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[Note: Since President Obama wants to promote enthusiasm and accomplishments this column is offered in the "yes, we can!" spirit.]
Disneyland, which is located in Orange County, is Southern California's top tourist draw. The no. 1 tourist destination in Los Angeles County is Venice Beach, but what most of the visitors from around the world don't realized is that beneath the streets and sidewalks lies an interesting series of tunnels whose existence is virtually unknown.
Back in the mid seventies the editor of the local weekly newspaper, the Santa Monica Independent, wrote a story about the tunnels which were very useful during the prohibition because they had provided a stealth means for making delivery of liquor from the speakeasy to nearby hotels. The writer, Rick Cziment, described his visit to the hidden labyrinth in vivid detail.
This columnist, who was, at that time, the paper's photographer and was doing stringing work for the Associated Press, suggested that the editor offer his story about the tunnels of Venice to the AP. When the former Santa Monica college student said he didn't know how to do that, the specifics of who to call and how to approach them were offered and quite soon the wire service ran the story and began to use the Independent's editor/writer for coverage of events in the Santa Monica area.
Cziment parlayed that into full-time employment with the wire news service, and later a job with the Los Angeles City News Service. Eventually he became a staff reporter for the Santa Monica Outlook.
This columnist was extremely anxious to become one of the few rare visitors to the interesting underground facet of the world famous beach community. He didn't realize that it would take some time for it to happen. When this columnist began to write material for use on-line after the Internet became a popular way to practice journalism, repeated requests to take a look at the hidden attraction were made.
Recently while taking advantage of a summer day in February to go for a stroll, the columnist entered the Townhouse on Windward and asked if there was any possibility of getting a look at the old Prohibition pathway.
The establishment is in the process of getting approval for using the downstairs area for an additional place for expanding their business and public support for the change is welcome. Subsequently a personal goal of thirty years was suddenly being scratched off the "some day I'm going to," list.
While doing some fact checking for this column, mentions other than Cziment's story have been added to the meager file verifying the existence of the tunnels. Another of the area's restaurants, the Sidewalk Cafe, has featured a brief mention of the tunnels on their facebook page.
The various businesses have sealed off their property so that the part under the Townhouse is very small but it does give the viewer a hint of how handy such an undetectable delivery route would have been for bootleggers.
According to Cziment's story (as best as can be recalled) the tunnels were also used when rum-runners on ships were delivering their illegal contraband because the system ran from the shore well into the beach community because their original purpose, circa 1900, was to be used as steam tunnels.
On the web local historian Jeffrey Stanton speculates about how that worked.
If and when the Townhouse is given permission to expand their operations into the downstairs area, it is quite likely that the Venice Beach will become even more interesting for visitors from far away places.
Until the official approval is granted, curious people who go to the Ocean Front Walk for a stroll might want to visit the aforementioned tavern and ask the one gentleman bar tender who works on the weekends (all the other bartenders are of the fair sex) and tell him they are citizens interested in participating in the hearing and would like to see the area in question. It might work.
It took a long time for this columnist to be able to cross a visit to the prohibition mainstay off the "some day I'm going to . . ." list and it is reassuring to think that in some small way, achieving this personal goal would earn the President's approval, but it is an example of what perseverance, hope, and an acceptance of "Yes, we can!" point of view will accomplish.
Al Capone has been quoted as saying: "This American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it."
Now, the disk jockey will play a rare copy (bootleg?) of "I Never Knew I Had a Wonderful Wife Until the Town Went Dry." Since there are still items left on the list we have to move along. Have the kind of week that's as good as an Al Jolson song.
