For many people, leaving their enclave in sunny SoCal for Europe is totally out of reach. But there is a way to experience the charm and nostalgia of the old country without ever hopping on a plane.
Sip and sail in Long Beach
Wine tasting makes for a great weekend escape. But wine tasting on a gondola is even better.
Last month, Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds included Long Beach’s
21 local destinations where Southern Californians can get a taste of Europe. Gondola Getaway, which offers rides around Naples Island, says it has “the largest and most unique fleet of Venetian craft in the World, outside, of course, Venezia itself.” This is fitting, given Long Beach’s status as a “friendship city” of Venice, Italy.
While cruising around Naples Island, visitors to Gondola Getaway can book a tasting experience to sample wines from
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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.
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Having to forego their annual fundraising event for a second year, the volunteer-led nonprofit is instead hosting a series of smaller fundraisers, including the “I Love Long Beach, A Shoportunity Supporting Kids & Community,” to help raise money for the center which serves children with behavioral and development challenges such as autism and Fragile X Syndrome.
As an added incentive, all 50 members of the Steel Magnolias purchased, out-of-pocket, $5,000 in gift cards from local restaurants and retailers that will be awarded to six recipients who donate to the “I Love Long Beach” fundraiser. Each of the six winners, selected at random, will receive $750 in gift cards from various businesses such as the Naples Rib Co., The Crooked Duck, Twig & Willow and The Wine Country.