Back to Catalina, Pt. 4

Welcome back to my Catalina Island series; as you head towards the Casino/Theatre, you pass these really cool tiles. This particular one depicts the Casino:

I LOVE the colors of these Catalina Tiles! Created by Catalina Classic Tile, they are a signature of the Island.

The Catalina Casino opened on May 29, 1929. Its Art Deco/Mediterranean design was by Sumner Spaulding (designer of the famed Harold Lloyd estate, Greenacres) and Walter Weber. The casino's movie theater was the first to be designed specifically for films with sound. It received the Honor Award from the California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as “one of the outstanding architectural accomplishments.”

Although available for tours, the movie theatre has ceased to function due to low attendance.

It was closed during my visit, so the only interior shot I got was this one through the glass doors:

These interior shots were from 2004 when I saw a movie there:

Back to the present, and some incredible vintage light fixtures!

The tile in the entry:

One more installment left in my Catalina series!

See more Catalina photos at my main website.

Back to Catalina, Pt. 3

As I approached the Avalon Casino for the first time in sixteen years, a bit of a fog had descended on the Island. No problem here; I like to shoot in all kinds of weather! You might recognize the Catalina Island Yacht Club shown below from the classic film “Chinatown” (1974) with Jack Nicholson:

On this trip, I ventured further down the way to see the Descanso Beach Club:

As I was nosing around, I discovered this abandoned stone staircase behind the club.

While it was a little rough hiking up the hill to the top, the almost sunset views were worth it:

Afterwards, another hike towards the Chimes Tower provided more fantabulous views, including this one of the Casino from above:

In 1925, William Wrigley Jr. and his wife Ada purchased the Westminster chimes from Chicago’s J.C. Deagan Company and had them installed in this tower that was built for their use:

While there, a documentary about the chimes was being filmed, so I couldn't get inside.

Nearby is the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel:

In 1926, American West author Zane Grey built a home on the hillside overlooking the Avalon Bay. After his death in 1939,  his pueblo was converted into a hotel. The South Building of the property houses rooms from the original estate. Until the next post, I’ll leave you at the Casino:

See more Catalina/Avalon Island photos at my main website.

Back to Catalina, Pt. 1

My first trip to Catalina Island was back in June 2004 and I was still using a film camera! I had a decent time, but I remember being fairly bored before even the first day was over. My initial impression was beautiful...but not all that much to do. The photo above shows where we spent most of our Catalina visit back in 2004.

When my workout group talked about spending a weekend there, I decided what the heck…update and improve my photos and get out of town for a bit. Next thing I knew we were boarding the ferry at Long Beach and on our way! It wasn’t long before the Avalon Theatre and Casino were in view:

Once settled at our lodging, we began exploring the island with a good long hike. What views!

The weather was better than it had been in 2004; and I was much more enthused about the hike in 2020 than I was on my first trip. I am holding the souvenir bandana in my hand that our bus tour gave us; today, it serves as one of the rotation bandanas I use as a face mask. Who knew it would be useful to me some 17 years later?

Back to the present: it was also a goal of mine to explore new things that I’d missed on my first trip, and lo and behold there were plenty, including Bird Park:

While it wasn’t open for exploring the interior, there was plenty to poke around and see on the outside:

LOVE the Catalina tile that decorated the structure:

The Metropole Hotel (where I stayed on my first visit) was still in operation:

A night time view of the Casino (taken while we got ice cream):

Turns out you CAN go back…and improve a previous experience. More to come!

See more Catalina Island photos at my main website.