>>mclaurie: is S Elena easy to get to? Via bridge?

It is the last vaporetto stop before the boat heads for the Lido, so it is a bit of a ride. You can walk it, though it might be considered long by some. The route takes you along the waterfront past Via Garibaldi and the public gardens where the Biennale is set up.

I like to take a vaporetto there, have a great inexpensive dinner at Dal Pampo (see Fodors reviews), and then make a leisurely, sated stroll back to the center.

Thanks ellenem.