Catalina Island Ferry & Descanso Beach Club

The 62-minute high-speed catamaran crossing from Long Beach arrives at Avalon's crescent harbor — dolphins frequently escort the bow, and the island's green ridgeline materializes from the offshore haze. The ferry terminal in Avalon is a five-minute walk from everything in town.

The main waterfront promenade is a half-mile crescent of restaurants, shops, and the Art Deco Casino building rising at the north end. The village is car-free except for golf carts; the pace of Crescent Avenue is the fundamental quality that makes Catalina feel unlike any other place within two hours of Los Angeles.

A 37-acre botanical garden in Avalon Canyon featuring plants endemic to the California Channel Islands — species found nowhere else on Earth, including the Catalina ironwood, the Catalina mahogany, and the Santa Cruz Island buckwheat. The 1934 memorial tower at the garden's center was built to honor William Wrigley Jr., who owned Catalina Island from 1919 until his death in 1932. The walk up Avalon Canyon road passes through a dense grove of endangered Catalina ironwood trees.

The Casino building is most impressive in early morning light before the tour groups arrive — walk the curved exterior promenade from the beach side and watch the harbor from the Casino's seaward face. The 1929 Moorish Art Deco building holds the world's largest circular mural in its theater ceiling; the theater's free morning showings run Fridays in summer.

The original Catalina Island dining institution, operating since 1924 in a white stucco building two blocks from the ferry terminal. The breakfast menu of eggs, pancakes, and fresh-squeezed orange juice is straightforward and excellent; the view of the harbor from the terrace tables is unchanged from the early 20th century.

A 4-mile round-trip from Avalon Canyon into the interior hills of Catalina, through chaparral and cactus to a ridgeline view of both coasts of the island. Bison are regularly visible from the trail; the Catalina fox — a subspecies found only on the island — is visible in the scrub at dawn and dusk. Hiking permits required from the Conservancy visitor center.

The waterfront dive bar on Crescent Avenue for a final Catalina mai tai before the afternoon ferry — the cocktails are strong, the prices are low, and the combination of plastic cups, ocean view, and the island's unhurried character summarizes the Catalina experience.

The afternoon ferry back to Long Beach — book the 4pm or 5pm sailing for the golden-hour crossing. The return passage often includes dolphin sightings; the city of Los Angeles appears on the horizon 30 minutes before docking.