California: Catalina and San Diego

America's southwest corner, at Border Field State Park

In mid-April, Allison and I traveled to several destinations in southern California including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Catalina, Orange County and San Diego. This posting covers our visits to Catalina and San Diego; Los Angeles, Long Beach and Orange County are addressed in a separate posting. 

Approaching Avalon Harbor

After a night and morning on board the R/M/S QUEEN MARY, we boarded a Catalina Express high speed catamaran ferry to Santa Catalina Island (often called Catalina Island, or simply Catalina).  One of California’s Channel Islands, Catalina is located approximately 23 miles off the mainland.  After a smooth one hour ferry ride, we arrived at Avalon harbor where we spent two days. 

Downtown Avalon

Avalon is the only large town on Catalina, and its tourist center.  The town has been a popular getaway and resort for well over a century.  It has many restaurants and small hotels, as well as other attractions such as the Catalina Casino which offers movies and dancing.  In the early twentieth century Catalina was owned and developed by the William Wrigley, Jr. family, famous for Wrigley’s chewing gum. 

The former Wrigley Mansion in Avalon

Allison and I toured the town and its environs on foot, enjoying colorful waterfront views and hiking inland among Catalina’s rugged hills.  One morning I dove in Avalon’s underwater park, exploring its dense kelp forest and viewing marine life and several wrecks with Mark Guccione from Catalina Scuba Luv.  The excellent and popular dive park is adjacent to the Catalina Casino, and easily accessed via a broad set of stairs leading into the water.

Kelp forest in Avalon Underwater Park

 

Look Ma, no claws! A spiny lobster in the Avalon Underwater Park 

We spent much of our final day on Catalina at the lovely Descanso Beach Club, basking in bright sunshine on its restaurant deck and enjoying the active beachfront.  Although Catalina is plagued by thick fog on many mornings, we had delightful clear sunny weather for our entire stay. 

Hanging out at the Descanso Beach Club

After returning from Catalina we spent two nights in Orange County with my brother Marc and his wife Mieko, a visit detailed in a separate posting.  From Orange County, we then traveled south to the San Diego area.

Beach at Border Field State Park; Tijuana in background

Our first stop near San Diego was to America’s extreme southwest corner, one goal of our journey detailed in America Out of the Box.  The southwest corner is where America’s border with Mexico meets the Pacific Ocean.  On the American side lies Border Field State Park, with a beautiful long sandy beach and many acres of wild salt pan and marsh.  On the Mexican side is Tijuana, with a large bull ring and its own lively beach.

Shoreline border fence between Mexico and the United States

Welcome to "Friendship Park"; please stay on the path!

Although Border Field State Park has much natural beauty, Allison and I found the border itself somewhat surreal and sad.  Two sets of daunting fences deter illegal entry into the United States; one of them extends well into the ocean surf.  Numerous Border Patrol agents kept a watchful eye on us and all others in the park throughout our visit.  The Orwellian “Friendship Park” at the southwest corner, home to a historic nineteenth century border monument, is bisected by layers of steel grating and we were warned to stay on the short path leading to the monument; it was certainly an odd symbol of the friendship between two countries.  Viewing the happy Mexican beachgoers in Tijuana, sometimes only feet away, we could not help but think that their side of the border looked much more inviting.

Pool and beach at the Hotel del Coronado

 

Lobby of the Hotel del Coronado

Having visited this geographic goal, we traveled slightly north to the lovely town of Coronado outside San Diego.  There we checked into the venerable Hotel del Coronado, a large waterfront complex celebrating its 125^th anniversary in 2013.  The well-maintained landmark hotel has hosted many famous and important guests and events over the years.  We stayed in a comfortable room in the hotel’s original Victorian building, which features extensive decorative woodwork throughout its lobby and public areas.

Diving in kelp at La Jolla Cove; click here for video
(photo and video courtesy of Kyle McBurnie)

The next morning I made two dives in nearby La Jolla Cove while Allison enjoyed the hotel’s beach and pool.  The very memorable dives, guided by Kyle McBurnie of SD Expeditions, were a highlight of the trip for me.  In the cove’s kelp forest we encountered many seven gill and soup fin sharks as well as sea lions, sheepshead, garibaldi (California’s bright orange state fish), large crabs and other marine life.

Seven gill shark in La Jolla Cove; click here for video
(photo and video courtesy of Kyle McBurnie)

That evening Allison and I toured downtown San Diego.  We walked through the city’s famed Gaslamp Quarter, home to many restaurants, bars, nightspots and stores.  We also drove through San Diego’s marina district, port, and historic old town which dates back to the Spanish colonial era.  Enticed by the old town, we returned there the next day for a quick walk and Mexican lunch.   

Giant panda at San Diego Zoo

 

Zebra at San Diego Zoo

Before returning to Los Angeles, we could not resist visiting the renowned San Diego Zoo.  Arranged in a large parklike setting, the zoo houses its animals in compounds which reproduce their natural habitat.  We saw pandas lounging in bamboo thickets, elephants and zebras in veldt-like expanses, hippopotami in a large pool, big cats such as lions and black panthers, and also more unusual animals such as meerkats and capybaras (to name only a few of the mammals).  In addition to the animals on display, we also observed zookeepers caring for the animals; for example, we saw one elephant getting a manicure (or was it a pedicure?)!

A "pachy-pedi" at the San Diego Zoo

In Catalina and San Diego, Allison and I explored new territory and visited both popular tourist attractions and also unusual “out of the box” destinations.  Because our time there was short, we could only scratch the surface of their many hidden treasures.    But we are very pleased to have become familiar with these delightful corners of America!

 

The Hotel del Coronado at night