26 Miles – Or So – Across the Sea

This week’s post begins with a disclaimer and ends with a plea.

Disclaimer: I’m writing about one of my favorite places to visit, ever… Catalina Island (catalina.com or visitcatalinaisland.com). It’s an amazing place for many reasons, but it’s also home to family (lucky dogs!), which makes it all that much better.

Getting There

From Minneapolis, it’s non-stop to LAX or Orange County. From there, it’s “26 miles across the sea,” as the Four Preps wrote (incorrectly, as it happens, since it’s really only about 22 miles) in their infinitely forgettable song of 1958, to Catalina Island.

You can get to Catalina via small plane, helicopter, or boat. I love taking the boat because it gives you an hour-long, relaxing ride to leave your cares on the mainland. Dolphins likely will follow you for some of the trip and, depending on the time of year, you may even see a whale or two. Try the convenient Catalina Express out of downtown Long Beach, which is probably a 30-minute car ride from the airport; Karmel Shuttle is also a good option.

Once You’re There

You will arrive on Catalina via Avalon. Home to something like 2,000 full-time residents, the town’s population can swell to 10 or 20 times that on summer weekends or when cruise ships stop there. Many overnight visitors are from “over town,” as they say on Catalina, which means from California. This is good because they often visit just for the weekend, making weekdays quieter.

The building that dominates the shoreline as you approach Avalon is the Catalina Casino. Contrary to popular belief, “casino” simply means “gathering place” in Italian, so no gambling is allowed. However, if you get a chance, see a movie in the theater. Strange advice to give to someone planning a visit to an island paradise, I know, but it’s worth spending an evening indoors to gain appreciation for the art deco masterpiece.

Here are just a few things to do while you’re there:

· Shop – Most of the shopping is touristy, but C.C. Gallagher has the benefit of including locally made items AND large, belt-expanding desserts and the only true espresso bar in town.

· Eat – Choices abound, most of it fairly standard fare. However, Antonio’s is right on the water, serves ice-cold buckets of beer, and you can throw your peanut shells on the ground when you’re done. The pizza is good, and if you order a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, it breaks my rule of never eating anything bigger than my head.

· Stay – If you’re willing to pay the hefty tariff, The Inn on Mt. Ada is a fantastic option. It has the best view in Avalon, as it sits 350 above it, and in addition to your room, all food and beverages are included, as well as a golf cart to zip you around town. Given the steepness and windiness of the roads, a cart will serve you well.

· Play – Catalina is home to a funky, nine-hole golf course that’s a hoot to play (rental clubs are available). The good news is that Catalina Country Club also is home to a very fine restaurant – it’s a  little pricey, but the food is some of the best in town, and you’re a little outside of whatever crowds there might be in downtown Avalon. There’s also horseback riding, parasailing, snorkeling or scuba diving. The marine preserve right near the Casino is a fantastic spot to see Catalina’s famous kelp forests, the occasional sea lion, and California’s state fish, the garibaldi.

· Wander – You can rent bicycles and ride around town; if you’re feeling ambitious, the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden represent about the farthest out of town you can get via bicycle. If you have more time, take an eco-tour outside of Avalon, where you will see the island as it really is meant to be seen, except, weirdly, for the bison. Introduced to the island in the 1920s, they continue to thrive. Go figure.

Gum, Anyone?

Many of the most memorable things you can see and do on Catalina are there because of the Wrigley family of chewing gum fame. The Inn on Mt. Ada was the family home for many years before being converted to a hotel. The Catalina Casino was a tourist attraction built for the entertainment of Hollywood stars in the 1920s and 30s. The Catalina Country Club was home to the Chicago Cubs when they spent spring training on the island for 30 years beginning in 1921. But the most important legacy the Wrigleys left is the 88 percent of the island that is undeveloped – and will remain so in perpetuity. The family has mandated that the vast majority of the island’s 76 square miles remain, as one naturalist has described it, “the last real California landscape left.”

Finally, here’s my plea: As I stated in my first-ever post, The Incidental Tourist is written as if I’m making recommendations to a friend. So, if you have any place for which you’d like a recommendation or two, please let me know. I have traveled a LOT, and I love to help people experience the places they go.