If there were just one winner in my move to Los Angeles, it would most certainly be my parents. As much as they loved their visits to Boston – walks around Castle Island, lunch at Five Horses Tavern, Father John Unni’s Sunday Mass at St. Ceclia’s – they can now thaw out from the Syracuse winters in Southern California. Most recently their visit was capped off with a long weekend trip to a place only 50 miles away, though so unique and gorgeous that you’d think you were on the other side of the world.
The ferry from Long Beach to Avalon, Santa Catalina Island takes less than 60 minutes and is often escorted by pods of dolphins and sea lions. Arriving in Avalon, you see a beautiful harbor, quaint restaurants, shops, and golf carts. To preserve the natural beauty and simple way of life on the island, very few cars are allowed, thus most tourists and locals alike maneuver by golf cart. We were told the wait list for a car is roughly 20 years today, so it’s common practice to put newborns on in hopes they hit not too far after driving age. Who created such rigid rules? Chewing gum emperor, William Wrigley Jr, of course! In the early 1930’s he bought the island, eventually donating most of it to a private foundation. While we explored the island and famous Wrigley Mansion, we learned that he built the local baseball field within view of his deck. As the owner of the Chicago Cubs, he insisted Spring Training be held on Catalina to avoid the distractions of mainland cities. Rumor has it that if he were unhappy with the effort presented during practice, he’d make the team jog up the hill to his home just to be chewed out (no pun intended!).
The nice thing about Catalina Island is that there are few attractions and visitors do not have much to fill their time with outside of hikes, watersports and beaches. The lack of options promotes more relaxation, though my father would beg to differ! During our couple of days there we went on kayak tours, explored via golf cart, visited botanical gardens, hiked all around the island and enjoyed some wonderful seafood. I will never take these little trips for granted.
