Avalon, CA is the largest town on Santa Catalina Island, a popular resort island about 27 miles off the Southern California coast between Los Angeles and San Diego. Around a million people arrive on the ferry from the mainland or a cruise ship to visit the island each year. During the day the town is often busy with people going to the restaurants, lying on the beach, or zipping around town on golf carts. At night, however, the town has a very different feel.
The Green Pier
The Green Pier is the launching point for waterborne leisure activities in Avalon. During the day it is packed with people going to and from the glass-bottom boats, fishing excursions, parasailing, submarine tours, and other attractions. At night, the only sound is the gentle sloshing of the waves and, maybe, the sound of a sea lion as it surfaces in the bay.
The Casino
The Casino building is one of the landmarks in Avalon. It got its name from the Italian word for gathering place and has never been a place for gambling. There is a large ballroom on the upper level and a theater on the main level which is used for stage productions and movies. Seeing movies there is a throwback to an earlier time. They play one movie every night for a week and some sessions are proceeded by an organist playing the vintage pipe organ before the show.
The coming sunrise is starting to brighten the eastern sky so it is time to end our nighttime tour of Avalon and walk to the ferry terminal to wait for the first boat back to the mainland.
