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How wanderlusty are we getting in Southern California, while debate flares over Europe’s readiness for American tourists? Well, I’m sitting at home trying to decide which continental stand-in made me happier, a croque monsieur
in Los Feliz or a gondola ride in Long Beach.
I think I’d have to go with the Venetian-style vessels that Gondola Getaway operates on the canals around Naples Island. To slowly drift under a bridge while a gondolier breaks into song — that should put Venetian thoughts in your head, especially if you close your eyes and think of Italy.
Europe is here with us, if we only suspend disbelief. I don’t mean the missions (we know that story) or the churches, though they do deliver impressive domes, murals and stained glass.