The island deserves props for the aggressive, no-nonsense messaging to visitors about the severity it's a tactic other California cities can learn from.īut when restaurants offer only bottled water and don't use tap for drinking, it's a bizarre twist in resource allocation (because nothing about bottling and shipping water is good for the environment) and a challenge for those who oppose bottled water on principle. Speaking of delicate ecosystems, the current drought in Catalina is serious business. WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT A DROP TO DRINK If roughing it or semi-roughing it isn't your thing, sign up for a guided jeep tour with Catalina Adventure Tours or a trip organized through the Catalina Conservancy. Eighty-eight percent of the island's land, however, is under the purview of the Catalina Island Conservancy, which was founded as a nonprofit in 1972. The interior of the island is open for camping and exploring the wild, and many campsites are owned and managed by - surprise! - the Island Company. We weren't sure if the screams we heard overhead were from sheer delight or terror.
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The Catalina Island Company also operates a zip line, with a choice of five routes and various extremes and heights.
Even the most jaded aquarium-goer can't help but be wowed by swarming fish right outside the slowly cruising vessel's windows. (Let's just say I'm glad my five-year-old opted out of the trip and that the guide had a towrope.)Ī dryer ocean experience is a glass-bottom boat or semi-submersible ride with Catalina Adventure Tours or Island Company's Sea Wolf semi-submersible. While not as intense as white-water rafting, kayaking present its share of physical challenges, especially if conditions get choppy. Knowledgeable guides will lead you along the coastline, and with the right timing, you'll spot an array of ocean life up close, from leopard sharks to harbor seals. Catharine and currently the buzzing Descanso Beach Club, to kayak on the open ocean with Descanso Beach Ocean Sports. Stroll out towards Descanso Beach, formerly the site of the grand dame Hotel St. Most of the island action is centered around Avalon, a compact town less than three square miles with a population of approximately 4,000, but some visitors opt for complete quiet in remote camping sites scattered throughout the island and near Two Harbors village, accessible via Catalina Express ferry services.
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The movie palace and circular ballroom located at the top level still operate to this day. Ironically, Catalina's most iconic location is Catalina Casino, a stunning Mediterranean and Spanish Revival-inspired Art Deco landmark commissioned by Wrigley in 1929. The 76-square-mile landmass is its own cultural mash-up - a mix of wholesome Bedford Falls, laid-back SoCal beach and boat culture, outdoor fervor and old Wild West spirit (Zane Grey was a famed denizen), and a dash of freewheeling Atlantic City-esque boardwalk scene (without the gambling). Truth might be stranger than fiction in some of its parts, so it's only fitting that the island made an appearance in Roman Polanski's Chinatown, the ultimate LA noir film.
But it always feels like there's a lot going on beneath the surface on Catalina. Today, many of the attractions on the island - the hotels, the clubs, the sites - are run by the Wrigley-led Santa Catalina Island Company.Ĭatalina has a small year-round population, a non-stop stream of visitors and employees from the mainland, breathtaking natural beauty, lovely architecture, scarce water resources, and, just for good measure, roaming bison.Ī quick stroll gives you the lay of the land, and two hours in a golf cart (highly recommended) affords any visitor heaps of island idyll. They went broke after the Avalon fire of 1915 and sold a majority interest to William Wrigley, Jr. Historically overseen by a private landowning company transferred between filthy rich private owners, the island was incorporated by the Banning family of Los Angeles in 1894. Located in the Pacific 22 miles from the Los Angeles Harbor breakwater, Catalina is a crazy repository of story-rich goodies. And it makes for a perfect getaway from Southern California. Santa Catalina Island is the stuff LA noir dreams are made of. Local girl Jessica Ritz checks out Catalina and finds it a microcosm of LA, where intrigue and noir meet laid-back beach vibes.ĬATALINA ISLAND, California – Forget Hollywood. That funny little island off the coast of Los Angeles makes for a better vacation than you might have imagined.
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