I arrived in Venice, Italy, one afternoon in October. Stepping off the train’s platform and out of the station, I was quickly greeted with water taxis, charming men singing sweet Italian melodies and the colorful old buildings reflections dancing along the sea green water. It was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more. This was the Italy that I had fallen in love with through movies and books, and this was the Italy that I wanted to experience. It was pure magic.

That magic must have been what tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney wanted to recreate when he set out to make a Venice of America in 1905.  And even though the area has gone through many transitional periods since then, the  California Venice canals still hold that special feeling for visitors and homeowners who walk around the romantic, peaceful waterways.

Strolling around the canals at sunset really is the ultimate escape from busy Los Angeles. The area is so still and silent that for a moment, I am transported back to the magic I once felt in Italy.