Catalina Island is SoCal's best secret escape

Catalina Island is SoCal's best secret escape

Catalina Island sits just an hour off the Southern California coast, but its main town of Avalon feels worlds away from the mainland. Palm trees sway along the harbor, colorful hillside homes overlook the bay, and golf carts outnumber cars on the narrow streets below. But one of the first things you notice on Catalina Island is what’s missing.No fast-food chains. No endless stretch of corporate storefronts. Instead, Avalon feels like the kind of…