Linda Cardellini

Before landing the part of troubled nurse Samantha Taggart on NBC’s “ER,” Linda Cardellini, 32, had cornered the nerd-goddess market thanks to her roles in TV’s “Freaks and Geeks” and the big-screen “Scooby-Doo.” The actress takes her talent in a vintage direction with her first miniseries, CBS’ western saga based on Larry McMurtry’s “Comanche Moon,” beginning Sunday and concluding Wednesday.

A SLICE OF ITALY My favorite thing is to spend time around the beautiful Venice canals. It feels like a secret place somehow. The houses along the canals are gorgeous, and there are ducks and fish in the water, and you can even rent a gondola. It’s just a couple of blocks from the beach. Afterward, I might stop at the Cow’s End on Washington Boulevard, sit outside and have a great cup of coffee. AL FRESCO On weekend mornings I’ll spend some time walking my Chihuahuas along the ocean in Santa Monica and down into Venice. I’ll stop at Spumoni on Montana, where I can sit outside and have a glass of wine and some of their really delicious pizza. CONSUMER REPORT When I’m in the mood for shopping, I hit the boutiques on Abbot Kinney. Or over on Sawtelle there’s a great store called Black Market, which has new clothes from top designers but also some vintage or recycled stuff. They also have artists on exhibit and every once in a while they have parties in the evenings, complete with DJs. WALK OF FAME Seeing a movie or just walking around and checking out the stars’ prints at Grauman’s Chinese is still fun to do with friends. Having a movie of mine premiere there was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. SOUP AND SANDWICH On Sunday morning I’ll have scrambled eggs at Cora’s Coffee Shoppe on Ocean in Santa Monica. But if I don’t get going until later in the day, Il Dolce -- not the one the famous guys own, this is just a little hole-in-the-wall on Montana -- is great for soups and sandwiches. They have a buffalo mozzarella sandwich that’s quite delicious.

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-- Mark.Sachs@latimes.com