Catalina Island

Loveliest sunsets on the west coast, IMO.

It's not exactly convenient to get to.

The LA gays are too busy loving Santa Barbara and Palm Springs.

Catalina is filled with Housecows and Frauoafs with their trolls. Tons of Groupon and Goldstar tickets rule that island.

Is it expensive?

R5 Yes. Just to get there and back on the boat is over $50, and it takes 90 minutes each way. Plus parking on the mainland. Everything on the island is expensive because everything has to be shipped in. There's one very small grocery store. There's a waiting list to own a car (most people use golf carts.) There's one movie theater and a small library.

Couldn't agree more. I went there for the first time this past year and thought "there needs to be a gay weekend party here". Tough to figure out the logistics for such, but the island has good bones. Opportunity is there for someone to do something fun and memorable!

I do love that Catalina randomly has Yellowstone-sized buffalo roaming around the island.

You can get there in 1 hour on the fast boat, no one takes the slow boat anymore. They also have a helicopter service daily if you has cash to burn. Yes, its full of breeders on an alcoholic binge. Its mostly bars, bad food tourist restaurants and knickknack shops. Most people go just for the day. Sort of reminds me of that little town Amity Island from the movie Jaws. Actually the name of the town on Catalina is Avalon. Water is incredibly clear, almost like Hawaii, you can take glass bottom bout torus to see lots of tropical fish, almost no beach. Really kind of shocking how clean the water is when you consider its so close to Los Angeles. The island has animals on it like Bison. Also has an interesting Hollywood past. The house on top of the hill was owned by Wrigley. As in the Wrigley gum fortune.

Do the Cubs have their training camp their still?

Mrs. Wriggled was a Pi Phi, hence the arrow (Pi Phi's symbol) on the pac of gum.

I've lived in LA twenty years and I've never been. Looks pretty though. But I hear it's just very touristy. I HATE Santa Barbara with a passion. Talk about a fucked up place. I wouldn't move there if you paid me cash. San Diego is lovely, part of it at least.

I like the Fire Island concept though. It would need a total makeover, its kind of boring if you are gay. Has a huge casino/dance club on the waters edge could easily be used for theme parties. But I dont think the Fraus who love going there would give that place up without a fight. They get to pretend their cheap boyfriend took them to Hawaii. Still I like the idea if we gentrified it. We really have nothing life Fire Island on the west coast except Palm Springs which is a totally different experience. We need some "A" gays with a lot of money to make this happen.

R12, Bitch Please, Santa Barbara is gem of California. Its like a small piece of the Mediterranean. San Diego is a huge city, gays not not friendly there and its full of Repugs because of the military base there. That is where that piece of crap used car salesman / arsonist Senator Darrell Issa came from. Mitt Romney just built a house there as well. San Diego is Repug city. Santa Barbara is small but a lot more liberal. Ellen and Porsche just bought a house there recently. Drew Barrymore and of coarse Oprah also there.

So boring. The heterosexualists can keep it.

[quote] Drew Barrymore and of coarse Oprah also there.

Technically, Oprah lives in the wealthier enclave of Montecito.

It's just like Capri only not.

Yes, technically they all live in Montecito but its really considered part of Santa Barbara. Besides, Monteceto is so small all they have is a little tiny street with one super market and a few shops. All of them have to venture into Santa Barbara if they need to buy anything or go out to dinner. Or I should say their help buys things for them.

[quote]The house on top of the hill was owned by Wrigley. As in the Wrigley gum fortune.

The entire ISLAND was owned by Wrigley.

I actually enjoy the Two Harbors isthmus side of the island.. Hardly a soul there. You have to go with the expectation of merely relaxing because there is not much there. An excellent place to relax and get away from it all though. Kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, cocktails by the beach.. That type of thing.

I love Catalina. Forget the tourists. Like R20, I go for the snorkeling, hiking, khaking and zip lining.

I like the idea of taking the Channel Islands and turning them into a sort of gay Balearics of California. A fun island-hopping non-stop partying destination. Who needs national parks anyway? LOL.

San Miguel Island:

Montecito is a wealthy enclave. Santa Barbara is a crapfest, especially the area around the university, which is one of the most dangerous areas in all of southern California. The entire city also smells like a sewer.

I find Santa Barbara lovely and relaxing, however, I wouldn't necessarily call it a "gay" destination. Last time I checked, there wasn't a single gay bar in town..

Of course that doesn't forfend gay-friendly activities like wine-tasting, boutique shopping, nice brunch restaurants..

Well, the gays can certainly have Catalina!

I'm not very fond of the damned place, that's for sure!!

R14: is stuck in 1985

R23, UCSB is almost completely surrounded by Goleta. Goleta has some crappy neighborhoods, but really -- "One of the most dangerous areas in all of Southern California"? Um, I think some of the neighborhoods in Los Angeles has Goleta beat. Santa Barbara proper, however, is nice.

We interrupt this thread to showcase the glaring stupidity of R10, an astoundingly stupid imbecile who should return to the third grade for basic grammar and spelling.

"Do the Cubs have their training camp their still? "

By misusing the possessive 'their,' you stupid cunt, you have implied that the Cubs' training is an object.

A "training," according to your inane stupidity, is a thing that camps a still.

How does a thing camp a still? Does it set up a booze still in a camp?

Doubtless it's a moonshine still with which your inbred parents used to swill themselves into alcoholic oblivion after they spawned you, you sniveling, shit-brained turd of a human.

Their. There. It's. Its. You're. Your.

Learn the difference or leave the internet forever, you dust-brained stupid idiot.

I always get the impression that gays who love "partying" all weekend on an island are vapid queens.

[quote]especially the area around the university, which is one of the most dangerous areas in all of southern California.

The university is in Goleta, not Santa Barbara.

Shhhh, the Little Harbor/Shark Harbor beaches on the other side of Catalina Island offer the best beach camping in all of California.

The gays couldn't even keep Guerneville afloat and the straights will never leave Palm Springs.

Years ago, when I was just starting out in advertising, I worked on the Wrigley gum account with the "Double Mint Twins". (Google it, kiddos). One time on a shoot on Catalina on the grounds outside the Wrigley mansion, Mrs. Wrigley herself came outside the manse to watch the shoot. She pitched a fit when the "twins" were putting the gum in their mouths "all wrong"...She hollered "Goddamit, girls...you gotta do the 'Wrigley Roll"! And then she proceeded to show how you put the stick of gum in your mouth with the tip end first "touching your tongue" then rolling it backwards fully into the mouth. I still remember her massive diamond rings glinting in the sun as she demonstrated the "Wrigley Roll". After the twins got it right, she later served the crew martinis on the patio. Quite a fabulous broad...and quite a memory!

R26 = Repug from San Diego

Palm Springs is very, very gay, R32. A straight person could almost definitely feel like the outsider there.

BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS was filmed on Catalina. And that single-handedly ruined Catalina for the gays ever after.

Also, San Diego Pride Sucks, you cant dink in the festival like most gay prides, you have to stand in a little fenced off area. Boys not that hot either, at least not compared to Los Angeles.

Santa Barbara is nice and quaint - but the homeless really ruin it. Walking down Main Street is sketchy at best and boy, do they stink! The whole downtown has that homeless-person stench.

I agree, Palm Springs is very gay. Some straight relatives went there about 5 months ago and called me to ask is there was something going on there like gay pride because they never saw so many gay men eating out at all the restaurants. LOL It's still predominately straight and white, mostly retired couples so they dont hassle the gay men, at that age they are mostly like "whatever". It's like Golden Girls meets Fire Island in the desert. I would say its about 40% gay which is high for even most gay ghettos these days.

R26= grew up in San Diego when it actually was like that. Then returned 2 years ago to see a city that is very different. It's true that it isn't San Francisco or Los Angeles, but the idea it is like Oklahoma City or Charleston in 2015 is laughable

Wasn't an awful lot of gay porn shot on Catalina Island?

I vividly remember one title from the 80's: "Catalina Days / Big Bear Nights"

"The university is in Goleta, not Santa Barbara. "

Actually UCSB University of Santa Barbara is in Isla Vista. Its a small college town by the water. Its kind of trashy because spoiled kids from all over the US go there and trash the place like 14 year old drunken sailors. All the housing and apartments were cheaply built in the 60's so that the school could get its start. That I will agree, its a dumpy area, but its a party town. It's overcrowded and over priced because its close to the school.

R23 Santa Barbara is nicer then most places in California. The facts speak for themselves, real estate values are through the roof! An average family home is $800,000. That is not Monticello or Hope Ranch. The University is not in SB it's in a college town called Isla Vista. That place is a breeder heaven. Gay life is limited there. I know in the 80's there were 3 different gay bars. As far as I know, they are all gone now just like most places because we dont have to hide anymore and gay men dont go to gay bars like they used to. I am pretty sure some of the bars there have gay nights.

I think that gay destinations are more of a thing of the past. Some like Fire Island will hang on for a while, but as we become integrated and socialized in het culture these places will fade. Makes me a bit sad- but wonderful places to travel to will continue to exist of course and I think gay events including parties and things like ski week will continue. The Pines has many more straight people and families- many with gay parents. Kids definitely change the character of a place. Times change!

There are some of us who are youngish and still desire gay-only space. I'm 30-years-old (semi-young I guess) and I still like to patronize gay bars, places that aren't mixed. I get to see straight people all day. I want a space without them sometimes.

Anyhow, back to Catalina, you get to ride the ferry for free on your birthday!

Great story, R33. Thanks for sharing. In was in advertising, too, in LA.

If the gays had more clout in Catalina, there would be a waterside memorial for Natalie Wood, and you would be able to pay your respects at the exact spot where she drown. Similar to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii, only more intimate.

And yes, the population of Palm Springs is about 40% gay.

Avalon (the main city on Catalina) has lots of potential for gaytrification.

As it stands, the place has lots of charming buildings, hotels, etc. The thing is that most of the town is geared towards the Carnival Cruise/Princess cruise day-tripper Groupon crowd. (Lots of knickknack and souvenir shops, and some bad restaurants).

Add some sophisticated boutiques or art galleries, restaurants serving quality food, a gay piano lounge, spruce up the Catalina Casino, and you've got yourself a different destination entirely.

An elder sister told me the entire island smells of lady fish and Salem Lights.

Let's takeover Ukiah instead.

Tell me about Ukiah, R51. I don't know a thing about it.

If you're going to go toward Ukiah, how about Hopland? It's just south of Ukiah, has a cool place called the Solar Living Institute, a small-ish Indian casino, and some cool restaurants. And Ukiah, which is much larger, has a few up-and-coming places itself. But neither is exactly a resort town. How about Mendocino or Fort Bragg? Bodega Bay?

Island bump

Love Catalina (although just for the day) especially Two Harbors.

I got seasick on my way there

R2 "not exactly convenient"

And Fire Island is?

[quote] Little Harbor/Shark Harbor beaches on the other side of Catalina Island offer the best beach camping

Why would anyone go camping at a place called "Shark Harbor?"

We use to go deer riding there when I was a kid.

It's expensive as all hell. Unless you're a foreigner looking to park your money in real estate gays cannot afford it or any coastal CA community.

I've never been there, but I want to go just to see the Casino. The building is covered in the most amazing tiles:

r61

Wouldn't you be better off spending the money on a therapist to help you get over your gambling problem?

The island is boring as fuck and you can see everything in under an hour. It smells like gasoline because of all the tourists drving around in golf carts. I would recommend spending your money on a trip to a real island like Hawaii.

I had that same porn vid, R41. So hot. I practically wore it out.

yeah, I always thought Catalina was a big gay-porn shooting location. When I finally visited there, I was surprised at how not-gay the place was.

Exactly how many Island are there in California? I thought there were only 3 or 4 at most, but I'm probably wrong.

R65, plenty

Two Harbors is terrific, and the Wrigley lodge is wonderful. It's the "quiet" side, and quite wonderful for hiking, kayaking, as mentioned above. Don't forget: flying fish! (real flying fish, I mean, aquatic/piscine)

Avalon: maybe I'd go to see historic sights (like the tiles in thread above) and maybe not. My idea of vacation isn't shopping, or eating overpriced food, or watching people get obliterated on booze.

[quote] It smells like gasoline because of all the tourists drving around in golf carts.

That's only in Avalon, dear.

If you're into hiking and nature, there is plenty to do in other parts of the island. Go hiking on the TransCatalina trail (which has some astounding ocean views) or head to one of the more primitive beaches. You have a good shot of seeing buffalo.

Kayaking from Two Harbors along the ocean coves can be fun.

Catalina video from there?

Oh no...leave Catalina island alone...gays don't need to create another restricted enclave full of elitists, misogynists and racists. That's what you have Fire Island and Rehoboth Beach for. It's the height of egotism and entitlement to assume that if gays "take over" an area that it automatically becomes a better place to live.

You all should contract AIDS, cholera and typhus.

Oops, the Casino tiles date from 1986.

The murals were supposed to be made of tiles when the building was built back in 1929, but time was short so they painted the murals for the grand opening and never got around to doing the tiles, what with the Great Depression and all. Then in 1986 using the original artist's sketches (he was still alive) and the original tile works, they went back and replaced the painted murals with tiles.

So there are no homeless people on Catalina right?

I heard Amboy CA is ripe for gentrification.

If anyone should take over Catalina, it should be the divers. SCUBA divers and snorkelers and free divers! A diver's community with infrastructure devoted to all that is underwater!

Because there's nothing else to do there.

I had to visit after reading Maipin’s “Maybe the Moon.”

Helicoptered there and chartered back. Had a wonderful time

[quote]Since Catalina Island was never connected to mainland California, it was originally lacking in all terrestrial life. Any plants or animals that arrived on the island had to make their way across miles of open ocean. The original species to come to the island arrived by chance by blowing over on the wind, drifting or swimming over the ocean, or flown over by wing. Starting with the Native Americans and continuing today, animals and plants have also been introduced by humans, both intentionally or accidentally. Catalina is home to at least fifty endemic species that occur naturally on the island and nowhere else in the world. This limited distribution of a species may result from the extinction of the original population on the mainland combined with its continued survival on the island where there may be fewer threats to its continued existence.

[quote]The island is also home to a number of non-native animals, notably including the American bison. In 1924, fourteen bison were brought to the island for the filming of the Western movie The Vanishing American, though the scenes with the bison did not make it into the final cut of the film. Due to cost overruns, the film company decided to leave the bison on the island instead of bringing them back to the mainland.

[quote] It's the height of egotism and entitlement to assume that if gays "take over" an area that it automatically becomes a better place to live.

And yet here you are, posting on a gay website nonetheless. Straight trolls, men and women alike, simply cannot peel themselves away from gay male spaces, no matter how unwelcome they are. It's a sickness and obsessson their part.

Perhaps R70 should visit Catalina and have a little accident on a yacht..

Hey. This is our island.

[quote][R12], Bitch Please, Santa Barbara is gem of California. Its like a small piece of the Mediterranean. San Diego is a huge city, gays not not friendly there and its full of Repugs because of the military base there. That is where that piece of crap used car salesman / arsonist Senator Darrell Issa came from. Mitt Romney just built a house there as well. San Diego is Repug city. Santa Barbara is small but a lot more liberal. Ellen and Porsche just bought a house there recently. Drew Barrymore and of coarse Oprah also there.

San Diego is gay friendly. Nobody cares if you're gay. The city of San Diego has had several openly gay councilmembers and a lesbian chief of police. 100,000 preople go to the gay pride parade, which dragged on for 3 hours this year. The city of San Diego has turned blue but the surrounding county, particularly the east and northeast, is deep red. Darrell Issa is from Vista, in the north county, not the city of San Diego.

Mitt Romney does have an oceanfront house in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego and did want to tear it down to build a bigger one. I'm not sure if they ever did. John McCain had a condo in the La Jolla Shores neighborhood. Liberal Gregory Peck lived in La Jolla for many years. There are all types there; the only thing they have in common is they are rich.

Oprah is coarse? Ellen is married to a Porsche now?

r62 It's not that kind of casino. No legal gambling on Catalina.

This hot gay YouTube couple have a video of their trip to the island. Looked exciting

F&F R70

I have never been to the island but I love their salad dressing.

I've never been either but I love their swimsuits.

The homeless population in Santa Barbara really spoils the entire place. The main streets downtown have that wretched homeless smell.

R86, what does Santa Barbara have to do with Catalina Island?

Fuck off, bitch. Other posts were comparing Catalina to Santa Barbara and San Diego. Read the thread first before getting cunty.

Well go start a fucking thread about Santa Barbara then, you cheap, stupid fucking cunt.

Santa Barbara is much nicer than Catalina, and actually has clubs and lots of things to do. Plus lots of horny surfers and UCSB students.

Where is the fun part of Santa Barbara? I've been there twice and I thought it was staid and dull.

Re Santa Barbara, Lower State Street is full of clubs. There’s a good art museum, and one of the last of the great “atmospheric” movie palaces, the Arlington, is there, as well as another old movie palace, the Granada. The beach is great, and has weekend art shows up and down Carrillo Blvd. no game Bar, but lots of gay-friendly bars with lots of gay customers/ same sex couples. Great restaurants. Depending on when you go, there’s the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. They just bought the Riviera Theatre on what was the original UCSB campus pre-1960s. And there is a fair amount of theater if you’re into that.

Most of Catalina is under consevancy and is inaccessible without a permit, unless you’re on a tour. Most of the island, maybe all of it, was owned by Wrigley at one point, but he turned it over to a nonprofit.

Who’s saying that it takes 90, or even 60, minutes to get to Catalina? We get there in 30-40 minutes on the Catalina Express from Long Beach, tops.

The beaches of Catalina are some of the most polluted in LA County. We shuddered watching kids go swimming. There really isn’t a proper beach in Avalon, there is a little downtown with a strip and some sand poured in, where you can sunbathe.

The casino is gorgeous, the light on the water is gorgeous, the interior of the island is gorgeous, the buffalo are fun. It’s nice, but you only need a day or two to do everything.

Here’s an article mentioning Avalon’s pollited beach ( it’s at the top of the worst list).

Catalina could be the Monaco of California.

My therapist once suggested I visit Catalina. I wrote it down but never did it. Thanks for reminding me.

The correct name is Santa Catalina Island, it's obvious how racist the OP is, that he wouldn't know this.

Santa Catalina = Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was supposedly tortured on a Catherine wheel and then beheaded on the orders of Maxentius. Modern scholars, however, don't believe she ever existed and that her story of martyrdom is simply a reversal of Hypatia of Alexandria's who was a pagan murdered by an angry Christian mob.

Nobody in CA calls it Santa Catalina - ever!

Catalina feels claustrophobic to me. I hated it, both times I was there - I don’t like being somewhere that is difficult to leave.

San Diego is fabulous, with it's own gay neighborhood, Hillcrest. There are plenty of gay and gay friendly bars and restaurants.

La Jolla is NOT San Diego any more than Bel Air is WeHo.

R19 The Wrigley family may have been philanthropic and built some spectacular houses.

But I have to say that the habit of chewing gum (made from pig fat and Sapodilla tree rubber) is one of the ugliest I can think of.

I found my love in Avalon.

Going there soon.

R81 cute couple. PK seems like such a fun guy