more about Catalina

I will be far more careful with my punctuation as this group is very
sharp, but since I received so many lovely replies to my yesterday's
post, why not ask if anyone has a suggestion for a good, 1-2 star
place to stay on the island with a nice view and good island ambiance,
B&B or self-catering prefered.
Snorkel spots? Anyone have a must-see?

On Feb 27, 1:59 am, "thouse" <evynat...@comcast.net> wrote:
> I will be far more careful with my punctuation as this group is very
> sharp, but since I received so many lovely replies to my yesterday's
> post, why not ask if anyone has a suggestion for a good, 1-2 star
> place to stay on the island with a nice view and good island ambiance,
> B&B or self-catering prefered.
> Snorkel spots? Anyone have a must-see?

The main snorkel spot is Lover's Cove. I've never snorkeled there,
'cause I'm a diver. I did snorkel in Catalina when I was a kid, but
only off the main Avalon beach. I remember getting inked by an
octopus back then, but that's about it. I didn't use anything more
than a bathing suit, but I was much more cold tolerant in my youth.
There's also snorkeling at the dive park at Casino Point, with
convenient stairs into the water, and you can watch the divers. The
Casino Building itself is a historic landmark, so at least walk over
that way. There's a little outdoors bar/cafe right next door that's
pretty good, and if you continue around the point, you hit the beach
club which also has a decent bar/cafe for lunch.

After Labor Day, prices get better and some of the hotels drop their
multi-day requirements. Still, accomodations are pricey for what you
get. There are plenty of basic places in Avalon. Here's one site
that I found in a two-second Yahoo search:
http://www.catalinahotels.com/Catali...ina_hotels.htm

On that page, I've stayed at the Glenmore Plaza and the St. Lauren -
both are OK, with clean small rooms, only a block up from the main
drag. The Metropole looks like a real nice place, but they've always
been more than what I wanted to spend. The last couple times I stayed
on the island, I rented a condo - the first time, in the hills south
of town and the next time, in Hamilton Cove to the north (unless I
have my directions opposite). The beauty of renting a condo is that
they throw in a golf cart, almost a necessity for diving during the
off-season since the air fill trailer doesn't stay open during the
week and the only other way to get tanks back and forth to Casino
Point is with a cumbersome push cart (or you can "steal" a shopping
cart for Vons, which works a whole lot better than the dive shop
carts, though they're noisy). Here's a site for the condos:
http://www.catalinavacations.com/. You really do need a golf cart if
you stay in a condo since it's a pretty long uphill walk from town.
There are a couple of high-end B&Bs that include golf carts as well.
One is the old Wrigley Mansion (the entire island used to be owned by
the Wrigley family), but it's really really pricey.

There's a supermarket in town so you can do your own cooking in a
condo. I have yet to find a really good restaurant in town, but there
are certainly some edible finds if you keeps your expectations low.
The Busy Bee is great for lunch, since you're right on the water and
they serve prime beef burgers, but their opening hours are pretty
random in the off-season. El Galleon is good too, for steak, but
they're always out of lobster for some reason. Nick's Fishmarket
overcooks the mediocre fish. The pizza place next door is decent, and
has outside seating on the water, but they finally took down the most
exciting thing about the place: decorated dollar bills stuck
everywhere on the walls and ceilings. My best dining experience was
at the Portofino Restaurant in the hotel of the same name - it's also
a nicer hotel like the Metropole where I'm likely to stay during a
future visit because it's pretty close to Casino Point.

Other than the snorkeling and walking around town, there are island
tours to see the buffalo, flying fish boat trips, glass-bottomed
boats, and even a submarine you can try. There's not much nightlife
other than a couple seedy bars and movies in the Casino. I've never
spent more than two nights at a time on the island since I'd probably
end up bored to death, but it's good for a weekend.

snip

did they name the Catalina flying boat after this area?

On Feb 27, 1:37 pm, "dechucka" <dechu...@vomithotmail.com> wrote:
> snip
>
> did they name the Catalina flying boat after this area?

Since the Catalina was manufactured in Southern California (Douglas
Aircraft, San Diego) it's almost certain.

They used to fly seaplanes over to the island. My mom took me on one
when I was kid. I think they gave up on them after too many
accidents, since they were all vintage 1940s planes, IIRC, and the
waters around the island aren't always that calm. The only other
option at the time was the slow ferry, a 2+ hour trip. Nowadays they
use fast twin-hulled ferries that make it in 45 minutes and for an
additional $10 you can sit in the "Captain's Lounge" and get a couple
"free" drinks on the way.

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:1172629166.498300.146270@k78g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> On Feb 27, 1:37 pm, "dechucka" <dechu...@vomithotmail.com> wrote:
>> snip
>>
>> did they name the Catalina flying boat after this area?
>
> Since the Catalina was manufactured in Southern California (Douglas
> Aircraft, San Diego) it's almost certain.
>
> They used to fly seaplanes over to the island. My mom took me on one
> when I was kid. I think they gave up on them after too many
> accidents, since they were all vintage 1940s planes, IIRC, and the
> waters around the island aren't always that calm. The only other
> option at the time was the slow ferry, a 2+ hour trip. Nowadays they
> use fast twin-hulled ferries that make it in 45 minutes and for an
> additional $10 you can sit in the "Captain's Lounge" and get a couple
> "free" drinks on the way.

thanks for the info, didn't actually know where Catalina was so didn't
realise it was near San Deigo
>
>

On Feb 27, 6:33 pm, "dechucka" <dechu...@vomithotmail.com> wrote:

> thanks for the info, didn't actually know where Catalina was so didn't
> realise it was near San Deigo

Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance
Romance, romance, romance

Water all around it everywhere
Tropical trees and the salty air
But for me the thing that's a-waitin' there, romance

It seems so distant, twenty-six miles away
Restin' in the water serene
I'd work for anyone, even the Navy
Who would float me to my island dream

Twenty-six miles, so near yet far
I'd swim with just some water-wings and my guitar
I could leave the wings
But I'll need the guitar for romance
Romance, romance, romance

Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance

A tropical heaven out in the ocean
Covered with trees and girls
If I have to swim, I'll do it forever
'Til I'm gazin' on those island pearls

Forty kilometers in a leaky old boat
Any old thing that'll stay afloat
When we arrive we'll all promote romance
Romance, romance, romance

Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina
The island of romance
Romance, romance, romance

Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me

-- The Four Preps

Greg Mossman wrote:
> They used to fly seaplanes over to the island. My mom took me on one
> when I was kid. I think they gave up on them after too many
> accidents, since they were all vintage 1940s planes, IIRC, and the
> waters around the island aren't always that calm. The only other
> option at the time was the slow ferry, a 2+ hour trip. Nowadays they
> use fast twin-hulled ferries that make it in 45 minutes and for an
> additional $10 you can sit in the "Captain's Lounge" and get a couple
> "free" drinks on the way.

Or fly your own plane over there... About a 15-20 minute flight from SNA
(John Wayne / Orange County Airport) in Irvine...

On Feb 27, 7:15 pm, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-
gmail.com> wrote:
> Greg Mossman wrote:
> > They used to fly seaplanes over to the island. My mom took me on one
> > when I was kid. I think they gave up on them after too many
> > accidents, since they were all vintage 1940s planes, IIRC, and the
> > waters around the island aren't always that calm. The only other
> > option at the time was the slow ferry, a 2+ hour trip. Nowadays they
> > use fast twin-hulled ferries that make it in 45 minutes and for an
> > additional $10 you can sit in the "Captain's Lounge" and get a couple
> > "free" drinks on the way.
>
> Or fly your own plane over there... About a 15-20 minute flight from SNA
> (John Wayne / Orange County Airport) in Irvine...

Have you done it? The "Airport in the Sky" is supposed to be one of
the most difficult airports this side of Saba.

Plenty of people take their own boats over, which is yet another
option (swimming works too, but there are sharks). I got the most
seasick I've ever been sailing back from Catalina when I was a kid (my
dad loved boats, but I somehow missed out on that gene), puking so
hard I broke a blood vessel in my eye.

On 28 Feb 2007 11:23:18 -0800, "Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com>
wrote:
> Have you done it? The "Airport in the Sky" is supposed to be one of
> the most difficult airports this side of Saba.

When I flew my plane to SoCal a few years back, I didn't think about
going over there (for whatever reason)... I flew over to Death Valley
and landed there... As such, I've landed at both the highest
(Leadville, CO) and the lowest airports in the US...

> Plenty of people take their own boats over, which is yet another
> option (swimming works too, but there are sharks). I got the most
> seasick I've ever been sailing back from Catalina when I was a kid (my
> dad loved boats, but I somehow missed out on that gene), puking so
> hard I broke a blood vessel in my eye.

Damn, that's a pretty good trick, puking that hard... I've had my
share of being seasick and the subsequent chumming that went along
with it, but the puking has never caused any actual physical damages
afterwards... Congradulations on your accomplishment... <evil-grin>