Things to do in Long Beach?
 

Greetings! I'll be in Long Beach late July for a conference, and would like to spend 5 or so days before hand just enjoying the locale ... seems that the shuttle is the best way to go from LAX, but once there what are the 'must sees/must dos'?

I enjoy museums, galleries, walking, eating :) general sight-seeing ... hope that's enough to go on? I'm hoping to hire a car and risk life and limb (and that of the local population!) whilst I attempt to drive on the 'right' side of the road ...

Hello Pooch - I assume you will be staying in downtown LB. Although having a car will be advantageous for exploring, much of downtown LB is walkable. Restaurants downtown are clustered around Pine Ave., but tend to be a bit touristy. I live in the "East Village" (just east of downtown) and can highly reccomend Utopia Restaurant on 1st Street and Linden (www.utopiarestaurant.net). Also, a new italian restaurant with all "artisan" pasta called Pate Fraiche on the corner of 1st and Elm (www.patesfraichesrestaurant.com). A short drive away is 2nd Street in Belmont Shore which has a ton of restaurants, bars and shops - and lots of foot traffic until late in the evening, particularly in the Summer (www.belmontshore.org).

Museum wise, there are 2 very good choices - the Museum of Latin American Art, located in the East Village (and with the largest collection of latin art in the western US - www.molaa.com) and the Long Beach Museum of Art, which has a very small but interesting collection + has a cafe on the bluff with a fantastic view overlooking the Pacific - beautiful for breakfast, brunch and lunch (www.lbma.org). In addition, right near the convention center downtown is the Aquarium of the Pacific - a very nice facility as aquariums go (www.aquariumofpacific.org). There are numerous galleries in the East Village (and a few in Belmont Shore) - some additional information can be found on this website - eastvillagelive.com. I'd also highly reccomend riding the high-speed catamaran that is run by the City from downtown LB to the Queen Mary and then eastern longbeach; it provides a great, short sea excursion and wonderful view of the coastline (and there is a bar on-board) - the trip time is about 30 minutes and at just $3 US, it's a great bargain: www.lbtransit.com/Services/Aqualink.aspx.

Long Beach beaches are unfortunately not that great due to a breakwater that limits the waves - good for little children, but no very ocean-like. If you want a more authentic Southern California beach experience, I would reccomend driving about 15 minutes south to Seal Beach, or about 5 minutes further south to Huntington Beach (also known as Surf City USA). Long Beach is VERY well located for exploring many other sites in Southern California (from LA, to Orange County and further afield) - just be careful how you time your driving. Traffic can be quite bad at certain times of the day if headed North to LA or South to Orange County.

For other general information about Long Beach, look to the following website - www.downtownlongbeach.org. Enjoy !! Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

Grunion

Many thanks Grunion! This looks great ... my feet are already starting to itch ...

also, downtown long beach is served by the blue line, which can take you to downtown LA.

Very touristy (and a bit "musty" in parts) but I enjoyed visiting the Queen Mary.... old Navy man that I am....:D

Head down to Seal Beach. Very fun seaside village.

I really hadn't realised there was so much to see/do - and I can 'go with' the musty for the pleasure of seeing the QM! Seal Beach sounds a must ... and that's great info about the Blue Line - thank you all so much ... now roll on July ...

If you're truly into beaches, I think Laguna Beach is the most geographically pleasing beach in all of California. It's about 45 minutes south of Long Beach, but unfortunately there is no public transportation to get there AFAIK.

Agreed! Laguna Beach is beautiful, and has good restaurants and bars too. One of the highlights of Orange County (and there aren't too many ;)).

LOL, so true though. :D

^^^^ And in July the ocean water is warm as your bathtub.

Maybe. Some people love a nice, COLD bath. :D

Well, in my (now very distant) youth I most certainly was into beaches - and a blast from the past is certainly enticing ... bathtub water warmth notwithstanding ;)

Hi Pooch - to really see the sights you do need a car in So. Cal. As long as you're not in rush hour there really isn't that much drama driving here...no roundabouts and the only time you look like a drongo is when you hit the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal :p. A rented GPS is also worth it's weight in gold.

A couple of places I'd highly recommend are the Getty Museum (not the Getty Villa) a bit north of LAX. They have a world class art collection, some of the best views of LA and the beach, free admission and only $7 parking. The other would be Venice Beach which has every stereotypical Cali nutjob you've ever heard of - a lot of fun.

July will be warm here, but the scenery is wonderful!

OK Zarf4 - what's the Oz connection? I can't imagine anyone else reading this having a clue what you're on about ;)

Thanks for the ideas - and yes, with my sense of direction a GPS is an absolute must ... don't want anyone thinking I've got 'roos loose in the top paddock :D

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. :p

[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.

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 ;)