Caecilius est in atrium.”

Yes, he was and I could almost see him walking round in his toga, his wife, and the family dog at his side.

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California Adventure Pt 2 – Hunting down a cactus….

Posted on July 27, 2026 | Leave a comment

Before I left home Boy Child asked me to take a specific photo for him while I was In the Venice Beach area.

Back in 2024, he had spent a week in Marina del Ray, the town to the south of Venice Beach and had seen a huge cactus plant outside a house near his Air BnB. He was curious to know if it had grown any taller.

How hard could this be?

The Venice Beach boardwalk was gradually coming to life as I walked towards Venice Beach Pier. All along the way, the vendors were setting up for the day ahead, the shops were opening, joggers and dogwalkers were out in force. Every now and then, I would pass one of the local homeless community, each of those souls a stark reminder of the darker- or should that be sadder- side of this town.

When I reached Washington Blvd, I turned left and headed inland. As I walked, I was conscious that the shops and cafes were gradually getting smarter, more upmarket. Conscious that I was on a mission, I walked past Starbuck, ignoring the temptation of a second morning coffee.

The further inland that I got, the more RVs I spotted parked at the side of the road. There were also an old yellow school bus and a few cars with the windows all blacked out. Outside one large black RV, there were several bicycles under a tarpaulin, a small paddling pool on the pavement/sidewalk beside a collection of “sidewalk chalk” kids’ drawing. A sad looking dog kept an eye on me from an open window.

These weren’t just parked vehicles.

These were people’s homes. The owners most likely held down several jobs and earned more than I do.

A few minutes later, I turned off the road into the street where I had been told the cactus plant was growing. In a few short minutes, I had become surrounded by million-dollar homes. It wasn’t sitting easy with me.

I found the cactus plant, took some photos of it to send home to Boy Child then began to retrace my steps. As I passed the black RV for a second time, I felt the saddest dog eyes in the world following me….

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California Adventure Pt 1- Venice Beach Canal District

Posted on July 21, 2026 | Leave a comment

 This blog is the first in a short series of blogs that I wrote while I was on holiday/vacation recently.

This year I had decided to venture further afield than in previous years and had booked 11 nights in Venice Beach, California. It was my first trip to the West Coast of the USA.

My first walk along the beach to the Venice Beach Fishing Pier then back along the boardwalk had been an immediate overdose in all things California-palm trees, pelicans, surfing. They were even filming Baywatch on the beach! It was all a bit overwhelming to wee jetlagged me!

After lunch I ventured back out for another meander (OK, I was actually in search of a liquor store and some white wine!) and decided to explore a bit.

Hidden a couple of blocks inland from the craziness that is the Venice Beach boardwalk is a tranquil oasis of European-influenced calm. The Venice Canal Historic District is a small network of six man-made canals, originally designed to recreate a corner of Venice, Italy in Southern California.

The canals were built in 1905 by developer Albert Kinney and originally covered a much larger area. Albert Kinney’s vision was to create a seaside resort with canals, gondolas, and Italian-style architecture. Sadly, many of the original canals were filled in during the 1920’s to make room for more roads as automobiles grew in popularity. (More about cars later in this blog series)

Now over a hundred years later, the remaining six canals (Carroll, Linnie, Howland, Sherman, Eastern and Grand. I’d expected more Italian names to be honest) are connected by nine arched footbridges. The gondolas of Kinney’s vision have been replaced by kayaks and small floating docks. Most of the architecture is more modern than I’d expected but nestled among these modern properties are some beautiful homes oozing character.

I’ll be honest, the shallow canals smell a bit. There didn’t look to be a lot of water movement but you could see that the levels were low.

The canal district is a wildlife haven for wading birds like herons and egrets plus other birds. As I wandered along the narrow walkways, I only spotted one lonely egret and a single duck. Apparently according to the signs there are seals and occasionally sharks spotted in the water. What I hadn’t anticipated seeing was a coyote warning poster on one of the bridges!

It’s easy to see why this area is popular with photographers. The romantic author in me could easily visualise a couple posing for their wedding photos on the quaint bridges and among the plethora of flowers overhanging the narrow pathways…. hmm…now there’s a thought…storyline!

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