The Gondola Blog: Mark Twain was a fan

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Mark Twain was a fan

After touring Venice by gondola in 1869, American author Mark Twain wrote:
"I am afraid I study the gondolier's marvelous skill more than I do the sculptured palaces we glide among."

I think Twain was on to something.

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GONDOLAS IN AMERICA

For years I’ve said that
“Most gondola operations are the best kept secret in their town”
As president of the Gondola Society of America, one of my goals is to change that and help people find gondolas wherever they are.
Here is a list of gondola operations in North America:
The fine print -
States are listed alphabetically, California operations are listed south-to-north.
Not all of the listings below have Venice-built boats.
Some operations are seasonal and may not have boats in the water during winter.
If you know of an operation that’s not listed here, I’d like to hear about it.
If you have a complaint about something on this list, count to ten, if you’re still angry – take a gondola cruise, because you probably need to relax.

Alabama
Huntsville – Titono’s Gondola http://www.bridgestreethuntsville.com/info/gondolaprice
Arizona
Scottsdale
– Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch – sandolo operation
http://scottsdale.hyatt.com/en/hotel/activities/hotel-activities/gondolaboatrides.html
Havasu City – London Bridge Gondola
(928) 486-1891
California
Coronado (San Diego area) –
The Gondola Company http://www.gondolacompany.com/
Newport Beach -
Gondola Adventures, Inc. http://www.gondola.com/
Gondola Cruises of Newport – http://www.gondolarides.com/
Gondola Romance http://www.gondolaromance.com/
Gondola Co. of Newport http://www.gondolas.com/
Sunset Beach/Huntington Harbour –
Sunset Gondola – http://sunsetgondola.com/
Long Beach – The Gondola Getaway http://www.gondolagetawayinc.com/
Redondo Beach – Gondola Amore http://www.gondolaamore.com/
Marina del Rey – Gondola d’Amore http://www.gondolasdamore.com/
Oxnard – Gondola Paradiso http://gondolaparadiso.com/
Oakland – Gondola Servizio http://www.gondolaservizio.com/
South Lake Tahoe – Tahoe Amore http://www.tahoeamore.com/

Florida
Ft. Lauderdale – Las Olas Gondola http://www.gondolaman.com/
Fort Myers – Fort Myers Boat
Tour http://fortmyersboattour.com/Pages/GondolaTour.html
Sarasota – Sarasota Gondola
(https://www.facebook.com/romanticgondola/)
Indiana
Indianapolis – Old World Gondoliers http://www.4gondola.com/
Louisiana
New Orleans – NOLAGondola http://www.nolagondola.com/
Massachusetts
Boston – Gondola di Venezia www.bostongondolas.com
Minnesota
Stillwater (Minneapolis area) – Gondola on St. Croix http://www.gondolaromantica.com/
Missouri
Kansas City “Ambiance on the Water” http://ambianceonthewater.com/
Nebraska
Omaha – Heartland Gondolas http://www.heartlandgondolas.com/
Nevada
Las Vegas – The Venetian Hotel and Casino
New Jersey
Moonachie – Mike Novack, owns a gondola that he mostly uses in parades on trailer, but also brings to various locations on the east Coast, and even as far as the upper Mid-West for special events, both in and out of the water.
New York
Manhattan – Central Park at the Loeb Boathouse http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/loeb-boathouse.html?_ga=1.161661436.1785626869.1435652752
Rhode Island
Providence – La Gondola http://www.gondolari.com/
Texas
Irving (Dallas/Ft. Worth area) – Gondola Adventures, Inc. http://www.gondola.com/
Wisconsin
Milwaukee – Four gondolas, which only come out for an annual “Festa Italiana” festival.
http://festaitaliana.com/activities/gondolas/

Washington
Gig Harbor - Gig Harbor
http://gigharborgondola.com/

And north of the border in Canada…
Ontario
Toronto – Honeymoon Gondola http://www.honeymoongondola.com/