Trip of the week: Santa Catalina, the island gem beloved by Marilyn Monroe
For decades, celebrities have enjoyed holidaying on the ‘ruggedly beautiful’ Californian isle
It is only an hour by ferry from Long Beach, but the “ruggedly beautiful” island of Santa Catalina is a world apart from that traffic-choked megalopolis, says Jonathan Thompson in The Times.
Santa Catalina became a popular holiday destination after it was acquired by the chewing gum millionaire William Wrigley Jr. in 1919 and, in the 1930s and 1940s, some of Hollywood’s biggest names came here to see and be seen.
Recently, it has enjoyed something of an “A-list renaissance”, with stars including Taylor Swift and Katy Perry holidaying here. But it retains its wild charm, and still has one real town, pretty little Avalon. Deer and bison roam its mountainous interior, and its waters offer some of the best diving and snorkelling in the region.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wanting Santa Catalina to be a “playground for all”, Wrigley constructed roads and the 12-storey Catalina Casino in Avalon, whose vast ballroom is still in use as an arts venue. Perched on a bluff with a superb view over the town, his own mansion, Mt. Ada, is now a stylish boutique hotel.
Another survival from those early days is Lloyd’s, a sweet shop where you can buy “old-time favourites” such as saltwater taffy, and where Marilyn Monroe – before she even became Marilyn Monroe – worked shifts in 1943 and 1944. An aspiring model at the time, she lived here with her first husband, James Dougherty, for a year that her biographers agree was one of the happiest of her troubled life.
Avalon is “reminiscent of the Côte d’Azur”, with its colourful houses tumbling down a steep hillside to a “perfect”, crescent-shaped harbour. It has some good restaurants, and a peaceful air: most residents get about in electric golf carts thanks to strict limits on car numbers. Vehicle tours are available even so, and on them you can look out for the herd of bison, originally brought over to film The Vanishing American in 1925, that now roam the island’s 75 square miles.
For more information, visit visitcatalinaisland.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'
The Week Recommends The 'period-perfect' production features a 'universally excellent cast'
By The Week UK Published
-
Best music albums: new releases of 2024
The Week Recommends A round-up of the best pop, dance, indie, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
6 inviting homes with rental units
Feature Featuring a restored Victorian home in Illinois and ocean-view windows in Nova Scotia
By The Week Staff Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puglia's rich medieval heritage
The Week Recommends Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II built 'the most flawless of all medieval European castles' in the southern Italian region
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: chickpea, cavolo nero and harissa stew
The Week Recommends Tinned tomatoes are warmed by harissa paste and become the base for a versatile stew
By The Week UK Published
-
A Very Private School: a 'moving, if sadly familiar' story from Charles Spencer
The Week Recommends Memoir of the privately educated boarder makes for 'horrific reading'
By The Week UK Published
-
Tropical Modernism: Architecture & Independence – rise and fall of unique design
the week recommends A 'nuanced' and 'scholarly' examination of European architecture across the 'late British empire'
By The Week UK Published