Pooch,

I am another lifelong native. If you are wanting to take the light rail from LAX, you will have to take the bus to the Aviation station, go upstairs to the Green Line, then connect to the Blue Line to get to downtown LB.

I enjoy taking the Blue Line up to the Red Line (subway in downtown LA) where you can go to either Hollywood or connect to the Orange line at Union Station and go into Old Pasadena where they hold the Rose Parade. It is a great way to spend a weekend day.

I agree the better beaches are south in Seal and Huntington Beaches which by the way have great little communities. Go see the QM and the aquarium. You will have great weather and if you come during the right time of year, you can go surfing and snow skiing on the same day.

Enjoy, Dave

If you like Cambodian food or would like to try it, Long Beach is a good place for it. Try Sophy's. (For details: Google "Sophy's Long Beach")

The service can be slow, just like Cambodia. Avoid the Thai food, though it's not going to make you sick or anything.

Folks - you're all terrific! I'll be coming in late July for about a week (annual leave) then a conference for a few days. I'd really been wondering what I'd do for that week- I should have known better! Thank you all so much for your advice and recommendations ...

In Long Beach also there are lots of restaurants on 2nd St in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. It's about 2-3 miles down the road from Pine St.

I also like to go kayaking alot. At the corner of Ocean and the bay (I forget the name of the road but it's just before the bridge over to the Naples section) is a place to rent kayaks. It's just $8 an hour (cash only) and you can go all thru the canals of Naples. I often make a stop off for Starbucks in the middle of a paddle. The rental place as maps and can tell you where to paddle. It's all in the Alamitos Bay so very smooth water.

You can also take a (touristy) gondola ride thru the Naples canals

Ummm...I just want to point out that Long Beach actually has quite the roundabout! As a former claims adjuster handling auto claims many moons ago, that traffic circle surely kept me busy on a regular basis.

Other than that, driving in SoCal and Long Beach is a piece of a cake.

[side note: it seems that there are quite a few of us LB-dwellers here!^]

It is possible to do lots of sight seeing without a car.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=823465

That's a great post/link - thanks wingless!

No problem.

http://www.schoonerorlater.com/

Ahhh ... it's always good to know where I can find my 'fix' of bagels! Thanks porkchop922

As yet another local on this forum, I thought I'd chime in as well. Since most of the hot spots have been covered quite nicely, I'll give you a couple of out of the way places that might be interesting for you.

*George's 50s Diner - The food is nothing special, but if you're interested in a California 50's style diner, it's worth the trip. The building itself is really worth the trip, if you ask me. You can also walk along the Bixby Knolls business district and visit the Long Beach Historical Society while you're there.

*Legends at LGB - Ok, so you're writing on FlyerTalk, so I have to throw this one out there. The 1930s-era art deco Long Beach Airport terminal is a very cool piece of architecture. They just reopened the bar upstairs as a Legends sports bar & grill. The food is pretty good and you have a great view of the airport.

*Morry's Wine Bar - While you're over on the gondola/kayak, head over to Naples and visit Morry's Wine Bar. This place is a trip. They have a great selection of wine in the store up front, but in the back they have nice small room for tastings with food.

I hope you enjoy the visit to Long Beach.

Thanks pgtravel ... George's sounds like an experience I have to have!

Mind you, Morry's sounds a not-to-be-missed option ... and as for Legends at LGB