Looking back over my photos, I still can’t believe that a place like Catalina Island can be part of LA County but feel so much like the Med which is in fact so far away you can’t just take a boat there from my home in West Hollywood.... . Seriously, if you’re planning a trip to Southern California but you want something a little different, even though my experience to the island was hosted and of course they want me to tell you to visitcatalinaisland - I’m telling you because I think you should visit. It’s a fun place that’s very special in ways the mainland just, isn’t. . (Not that I haven’t grown to love LA, because I have!) And now that it’s settled you should visit, you have a few options on how to get there. You could be very baller, but maybe not so environmentally-friendly and you could take a helicopter. Or, you could do as we did and take the catalinaexpress out of Long Beach to Avalon. An upgraded ticket in the Commodore Lounge includes one free Bloody Mary or glass of Champa...