Custom Search
|
Custom Search
|
 |
|
|
|
|
PubClub.com | |
Free Newsletter | |
Orange County | |
Advertise | |
|
LOS ANGELES LONG BEACH: L.A.
CITY GUIDE:
LONG BEACH NO LAST
CALL! Resources: Text and photos detailing bars, restaurants and activities downtown, Pine Ave., Pike at Rainbow Harbor, Belmont Shore and Shoreline Village.
|
|
Welcome to Long Beach, CA!
Located at the Southernmost part of Los Angeles County (about a half-hour from LAX), Long Beach is clean and modern yet also small-town friendly. It's comprised of two main areas, downtown (which includes adjacent Shoreline Village and the new Pike at Rainbow Harbor) and Belmont Shore.
The former is the new and flashy Long Beach with the Queen Mary, one of the original luxury liners, serving as the backdrop. The club-gong people are mostly Latino and they love to dance. The former is a residential area for the young party crowd centered around the beach and collection of shops and dive bars. This is the place to hang loose in Long Beach. • Newport Beach DUI Checkpoints This Weekend
Each April, Long Beach becomes the focal point of Los Angeles when it hosts the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which in 2010 event is April 16-18. In a setting with well-balanced weather year-round, it marks the unofficial start to Springtime in Southern California. It's been going on for 35 years and attracts a quarter of a million people over three days. Free concerts, the Miss Grand Prix contest, scantily-clad people drinking day and night and packed bars are part of what has become the Grand Prix of Monaco in the U.S. In 2004, Long Beach hosted the US Olympic Swim Trails and each summer, the Long Beach Sea Festival provides multiple events on and around its many waterways from June thru August.
There is also a college here, Long Beach State, which produces some pretty good PR people and an endless supply of fun-seeking students. Getting Around
To get to Long Beach, take the 710 exit off the 405 freeway and roll down Shoreline Drive. That's where the race cars roar for the Grand Prix each April. The street also goes to Shoreline Village with its restaurants and shops.The Broadway exit, just before Shoreline, leads to downtown and food- and drink-lined Pine Ave. Like it's name indicates, Shoreline goes down by the shore. It's also the curved front straightaway (well, it IS a straightaway that is curved ) for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and is built for speed. Rresist, however, any temptation to test the limits of the rental car because this 40-mph speed trap must be traveled agonizingly slow. Show patience and enjoy the scenery. To see all of the city's best attractions, take advantage of the free Passport shuttle, the brightly-colored mini-buses. They run from downtown to the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific and Shoreline Village. For a lift to Belmont Shore, Alamitos Bay and Cal State Long Beach it'a mere 90 cents. A more scenic option is to take one of the two water taxis. The Aquabus links selected sites in Rainbow Harbor and the new 60-foot Aqualink catamaran connects Alamitos Bay to Belmont Shore and downtown for just $2 round-trip. When downtown, be sure and stay within the friendly confines of the half-dozen lively blocks and don't wander past 5th or 6th Street past dark. Downtown Clubs – Pine Ave., Shoreline and the Pike MAP
Downtown Long Beach means Pine Ave., with its collection of restaurants, peppered with a few bars and shops. Just about every place has a patio, and diners enjoy late-night dinners that give the place a European atmosphere. This is a remarkably rare experience in Los Angeles. The city has set up wireless Internet connection on Pine, so cyber surfers can check the PubClub guide while enjoying a fresh piece of fish and a cold one. For fun in Long Beach's Pike, follow the tiki torches. They lead to the Mai Tai Bar, which not only makes a good one but sells them in pint glasses for $4 during a special evening happy hour (8-11 p.m.). This comfortable sit-down bar with a cozy lanai overlooks the harbor just invites aloha shirts and sandals. The staff has the all-important Aloha Spirit,, the crowd is among the best-looking in Long Beach and it gets younger by the hour.
Each Thursday in August, it hosted Rumble, a battle of bands. Six bands played four songs each with a winner each night. Even without Rumble, the place gets pretty ctrowded by 10.
It is, in the words of one patron, "the kind of place where you would come for a couple of drinks after work and stay all night." The menu is primarily pupus – $5 from 4-7 nightly – is accompanied by live music and there is never a cover. The Auld Dubliner around the corner is a cozy Irish pub that's a good place for a downtown pint. We're not alone in this observation – it's where to find the waiters, waitresses and bartenders from the adjacent restaurants after midnight.
For clubbers, V20 is kind of a Asia-meets-Vegas-style club. Or
perhaps Tokyo. The young and largely Asian crowd crowds this large dance
bar, which features sexy go-go dancers by the stage and at the front bar.
Entrance between two areas is through a circular wood "tunnel"
kind of like the entrance to Bally's in
Las Vegas. The patio at The Yardhouse in Shoreline Village is relaxing any sunny afternoon. The view of the marina is calming and while it's a bit short on socializing opportunities it serves well as a group gathering spot (do resist all temptations to order the nachos). Inside, the bar is wrapped around near endless taps serving beers from around the globe. At night, though, the "5th Street crowd" as it's locally known can be a real buzzkill. It's okay for groups and the deck is one of the few seaside spots to have a beer on the water in L.A. (hard to believe but, sadly true), Another restaurant which has a patio with a view is Gladstone's. The portions here are huge, and so is the view from the patio. It's adjacent to the Pine Ave. Pier and offers good afternoon and evening lunch, dinner and cocktailing.
On upper Pine, Cafe Sevilla looks out onto the street from an ideal perch. Its patio and lower level greets diners and, later, salsa fans, while it's upstairs dance club rocks the night away. Well, until about 1:30, anyway. It's now got competition from Ice, the city's newest club. Located where the music venue Vault 350 was housed for many years, it's too soon to tell what its future holds. But it certainly got off to a good start with a rocking opening party in late March. Mariposa is a hot Latino-focused club with salsa music. Cohiba Club, atop the Mum's, is a cigar bar disguised as an upscale dance club. While the guys shoot stick and puff up in a traditional cigar club, the rest of the crowd gets crazy on the dance floor in the next room. Wasabi is a sushi bar turned nightclub. Go downstairs for the real action – it's like an underground club. For live music, Blue Cafe is one of the top blues bars on the West Coast. It's where the musicians want to play.
It's not really a Southern California type of thing, but where there's a Hooters, there are, well, hooters. The waitresses are mostly Long Beach State students. Long Beach also has lots of conventions and business activities. As a result, the lobby bars at the various hotels – Westin, Renaissance, Hyatt and Hilton – can be a source of lively socializing. Belmont Shore MAP
Along the shore is Belmont Shore, a popular place to live for young professionals who like to be fun-seeking beach bums away from work. By day, the beach is the main attraction but come sundown, the action is along Second Street. Upscale yuppie shops (the Gap), old record stores and lots of banks (for those many pre-bar ATM runs) comprise much of Second Street. It's the bars, though, that provide the entertainment. No need to get dressed up here, jeans are about as fancy as it gets. After years of neglet, Panama Joe's is back in prime business. Sharkeez now operates it and it certainly hasn't taken long to get a foothold here. Expect lines if you arrive after 10. And Sundays, look for a reggae band in the summer. Belmont Shore could be called the Home of the Dive Bar. The most traditional is the Acapulco Inn, or "the A.I." to locals. Pool, pop-a-shot, classic video games and a wooden bar that looks as if it spent its earlier life as a deck on a fishing trawler are the decor. To say the place is casual would understate the atmosphere. Down a block, Shannon's BayShore is a dive with an edge. It's loud and lively, making it one of the wildest dive joints we're encountered. Get in and get crazy. It's best on Thursdays and also busy on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Was it here or the Ai where the "Shoot the Root" originated? PubClub was orignally told the AI, but folks here say otherwise, Regardless, it's a shot of schnapps dropped in a beer and chugged, can turn things crazy. Belmont Station, across the street and between the AI and Shannon's, is a dive with stanchions. Actually, as the only place playing today's dance music, it's really a casual dance bar. It's very popular on weekends among the current or recent Long Beach State students. Sundays it's back in the hands of the locals. Singers during the years have always declared that "legends never die," but they are talking about people, not buildings. Well, a Long Beach legend did indeed die. Legends, the longstanding Belmont Shore sports bar, was completely destroyed in a fire. However, like a rock legend, it has been rebuilt and is making new legends in Belmont Shore. When the wait is too long to get into Shannon's or Belmont Station, or just for a change of pace, Murphy's is just down the block. It's a relatively tame Irish pub that's very local. For sports, Just over a scenic little bridge to the South is a community of people
who have grown a bit older, but definitely not up. Naples is a community
of 40-somethings who throw parties off their beach- or canal-front homes.
It's a scenic place worthy of a look. A good way to start a day in Long
Beach is go a bit further South to the intersection of Pacific Coast
Highway for brunch and a beer at the Schooner or Later along
the marina. Then get out and explore Naples before hitting the beach
or the Second Street shops. Gay Bars Dining and Restaurants in Long Beach The fine dining opportunities showcase the diversity that Long Beach has become in recent years. Downtown, excellent restaurants bring in a well-heeled crowd while Belmont Shore stays close to its surrounding clientele with more casual – but tasty – choices. King's Fish House on Pine Ave., is the regarded by most locals as the best seafood restaurant in town. Dine where the Grand Prix race car drivers dine. The 555 Steakhouse (555 Ocean Ave.) is Al Unser Jr.'s favorite Long Beach restaurant. It's known for steaks but it's the salmon will knock your socks off. Christian Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti love La Opera (Pine Ave).These fine restaurants are priced for expense-account dining. Home beer and good food can be found at the Rock Bottom Brewery at the foot of Pine Ave. Those used to Mum's, a long-standing centerpiece on Pine, has been replaced by an upscale sports bar, Smooth's Sports Grille. The owner, longtime Long Beach local John Morris, cited the changing clientele to a younger crowd promoted the switch. The best downtown lunch deal is the club Mariposa, which offers several tasty options for $5.99, drink included (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). There's a plethra of restaurants in the new Pike at Rainbow Harbor adjacent to Shorline Drive – Outback Steakhouse, PF Changs, California Pizza Kitchen and the family-oriented Bubba Gump shrimp among them. In Belmont Shore, Belmont Brewing Company provides good fare with, what else, beer. It's best to be used as a meeting spot for friends to gather. The late-night post-bar stop is the Shoreline Cafe. Conveniently located a short stumble from the AI, it's a 24-hour diner specializing in breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, the best place is Chuck's Coffee Shop. Located across from a past Olympic facility Belmont Pool, it's where to find fun locals on weekday morning. Long Beach Tourism Activities
With a beach and the Queen Mary, there is much to do in Long Beach. The Queen Mary features 365 hotel staterooms, a Sunday champagne brunch, restaurants, and tours. Don't worry, it won't sail away to England or anything; it's anchored to its berth. (562) 435-3511 The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of the largest aquariums in the United States Its 550 species fill 17 major living habitats, 30 smaller exhibits and takes visitors on a journey throughout the Pacific Ocean's three regions: Southern California/Baja; the Tropical Pacific and the Northern Pacific. There two beautiful scenic walk or running areas along the downtown shore are Marina Green with the harbor over the shoulder, and across the street at Rainbow Lagoon, a peaceful path along the water's edge. The Wyland-pained whale building, is the Long Beach Arena and NOT the aquarium ($34, 562-590-3100) The beach goes from the south part of Shoreline Drive to Belmont Shore, Shoreline Village offers boat rides. The park along Ocean Blvd between Shoreline and Belmont Shore is a great place to read a book – or this guide on a laptop – and hang out in the everlasting California sunshine.Bicycles can be rented on Broadway and the Promenade, just east of Ocean. Whale watching and other aquatic excursions are available from Harbor Breeze Cruises (562) 983-6880.
|
|
