Hello, Hello!
What’s poppin?, What’s good?, What it is?
It has surely been a while and I have missed blogging too much. My joy at this exact moment while typing is actually uncontrollable. I’ve missed this so much!
If you did not know, I moved to LA at the end of the summer. I’m pursuing my Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning. I’m adjusting beautifully.
There wasn’t a formal social media announcement about my move. Once I made my decision to go to UCLA at the end of the spring, my time was quickly consumed with trying wrap up projects at work and planning the move. I gave quick updates on my Instagram story while I was moving. Then once the quarter started it was hard to post as often but your girl is back!!
Living in LA thus far has been very interesting. I have a lot to say. I’ll be doing a Four-Month update soon, and spilling the tea on everything…the amazing, the lit, the sad, the horrific, getting my first apartment, graduate school, surviving finals…or barely…
…look out for that soon!
SO…I had a week-long birthday celebration last month for my🎈27th🎈 ! For being in a new place, just making friends and still figuring out how to navigate the city, it was pretty good. There were a few gatherings involved, dinners, going out and the week wrapped up with a day trip to Catalina Island with an old friend, and you know I had to share the details on Catalina with you!
Here’s Catalina!
First, a little history, because the history nerd in me must be fed, and because we’re out here not just trying to see stuff but also know stuff! 📚
Catalina Island is an island on the west coast of California that has been inhabited for over 8,000 years. Its earlier human activity actually follows a pattern we’re all too familiar with. Its first settlers were Native Americans called Pimugnans who originally named the island Pimugna. In 1542, after a European invasion, it was renamed Saint Catherine, claimed for the Spanish Empire, and became a land for otter hunting, smuggling, mining and military operations. 
Ownership of the island changed a few times in the following years until the early 1900s, when William Wrigley Jr., founder of the chewing gum, bought out all shares of the island. He controlled most real estate and tourist affairs until the late 1900s. His descendants continue to manage the largest resorts, as well as participating in decision making pertaining to most external affairs for the island.
Fun facts: A filming production brought bison to the island in the early days of Hollywood and left them there. They continued to reproduce and are now a tourist interest during mountain hikes. Also, the casino you can see at the port in Avalon when approaching the island has the world’s largest circular ballroom.
Boom.
So here’s what we did!
1. Caught the Catalina Express from the Long Beach Port in LA at 9 AM to Avalon- $37
2. Had brunch and ample mimosas to start the day at Avalon Grille 🍻- approx $40.
3. Rented a cart from Cartopia Cart Rentals and toured the island on our own for 2 hours 🚕 – $90
4. Had dinner at Steve’s Steakhouse and Seafood- approx $30
5. Took a walk through the town.
oh…umm…that’s just me…..flourishing, LOL
6. Sunset watched and gossiped ✨
7. Hopped on the 5:30PM express back to the mainland!- $37
I basically knocked out on the way back because a girl was tired so no more photos were taken after we got back on the ferry, but here are some more cool shots from my phone from throughout the day! Taken on an iPhone7.
We went with the flow and did whatever we wanted to, but other potential activities on the island include:
- Scuba diving $$$
- Snorkeling $$$
- Botanical Garden Tour $$
- Gambling $~
- Catalina Island Museum $
- Hiking $
- Mountain Tours to see wild animals like: American bison, Bullfrogs, Cattle, Feral pig (trust me they’re different fam), deer, sheep…. $
All in all, Catalina was very worth it. Personally, I needed a break from school, desperately needed a change of environment for a bit, conversation that did not pertain to school and to just chill. I came back feeling refreshed and like I gave my brain a very much needed decompression session.
Catalina is as a family-friendly short trip location but if one day is all you have, it is also very possible to have a good time if you plan to be there the whole day- getting early and leaving in the evening, in order to give yourself time to really explore a bit.
Because this trip was successful, I’ll be looking for opportunities to take little trips to nearby cities while in LA. Look out for more mini adventures!
Nice chatting with you for a little. Hope you enjoyed the post.
I typically keep the history part to myself but let me know if you liked the little history blurb. I could make them a regular thing in the future!
As always, feel free to ask questions or share any thoughts!
