We walked along colorful, charming waterfront streets, lined with pricey eateries and eclectic souvenir stores to reach the Casino. No matter what form of transport you take, the first thing your eye is drawn to is the gleaming white, rotund Casino, which juts out from Sugarloaf Point, dominating the little town like a provincial church in rural Europe. People arrive on little boats, which putter over the crystal blue water, from a giant Carnival Cruise ship that docks on the outskirts of the marina during the day. It is a 'casino' in the elegant, archaic Italian sense - 'a building built for pleasure and entertainment.' It's rather a shame, because the crowd that jostled with us as we stepped off the Catalina Express Ferry seemed like they would be thrilled with a house martini and some nickel slots.Įvery day, lovely, peaceful Avalon, Catalina's only incorporated town of around 3,700 permanent residents, swells with scores of boisterous tourists who come over from the mainland on ferries or helicopters. The 'Casino' my friends and I explored is not, and has never been, a place where shiny men in visors play poker till the complimentary breakfast spread is put out.