Things to Do in North America

Formerly known as the MCI Center, this Penn Quarter/Chinatown sports and entertainment arena is home to a few of Washington’s top teams: the Wizards and Mystics (basketball), and the Capitals (hockey). Formally sponsored by telecommunications giant MCI (1997-2006) and now sponsored by Verizon Communications, the arena is often locally referred to, tongue-in-cheek, as the “Phone Booth.”

In addition to games, matches and bouts, the Verizon Center regularly hosts the biggest musical acts in the world, as well as ice skating shows, the circus, and equestrian and wrestling events.

While several of the Center’s restaurants and nightlife options are privately reserved for their own members, there are a few public eateries and/or bars on site: Hard Times Café (concession stands), The Clubhouse and The Greene Turtle (both sports-focused cocktail bars), and Dunkin’ Donuts. Additionally, the Center is set amidst two of the most condensed commercial districts in the city, with a slew of nearby restaurants and bars from which to choose.

The Venetian Hotel and Casino is the premier location to catch great shows and indulge in unique experiences. With a booming nightlife and entertainment scene, coupled by the beautiful architecture and world famous gondola rides, this hotel will transport you to the streets of Venice.

Experience a first-class ride on a majestic gondola, painted white and gold with elaborate details and decorations. Then, travel through the canals and ride above a man-made lagoon, which mirrors the incredible, sky-painted ceilings. The ride will take you beneath bridges and alongside charming boutiques and cafes, so that you’ll feel only steps away from Italy.

For world class entertainment the Venetian offers the most variety and best in Vegas. The Blue Man Group, The Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, and the comedian Joan Rivers play there regularly. Then there’s the nightlife, and the Venetian is home to the world-famous bar Tao Nightclub, where celebrity sightings are an every day occurrence. And what hotel and casino would be complete without games galore? From poker to slot machines, the Venetian has your winning number. 

In 1905, tobacco millionaire and real estate developer Abbot Kinney sought to simulate the romantic feel of Venice, Italy in America by creating the beach resort town of Venice just south-west of Santa Monica. Kinney wrangled the area's marshland into a series of canals that, initially, were traversed by ornate gondolas piloted by gondoliers in traditional Italian garb.

The first incarnation of Venice also had an elaborate amusement pier, a miniature railroad, and a block-long street of faux-Venetian buildings, all sloping towards a wide swath of Pacific Ocean shoreline. Its commercial success inspired competition from neighboring piers in Santa Monica, but Kinney's Venice held onto its popularity even after 1920 when its founder died and his original pier burned down. Kinney's family rebuilt the pier quickly, creating a series of large-scale amusement rides that could be seen from different vantage points along the canals; this second pier would become one of the most-visited attractions in Los Angeles County throughout the 1920s.

Los Angeles annexed Venice in 1925, but provided little in the way of government infrastructure and waste management. Thus, by the time oil was discovered here in 1929, the Venice canals were already becoming trash-clogged and swampy. City developers with plans for a forest of oil wells and more commercial and residential space filled in many of the maligned canals with asphalt and concrete. Those canals that remained would fall into increasing disrepair for the next 60 years.

Though the Venice Canal District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the canals themselves wouldn't be renovated for another decade. By 1993, when rejuvenation efforts were in full swing along the funky, laid-back and locally beloved Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the canals had been drained and refilled with fresh water that shimmered green in the sunlight, the crumbling walls and surrounding sidewalks were repaired, and several arched bridges had been rebuilt and freshly painted. The area is now one of L.A.'s most desirable neighborhoods, featuring a mix of historic and stylishly modern architecture and a well-landscaped network of walkways. Some residents travel the canals by rowboat and the waterways are also home to small fish, ducks and the occasional heron.