SANTA
CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. - Bill Weaver
missed the boat.
It was the
last ferry back to the mainland that
Sunday, but he wasn't ruffled: "I've got
my priorities in order," he said. "No. 1
is having a good spaghetti and meatballs
dinner."
Weaver
was blissfully alone at Original
Antonio's, a '50s-style pizzeria where
red checkered cloths cover the tables,
peanut shells litter the floor and a
taxidermied buffalo head shares wall
space with Arthur Godfrey. The jukebox
pick fit Weaver's moment: Brook Benton
crooned "It's Just a Matter of Time."
Weaver's
good-time attitude fit Catalina.
"I'll
never live it down," he said. "But hey,
I've got a little more time in Catalina.
It's an instant vacation extension."
Weaver,
a construction subcontractor who lives
in San Diego, convenes with a gaggle of
about 40 men friends every year on
Catalina. "Guys come in from all over
the country for the annual gathering of
the Newport Fools," he said. "We play
golf and get stupid. We've been doing it
since the '70s. We're all former
beachboy ballplayers who once lived in
Newport."
It was
an off-season Sunday night, so after he
polished off his spaghetti and
meatballs, Weaver had no trouble finding
an affordable place to stay. He made it
to the ferry on time the following day.
FLASHBACK
Juan
Rodriguez Cabrillo "discovered"
Catalina, the third largest of the eight
Channel Islands, in 1542 - just nine
days after he anchored in what's now San
Diego Bay; he claimed both locales for
Spain. When New Spain revolted from its
mother country and became Mexico in
1820, California became a province. In
1848, it became part of the United
States.
About 45
years later, the 76-square-mile island
was purchased by the three sons of
Phineas Banning, a pioneer in stagecoach
and steamship transportation. The
Bannings started the Santa Catalina
Island Company, aimed at making Avalon a
resort destination. William Wrigley Jr.
bought controlling interest in the
company in 1919 - thus purchasing the
majority of the island, sight unseen.
Wrigley
fell in love with the place - and the
rest is history. He built many of the
island attractions that exist today,
including Avalon's landmark casino. For
30 years, he brought his Chicago Cubs
baseball team to the island for spring
training. His wife, Ada, built the 1925
bell tower that still chimes on the
quarter-hour between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
and can be heard throughout Avalon. The
Wrigleys' Avalon hills home has become a
Mobil 4-star B&B, the six-room Inn on
Mount Ada.
In the
mid-'70s, Wrigley's heirs deeded 88
percent of the island to the Catalina
Island Conservancy, which is charged
with preserving and protecting the
island's open space and coastline. The
Catalina Island Company, owned by
Wrigley heirs, controls about 11 percent
of the island, including 56
tourism-related businesses that employ
about 800 people.
The
island's population is about 3,700 -
almost all of it in Avalon, although
summer weekend populations can exceed
10,000.
NO
CARS, NO WORRIES
There's
an abundance of things to do on the
island - but driving a car isn't among
them. Golf carts - about 1,400 of them -
are the most common mode of
transportation. Avalon is the only city
in California authorized to regulate the
number and size of vehicles that can
operate on city streets. Currently,
there are about 800 cars and trucks on
the island - and because two must leave
for each additional car or truck that's
permitted, there's a 10-year waiting
list for bringing a car to Catalina.
No
worries. Avalon, the island's
metropolis, spans a little more than a
square mile. Shuttle and tour buses take
visitors to the interior - and golf
carts and bicycles are available for
rent.
Most
visitors get around on foot. With more
than 42,000 acres of open space, the
island is a hiker's paradise. (You'll
need a permit for hiking, but they're
free.)
The
island's other paradise is underwater:
Catalina's clear waters, stunning
coastal reefs and abundant sea life make
it one of the top-rated dive
destinations in the world.
JUST
DO IT
Even
amateurs can dive right in, as I
learned.
For $95,
nondivers can take an "Introduction to
Scuba" class that includes instruction,
use of equipment (including a wet suit)
and an actual dive. I signed up at Scuba
Luv.
It was a
midweek winter morning - so I got
instructor Paul Thetreau all to myself.
After watching a video that explained
the basics of diving, Thetreau had me
demonstrate how I'd equalize the
pressure in my ears as we descended, how
I'd clear my regulator and the water
from my mask. He reminded me to breathe
continuously - and never, ever hold my
breath.
Then we
were off to Casino Point Marina Park to
play. "In summer there can be as many as
2,000 people a day in the dive park," he
said. We had the place to ourselves.
As he
guided me in and under, the experience
took my breath away: Icy water seeped
down the back of my neck under my wet
suit. Before long though, I was
comfortable. Then I was blown away.
We
didn't see the 500-pound giant black sea
bass that lives in the park - but we
swam weightless among hundreds of other
fish: bright orange garibaldi,
blue-banded goby, calico bass, opaleye,
sheepshead, kelp bass, three types of
wrasse and schools of tiny electric-blue
fish called blacksmith.
Thetreau
guided me by the hand as long strands of
kelp, like frilly sepia boas, danced
around us in the sun-lighted current. He
pointed out spiny sea urchins beneath us
- and pointed up at a distant American
flag, shimmering through water, an image
that lingers.
We went
to a depth of 42 feet for a glorious
half-hour. Time enough to get hooked on
diving.
STAY
DRY
Those
who want to stay dry can still get a
glimpse of Catalina's magical underwater
world. Glass-bottom boats have been
wowing tourists here since 1896.
"Nice!"
said Hawaii Gaines, 6, from Chula Vista,
Calif., as she and her brother peered
through wide windows from inside a
semi-submersible seagoing tour boat. The
children's grandmother, Tina Gaines, was
effusive: "Oh my gosh, it's so
beautiful. It looks like a fish tank."
Other
popular activities include inland bus
and off-road tours. The island is home
to more than 100 species or varieties of
birds and has its own subspecies of
ground squirrel and fox. Fourteen bison
were brought to Catalina in 1924 for the
filming of "The Vanishing American" and
then were left here. Today, about 200
bison roam the island - drawing lots of
tourist attention. (The island's
signature cocktail is "buffalo milk," a
combustible concoction including scotch,
vodka, cacao, banana and ice cream.)
One of
the most popular inland tours,
originally offered only to VIPs,
includes a stop at El Rancho Escondido,
where Alison Wrigley Rusack and her
husband, vintner Geoff Rusack, are
raising Arabian horses. The tour
includes a brief horse show.
"There's
so much to do on this island - in spite
of the fact that I don't swim, snorkel
or ride a bike," said Judee Feinberg of
San Diego.
"Avalon
has the feel of a Mediterranean seaport
- with a beautiful harbor and steep
hillsides stacked with houses," Feinberg
said. "Then there's the '40s feel of the
casino and the '50s ambience of some of
the restaurants. It's a very different
atmosphere - and you don't have to board
a plane, cross any borders or go through
security to get here."
Feinberg
was enjoying a girlfriends getaway on
the island. For most of the San Diego
women, it was the first time on
Catalina.
A
highlight for them was a visit to
Avalon's famed casino. No, it's not
about gambling.
"'Casino' is an Italian word for place
of entertainment," explained island
spokeswoman Donna Harris. "There's no
gambling here - and never has been. Las
Vegas changed the meaning of 'casino.'"
Feinberg
and her girlfriends went to the casino's
1,184-seat Art Deco theater to see "The
Departed." A bonus was a free concert
performed by John Tusak on the theater's
original brass pipe organ. (The concerts
are presented Friday and Saturday nights
only.)
It was
easy, sitting in plush velvet theater
seats, surrounding by elaborate murals
of exotic birds and animals, hooded
friars and Spanish galleons, to imagine
the casino in its 1930s and '40s heyday.
One could almost hear the magic of Benny
Goodman and Count Basie echoing from the
10th-floor ballroom.
IF
YOU GO
Getting
there: Catalina is 32 miles from Dana
Point. The high-speed boat trip takes
about 90 minutes. Round-trip fares
aboard the Catalina Express run $62 for
those 12-54 years old, $56 for those 55
and older, $48.50 for kids 2-11 and $4
for infants. There's a $6 round-trip fee
for transporting bikes or surfboards.
Parking near the Dana Point ferry site
costs $9 per day. Details:
catalinaexpress.com,
