Posted on: Sunday, August 12, 2007
Southern California's island getaway
Advertiser Staff
WHERE: Santa Catalina Island, 22 miles off the California coastline, was once the private fiefdom of William Wrigley Jr. of chewing-gum fame. Known for harboring movie stars needing to "get away from it all," the island's rugged interior also sheltered stars of the natural world. The island's 200-strong herd of bison are woolly descendants of beasts imported for the forgettable 1955 movie "The Vanishing American."
WHY VISIT: Offshore islands retain a mystique for landlubbers, especially those with history and glamour; Santa Catalina Island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands, is an easy day trip just one hour by catamaran from the mainland.
A FULL DAY ON CATALINA
Take in the tile work: Avalon, Catalina's only town, is Southern California's version of a white-washed Mediterranean hillside village. Fringed by palm trees, the town's beachfront plaza, buildings, planters and fountains are covered with the distinctive geometric California tile work of the 1930s. Stop in the many art galleries and tile shops before you go home.
Stroll to the casino: The circular Moorish palace built by William Wrigley Jr. in 1929 on the north end of town housed the first theater built just to show movies. Wrigley forbade drinking and gambling, but the casino's grand second-floor ballroom, with its Art Deco murals, tile work and spectacular view of the bay, saw plenty of dancing.
Take a Hummer tour to Two Harbors: Isthmus Cove and facing Catalina Harbor, off the beaten track and reached from a dirt road, attract boaters ... and filmmakers. Scenes from "Mutiny on the Bounty," "Treasure Island," "The Ten Commandments" and "MacArthur" were filmed around Two Harbors, now an unincorporated town. Hummer tours start at $39 per person for one hour. 310-510-4205.
