| AQUARIUM, VENICE |
VENICE
That there is but one Venice in America is the verdict of all who have visited this charming sea-side resort. Its oriental architecture, and its numerous canals, on whose surface floats in Italian ease, real Venetian gondolas, give it an atmosphere suggestive of the Mediterranean. But it is not of its Venetian aspect, nor its endless chain of amusements, from its surf and plunge bathing to its rollicking scenic railroad and hair-raising dash through its cavernous rapids, or its hundred or more interesting pastimes for the pleasure seeker, that the attention of the reader is herein directed.
It is to those forms of sea life that contribute to his pleasure that his attention is called, for the waters of Venice furnish a wonderful variety of these, as will be seen by a visit to the large aquarium maintained on the pier by the University of Southern California. From the wharfs he can angle for smelt, mackerel and perch, as well as for halibut and other bottom fishes. From the beach, by bait-casting into the surf, he is rewarded with croaker, whiting (erroneously called corbina), and young sea bass, locally known as sea trout.
By taking a launch and going out into the open water, his ambition to bring to gaff the larger species of the deeper sea can be gratified with strikes from the tuna, the albacore, the bonito, the mackerel and the yellow-tail that will give him a contest worthy of his metal.
These launch trips upon the bosom of the open ocean, are among the chiefest pleasures of our beach resorts, for the angler not only finds keen sport in the landing of these larger fishes, but an exhilarating recreation, restful to the mind and healthful to the body.
Then, when his day's sport is over, whether his outing is only for a day, or for the several weeks of his vacation, His comforts are to be considered. In these Venice offers as wide a range as it does in its amusements. At the splendidly appointed Hotel St. Marks he can find the most luxurious accommodations; he can dine at one of its deservedly popular cafes; or, if he wants to spend his vacation in restful quietude with his family, he can take a furnished villa on the bank of one of the canals, hidden away in a wealth of flowers and forest trees, with the sea breeze tempered to a balmy zephyr. To this sequestered home he can bring his fish, fresh from the sea, and broiling them to his particular taste, enjoy the last delight of the angler's day of sport.