By snoadmin
A horribly stale joke with me is that I often refer to the city of Long Beach as “Wrong Beach.”
And why not? There are plenty of things wrong with this beach and this city, but I digress. Be glad you moved here, because there are plenty of good things to be done, had and seen. Here are a few of them from a five-year resident of Wrong Beach.
Belmont Shore: In my opinion, this is the best thing Long Beach has going for itself. This strip of Second Street between PCH and Livingston Drive has everything you want and little you don’t.
There are plenty of great restaurants, bars without cover charges that are small enough not to feel claustrophobic in, shopping and a whole bunch of coffeehouses (including two Starbucks within blocks of each other).
Its walkability is also a huge plus. A 10-minute stroll gets you from one end to the other.
Parking – if you can find it on those busy days/nights – is relatively cheap. The good news, however, is that this shore is nicely serviced by the Long Beach Transit Passport buses lines A and D, allowing you to enjoy this area parking hassle-free.
Brad’s Recommendations: BJ’s Restaurant/Brewhouse, Panama Joe’s bar, Banana Republic, Jamba Juice, Rubio’s Fish Tacos, Buffalo Exchange (a used clothing store).
Pine Avenue: This is the main stretch of Long Beach, located in the heart of downtown. It has most of the best (and most expensive) restaurants in the city and several shopping outlets as well. Though not as good as Belmont Shore in my opinion, it’s still worth checking out, especially if you’re of the drinking age and type.
I don’t recommend driving down it on busy nights, as it gets very crowded with cars, pedestrians and buses. Like Belmont Shore, Pine Avenue is also very walkable and is serviced by most every major Long Beach Transit bus route.
Brad’s Recommendations: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Smooth’s Sports Grille, Hooters (for the wings, I promise), catching a performance at the Terrace Theater.
The Pike: I’m going to start this one pessimistically. Every time I think about it, it upsets me what Long Beach used to have but let go. At one point, the Pike was the center of all. It was the Coney Island of the West Coast, a great boardwalk by the sea with a roller coaster.
For years this area right next to Pine Avenue lay dormant – until about 2004, when Long Beach re-opened the Pike in a whole new light.
Now, there’s no more roller coaster or boardwalk-like atmosphere. There are, however, many great shopping and dining locales that complement Pine Avenue’s selection nicely.
Parking is amazingly pain-free here, as the Pike’s planners built a tremendous parking garage that seems to handle the crowds and their cars sufficiently.
Brad’s Recommendations: the Aquarium of the Pacific, Islands, GameWorks, the Auld Dubliner, the Mai Tai Bar, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., the Long Beach Clothing Co.
Shoreline Village: This area of shopping and dining is another short walk from the Pike and Pine Avenue. Most of it is somewhat forgettable except for the greatest establishment this city has to offer: The Yard House.
The Yard House is the mother lode of beer, with the self-proclaimed world’s largest selection of draft beers at 250 strong.
Yes, you read correctly – 250 beers on tap.
Let’s also not forget that this place serves those beers relatively cheap during its happy hour, where appetizers and pints are discounted. Luckily, though, the food there is good, too, so you won’t have to only drink.
Another cool, big thing – The Queen Mary: This retired luxury ocean liner is the symbol of the city and rests in the Long Beach waters. It offers tours, some of which are haunted, as this queen has had her fair share of deaths and other ghostly tales. There’s also a really great place inside to get a milkshake from California-only products.
Lastly, the coolest building in Long Beach – The Villa Riviera: Indeed, many have dubbed the Villa Riviera as the coolest building in this city. Built in the ’20s, this former hotel-turned-apartments-turned-condos is really great looking.
Why? Well, suffice it to say it just is.
