Catalina

If you want to give zip-lining a try, your Southern California options are plentiful. Most have physical requirements participants must meet, so be sure to call or check the website before you book. Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour: This two-hour aerial tour of Catalina Island is comprised of five zip lines, and guides provide information about local wildlife and history along the way. Tours leave 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. From Jan. 1 through May 24 and fromSept.

Rosemary McClure's May 5 article on Avalon turning 100 was outstanding ["Still Shining"]. Another way for visitors to experience Avalon's golden days is to have breakfast or lunch at the Inn on Mt. Ada, [William] Wrigley's home, completed in 1921. By calling (800) 608-7669 up to one month in advance, you can book a breakfast for $25 or lunch for $33, both plus tax and tip. Guests are served their meals in the family dining room. All first-floor rooms are open to view. Upstairs is available only to overnight guests of the inn. The food is excellent, views spectacular, and for a short time you can live like a Wrigley.

The Catalina Island Conservancy has accomplished the rare feat of encouraging tourism and, at the same time, preserving wildlands on the most visited of the Channel Islands archipelago off the coast of Southern California. The conservancy, endowed 40 years ago, handles a million visitors a year while protecting animals and plants and bringing back from the brink of extinction a unique island fox. Now it is considering ambitious proposals that would enhance the tourist experience, partly to generate increased revenue for preservation but, more important, to pique people's interest in becoming ongoing members of the conservancy.

The Catalina Island Museum has opened a window into a dark period of life on the island with an exhibition devoted to a pseudoscientist who looted Native American graves for profit eight decades ago. "The Strange and Mysterious Case of Dr. Glidden," which opened over the weekend, examines the life and times of Ralph Glidden, a hucksterish entrepreneur who in the 1920s and '30s excavated bones and relics from Tongva Indian burial grounds for sale...

Holly Hill House on Catalina Location: 718 Crescent Ave., Avalon 90704 Size: Five bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,495 square feet Published on: Nov. 28 Listed then for: $7.5 million Sold for: $4 million last month Seamless mix of art, architecture Location: 2555 Altamar Drive, Laguna Beach 92651 Size: Five bedrooms and 61/2 bathrooms in 10,300 square feet Published on:...

Registration is now open for the 27th Annual Catalina Island Triathlon , Nov. 5 (a Saturday) at Middle Beach in Avalon . . . . Tri-tip and BBQ chicken are on the menu for Friday's Moonlight Hike at Mt. Baldy . Tickets ($16) are limited. Click here for info . . . . The L.A. Athletic Club's Noir Soiree  Oct. 7 includes a photo exhibition, wine tasting and fashion show . Early-bird tickets are $48 (through Sept. 18) . . . . Portland's Oregon Zoo offers discounted $4 admission on the second Tuesday of each month, down from the usual $10.50.

BEVERLY BEYETTE missed by a mile in her account of Catalina's hotel scene ["Catalina Close-Up," May 21]. She said little about the island's premier lodging, the Hotel Metropole, which boasts solid year-round bookings for a reason -- it's that good. My husband and I make a point of staying at the Metropole on our frequent visits to California from our home in Florida for its casual elegance and island charm. TERRY ADAMS Panama City Beach, Fla.

As an ex-crew member of the steamship Catalina, I would like to respond to your Jan. 9 article. The steamer did not sail from San Pedro for 50 years. When it was brought into service in 1924, the steamer's home was Wilmington Berth 185. She sailed from that location for about 40 years. In the mid-'60s she then sailed from San Pedro until her service to Catalina was halted. The picture of the steamer run with the article shows it departing from its Wilmington berth. In 1931, Canal Street in Wilmington was changed to Avalon Boulevard at the request of William Wrigley Jr. In return he lined the street with over 300 Washingtonia robusta palm trees so the tourists from Los Angeles and other areas could find their way to the Great White Steamer in Wilmington.

The Nov. 12 story on saving the bison on Catalina is heart-warming. The wonderful people who gave their time and money to make this happen are to be commended. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that going back to their ancestral home to graze in peace is what the bison will be getting. The Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in Eagle Butte, S.D., has a wonderful, 20,000-acre-plus ranch where buffalo (bison) and other animals reside. The tribe offers people who get a thrill out of killing animals the opportunity to shoot various animals on the ranch.

Bands of windows at a three-level open-plan contemporary in Brentwood's Kenter Canyon area take advantage of natural light and maximize canyon and Catalina views. The ground floor, which has a separate entrance, can be used as nanny quarters, an in-law suite or an office. Location: 326 N. Bonhill Road, Los Angeles 90049 Asking price: $2.449 million Year completed: 2007 House size: Six bedrooms, six bathrooms, two half-baths, 5,619 square feet Lot size: 6,882 square feet Features: Bar, breakfast area, dumbwaiter, central vacuum system, solid Douglas fir bedroom doors, two decks, three tankless water heaters, four-car garage About the area: In the first half of the year, 111 single-family homes sold in the 90049 ZIP Code at a median price of $1,750,000, according to DataQuick.

Centennial Events Avalon will celebrate its 100th birthday throughout the year, but many events are taking place June 20-26 (www.catalinachamber.com/avalon100/) June 20 – Centennial Festival / Fair June 21 – Community Fish Fry June 22 – Xceptional Music Concert June 23 – Catalina Movie Night on the Beach (movies filmed in Catalina) June 24 – Community Picnic at Joe Machado Field June 25 – Local Band Night June 26 – Community Gala Dinner at the Casino A multimedia program showcasing Catalina's history will play at the Casino at specific times throughout the week.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO CATALINA By sea: Catalina Express offers frequent daily trips of about one hour from Long Beach and San Pedro to Avalon and less frequently from Dana Point to Avalon and from San Pedro to Two Harbors. Round-trip adult fare is $72.50, $2 more for the Dana Point trip. (800) 481-3470, http://www.catalinaexpress.com. Catalina Flyer (out of service until May 8) makes one round trip daily between Newport Beach and Avalon, departing at 9 a.m. from Balboa Pavilion and returning at 4:30 p.m. It's 75 minutes each way. Adult round-trip fare is $70. (800)

AVALON - I'm standing at the railing, the late-morning sun warm on my face and hands, when the ship turns slightly and I see it, a rugged jumble of mountains jutting from the sea. We slow and enter the harbor, where a village clings to the hillside and colorfully painted speedboats flash by pulling water skiers. As we draw close to land, children swim out to our vessel yelling, "Throw a coin, throw a coin. " When I do, a boy dives, popping back to the surface clutching it and laughing.

Whether leading the various incarnations of fusion innovators Return to Forever or continuing to explore duets with Gary Burton, this jazz piano great has hardly slowed down. Fresh off another pair of Grammy wins and helping open the new SFJAZZ Center earlier this year, Chick Corea's restless musical muse finds him exploring the trio form backed by Return to Forever bassist Stanley Clarke and Clarke's longtime drummer, Ronald Bruner Jr. Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. Thu.-Sat.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Trumpeter and roving ambassador for jazz Wynton Marsalis brings his nimble big band to town with a wealth of talent and tradition in tow. Expect sharp suits and even sharper tunes delivered by a band dedicated to bridging the gap between the music's history and its present. Walt Disney Concert Hall, April 20 www.laphil.com Ambrose Akinmusire: As if the weather weren't enough for Angelenos to gloat about, jazz fans got yet another reason when this trumpeter returned to his West Coast roots as an instructor at USC's Thornton School of Music.

The California state attorney general's office is investigating whether the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy's controversial executive director misappropriated funds, sources close to the case said Tuesday. That allegation and others against Ann Muscat were made in complaints submitted to the attorney general by former officers of the nonprofit that manages nine-tenths of Santa Catalina Island, according to documents obtained by The Times. Muscat declined to comment. Lynda Gledhill, press secretary for Atty.

Yesterday, Grenada. Today, Iraq. Tomorrow, Catalina. MORRIS GRUDIN Beverly Hills

In addition to your fine coverage of Catalina ("Still Crazy Over Catalina," by Roy and Vivian Ringer, April 15), there is also direct boat service to the island from San Diego on Sea Jet Cruise Lines: (800) 622-CJET or (619) 696-0088. ROBERT LERNER San Diego

On sunny days, from the right spot in its terraced courtyard, future residents of Glennwood House of Laguna Beach will see two Catalinas. One, of course, will be the island itself, the familiar brown sliver visible on the distant horizon. The other sits atop the aquamarine waters of a seascape mural that artist Robert Wyland helped prospective residents of Glennwood paint. Glennwood Housing Foundation Inc. is converting a senior assisted living facility off South Coast Highway into a house that will provide services to about 50 young adults with developmental disabilities.

Here's an inexpensive spring-break idea: Go kayaking, hiking, zip-lining or just kick back on Catalina Island . Discount rooms start at $121 a night for a two-night hotel deal that puts you right in downtown Avalon and within walking distance of the beach. The deal: LivingSocial offers this arrangement for a standard room at the Aurora Hotel & Spa at 137 Marilla Ave. The rate requires a two-night stay and comes with a bottle of wine. Buyers may extend their stay by combining vouchers for this deal.