label/petit%20travels

I’ve wanted to go to Catalina island for a long time. On a good day you can see its outline from Ruby’s in Huntington Beach, and it’s always held a bit of mystique and grandeur for me, so when I was invited to visit along with Marie and Ciaran’s families by the Santa Catalina Island company, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I may have even said, *heck yes!*.

We took the Catalina Express bright and early out of a cloudy Long Beach harbor {the boat is cold so bring a jacket!} ending up at Catalina’s largest town, Avalon an hour-and-a-half later to beautiful sunny skies and clear blue ocean as far as the eye can see.

We walked from the dock to Hotel Atwater where we ditched our bags and headed off to lunch at Coney Island West.

I can’t find the photos but Victor figured Catalina was as good a place as any to teach Pigeons how to eat french fries out of his mouth, to the delight of the children {mine and Momfluential’s}. Nice.

Once everyone was fed we headed out on a bus tour of the island. Catalina is actually a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and there’s a lot of *interior* land for things like a hospital, golf course, houses for locals, and a school for the kids who live there year-round.

I didn’t know this but Ciaran’s son did {who incidentally is the exact same age as C}; there are Bison on Catalina Island. Just another random tidbit learned on the interior bus tour.

After the bus tour we all crashed before dinner at The Lobster Trap with all our families. Chaos at its best.

The rest of the weekend was filled with sand, water, and fun. Catalina has got its own cool vibe going on. It was what I imagine the Greek Isles to be: little houses dotting the steep hillsides, all centered around the cute little town with the ocean lapping at its feet. It’s absolutely beautiful, perfect for snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, walking, and eating. Obviously eating.

I was able to have a *girls night out* with Ciaran and Marie, watching the latest movie at the Casino which is a whole experience in and of itself.

We played at Descanso beach, had a picnic dinner under the stars {something you cannot miss if you go to Catalina}, saw Flying Fish {I told Marie’s husband Jordan “it was an experience on my bucket list I didn’t know I needed to have!}, looked at the California State saltwater fish on the Underwater Boat Tour and the highlight for me? The best of the best? A massage from Deanna Stone. Holy Hannah. I’ve had a lot of massages in my day but hers was so unbelievable I had to hold back tears, no joke.

I had so much fun I can’t wait to go back, and if you ever have the chance you have to go. A big thank you to the Santa Catalina Island Company, we had a ball!

Have you been? Do you want to? Tell me what you’d do if first once you set foot on the island.

{all photos courtesy of Ciaran aka Momfluential and Marie from Make and Takes}.

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Victor already posted about P’s unbelievable experience of feeding Shamu at SeaWorld. It was crazy cool, and I wish they would open it up to choosing parents. I mean I have dreams too, right? Obviously so does C. They involve throwing himself into the open tank of water with Killer Whales but still, a boy can dream.

SeaWorld is about more than Shamu. I loved the interaction we all had with the animals {I got to pet a dolphin!} above all else. Not everyone gets to pet Shamu, but you can get pretty darn close to the Killer Whales before the big show. The poor girl who was *guarding* the fence to the holding tanks thought there was something wrong with me. I couldn’t get enough of the whales and the fact that they were thisclose to the fence I was clinging to. Amazing.

Eventually though, Victor pried my fingers loose and we wandered around the park for the rest of the day. Shark Encounter was a hit with the kids; we walked through a big tube with sharks swimming overhead and about, scaring even mister C *I’m addicted to adrenaline* Czarnecki.

The dolphin show was unbelievable and had even Victor howling with laughter, the touch tank was perfect for C, P got to feed Shamu {I know, I know!}, Petting the Sting Rays {minus stingers} was a highlight for C. Actually, petting the Sting Rays was a highlight for the whole family. Those things were bananas. They flapped and splashed and tried to jump out of the shallow water every chance they got, amusing my children the whole way.

SeaWorld is the Disneyland of aquariums. Perfect for the family, perfect for a summer activity, loads of fun things to do and see, and last but not least, the best way to wear children out for a long drive back to Orange County.

Next up: Catalina.

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