Welcoming Locals, Great Food, Inspiring Hotels + More: Long Beach is a California City on the Rise

Tina from Mexico was listening to classical music and wanted to talk about Canadian politics as she drove us to dinner one night. Mohammed was blasting out hurtin’ tunes on a country music radio station as he shepherded us from an evening meal. And a young guy whose name I forget was bopping away to Marvin Gaye and other soul artists from the 1960s and 1970s as he drove us to the Museum of Latin American Art.

During a three-day visit to Long Beach, California, I found some of the nicest and most interesting rideshare drivers that I’ve met in a very long time. I also found a city with the largest concentration of Cambodians outside Cambodia, and a neighborhood called Bixby Knolls that’s home to a Jewish temple, an African-American cultural center, a Buddhist temple, a Filipino cultural center and restaurants serving everything from divine Italian food to Indian and Japanese cuisine.

Friendly drivers and cultural diversity are nice features in any city. But what impressed me most are people of Long Beach, who seem justifiably proud of a destination that has dwelled for decades in the shadow of a certain metropolis to the north that’s known for swimming pools and movie stars. But that’s beginning to change. The swanky, new Fairmont Breakers hotel, which has a glorious rooftop bar and gleaming restaurants, is putting the bounce in the step of a city that also boasts the stately Queen Mary cruise liner, a series of canals where you can float in an authentic Venetian gondola, fine food, the only museum in the U.S. that’s fully dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art,  and, yes, 11 km’s of wide, sandy beach.

“I eat sleep, and breathe Long Beach,” said Nicky Clair, who runs the iconic George’s Greek Cafe on 2^nd Street in Belmont Shore (see below), and who is seemingly as involved with as many civic causes and cultural programming as the city’s mayor.

“I think there’s a bit of a parallel between Long Beach and Oakland,” local food writer Brian Addison told me at lunch at Phnom Penh in Cambodia Town. “This is a port city with a lot to offer,” but it’s overshadowed by Los Angeles and Hollywood.

That’s beginning to change, which makes this a great time to check out this increasingly hip  California city. Here are some highlights from a 72-hour visit.

ATTRACTIONS

Museum of Latin American Art

This museum is said to be the only museum in the U.S. fully dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art. It’s a small museum that packs a punch. One Cuban painting I loved showed a young woman looking at an airplane that seemed to be carrying several locals – including what looked like a stripper – from a small city or village to a new home; perhaps Miami. Another great exhibit shows the colorful, room-size  mural from Frank Romero that was used in the movie “Pleasantville.” The sculpture garden is a delightful spot with interesting art, cacti and native grasses. 

Queen Mary

A tour of this iconic ship, which first sailed the open seas in 1936, is one of the top things to do in Long Beach. Our tour guide told there are 56 types of perfectly polished wood on board, including English sycamore, Burmese teak and Honduran cedar. There’s also tons of lovely art deco touches and romantic murals.

The Queen Mary was a force of nature when she first started sailing. And the ship drew the crème da le crème of society.  We were told passengers brought immense trunks as some people changed clothes seven or eight times a day.

We got to see a room that was used a children’s playground, complete with a small slide we were told was first tested by the future Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

The ship was used to ferry soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. They painted her grey and covered the portholes so German subs couldn’t see the lights at night. The ship was designed to carry 3,000 passengers, but at times carried more than 10,000 soldiers. They even had to fill in the swimming pools to give soldiers a place to sleep. We were told the ship was so fast the German U-boats couldn’t catch up, and that she was never attacked.

We did a day tour, but you can stay the night (see below) or try a haunted tour.

Our visit gave us a real glimpse into the golden age of travel, an era our guide called “a dazzling display of decadence and style.”
The Queen Mary was decommissioned by Cunard in the age when jet planes made ocean crossing by boat less attractive. She was sold and moved to Long Beach in 1967.

Our guide said a former captain called her “the closest any ship has come to being a living,  breathing person.”

NEIGHBORHOODS

Belmont Shore

This is a vibrant, beachy spot a couple blocks from the ocean, where you’ll find George’s Greek Café and a series of boutiques and nice restaurants. I sat at Chapter II coffee on 2^nd Avenue, sipping an excellent latte on a 22C day in February and spotted restaurants specializing in Indian, Sushi, Chicago pizza and Mexican food in the space of one block. There’s also a Long Beach Clothing Co. shop, which allows locals  – or visitors – to show their pride or love for the city.

“Everyone here owns a Long Beach cap or sweatshirt,” one local told me.

I briefly checked out the baskets, bowls and pretty wooden spoons at an attractive shop on 2^nd Street called Goodies. I saw a sign that says “Nothing over $25” and shook my head. This definitely ain’t Beverly Hills.

Not far away is Legends, said to be the first sports bar in the U.S.; a development for which the chicken wing industry is forever grateful.

It’s maybe a 10-12 minute walk to the beach and Bluff Park, where there are native grasses, large rocks and benches where you can sit and admire the beach and ocean. There were upwards of 100 people and several dogs stretched out on a deep green lawn enjoying a free yoga class; a regular feature at the park.

Retro Row

 

This is an up-and-coming area of town on East 4^th Street that’s famous for its vintage stores. I spotted $10 earrings and necklaces, old movie projectors. Another store was displaying Chinese figurines, wooden ducks, African masks, Super Mario Toys and something labelled a “Sweet Potato Clock.”

At the Assistance League Thrift and Vintage there was a sign in the window saying “All Welcome.”

There are other fun shops, including Kitchen Lingo, with has lovely culinary books. At a food spot called Little Coyote I spotted a sign saying we should save cats from torture groups (by all means, yes) and also one saying “Voted best pizza by someone.”

The Art Theater of Long Beach is a lovely building that opened in 1924 and shows artsy films such as Rocky Horror Picture Show, Psycho, and Harold and Maude. There’s also a wonderfully named bar on 4^th Street called The Social List.

Long Beach’s LGBTQ-friendly “Gayborhood” is close by, concentrated on Broadway between downtown and Belmont Shore.

Bixby Knolls

 

The strip of Long Beach centred along Atlantic Avenue near the 405 Freeway was a struggling part of the city 20 or 30 years ago as shopping malls drew customers away from neighbourhood stores. But locals, especially a born-and-raised Long Beach fellow named Blair Cohn, took matters into their own hands.

Cohn knew a little about special events and city politics, and helped create a local business improvement area.

“I wanted the community to be engaged and for people to know each other,” he told me over a fine breakfast at Nonna’s Mercato.

There’s now an area book club, a supper club, even a drinks club. There’s a First Friday event with music and arts. There are trivia nights and bingo nights. There’s a Bob Marley month and a Women’s History month.

“We created a Long Beach County Fair. We’re not a county, but we did it anyway,” he said with a wry smile. “We wanted to make things weird enough that people would talk about it.”

After breakfast at Nonna Mercato, Cohn took me on a tour of the area, where we checked out lovely parks, the house used as a stand-in for Ferris Bueller’s home in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and the house used for shots of “stately Wayne Manor” in the original “Batman” TV series.

Naples

The folks at Gondola Gateway will give you a wonderful ride around the canals of the city’s Naples neighbourhood in an authentic Venetian gondola.

Our guide, Sam, a wonderful young man with a strong rowing technique, regaled us with stories of local history as we passed expensive, canal-side homes with a remarkable variety of architectural styles. Some were rather restrained, others bold and brash.

Sam, who hails from the far north of California and misses the rain, said guides sometimes end up “accidentally finding” messages in a bottle for couples on a romantic getaway, or for a young man who wants to impress his girlfriend with a surprise proposal he arranges in advance. 

The Beach

 

Yes, Long Beach has quite a long stretch of sand. We didn’t have much time for the beach on our trip, but we did enjoy a good cup of coffee at Gaucho Cafe on lovely, white sand Alamitos Beach. The aforementioned Bluff Park sits high above Cherry Beach, also known as Junipero Beach. Further south you’ll find City Beach and the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier.

WHERE TO STAY

Hyatt Regency

We had room 936; a spacious suite with a sofa and chair and a nice view of the pool. The rom was done up in shades of soft tan with bright blue prints, and there was a book shelf lined with books, as well as a coffee maker. We had a comfortable L-shaped sofa and chair and a coffee table, as well as a nice desk set-up. The shower was strong and perfect, and they had nice Pharmacie bath products. The hotel has a great pool and a good-sized hot tub. There’s also a very good market/bar with good coffee lattes, bananas, yogurt, croissants, breakfast sandwiches and more.

The hotel connects to the convention centre and there’s plenty of dining and entertainment options a short walk away. There’s a large lagoon and park in front of the hotel where you can rent swan boats. The Hyatt also is just across the road from the Shoreline Village complex, where you’ll find tons of restaurants and a marina. Alamitos Beach is less than a five-minute walk away.

The Queen Mary

We had another large suite on the Queen Mary, M-115. 

The storage space was insane, but then again we were told that the society people who used to take holidays on the ship carried enormous steamer trunks so they could change clothes several times a day. We had a comfy bed, a modest bathroom with a shower/tub ,a small TV and two portholes. A couple of the mirrors had pretty, etched glass, and there were photos on the wall of Winston Churchill and the British royal family.

We checked out the Observation Bar one night and there was a swinging jazz band, complete with a wonderful male dancer in an old-style pinstripe suit and a woman in a flapper outfit. They danced divinely, and the music and cocktails were equally impressive One advantage of sleeping on a ship permanently docked inside Long Beach Harbor: no waves, and no rocking. The ship has 364 rooms and 15 suites.

Fairmont Breakers

This 15-story beauty (check out the cupolas and fanciful, Mediterranean architecture) opened as The Breakers in 1926. The hotel fell on hard times after the stock market crash in 1929, and later became one of the first Hilton hotels in the world. It was later rebranded as the Wilton, and then became a retirement home. It was purchased in 2017 by a Long Beach company, and opened as the Fairmont Breakers late last year. We didn’t stay the night, but we had a tour of the hotel followed by cocktails at the main lobby bar (La Sala) and a lovely meal at the lobby restaurant, Nettuno. The lobby is elegant and striking, with lots of brilliant white stone and cool art work.

The main lobby bar is sunny and bright, but down the hall is a dark, whisky bar called Alter Ego, which has fabulous floral prints on the wall and live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The hotel was once a playground for Hollywood society types so you’ll find great photos of stars such as Liz Taylor and Clark Gable all around. The rooftop is home to a stunning restaurant called Sky Room, with fine Art Deco elements and great views, as well as a classic menu with fiery desserts such as Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster that harken back to the days of yore. One great story is that when the property was a Hilton, Charles Lindbergh was trying to land at Long Beach Airport in a thick fog. He was having trouble finding the runway and was said to be in some danger when he spotted the big, brightly lit Hilton sign in the fog and used that as a signpost to land safely a few miles away.

The rooftop also is home to a swanky bar called Halo that has wavy, polystyrene art and posh furnishings. Someone has spent a ton of money on this hotel, and it shows at almost every corner. The rooftop bar overlooks Long Beach Harbor on one side, with views to downtown LA on a clear night. “People who want to get away from L.A. now and then usually go south to San Diego or north to Santa Barbara,” a hotel employee told me. “Now they have a great getaway just down the road.” The hotel has an outdoor pool, a large fitness centre, and a Fairmont Spa. The hotel is a game changer for Long Beach, which has nice hotels but hasn’t anything as glam as The Breakers for, the better part of a hundred years.

A GROWING FOOD DESTINATION

George’s Greek Café

The food at this iconic spot on 2nd Street in the Belmont Shore area is quite good. Our group sampled excellent flaming Saganaki and Halloumi cheese flown in from Cyprus, where Clair’s family is from. We also tucked into tasty pastitso (like a Greek lasagna with a touch of cinnamon) and excellent lamb that she tells us is marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano for 48 hours.

Clair tells us she inherited the restaurant from her parents after they died. The family came to the U.S. from Cyprus with only $100 in their combined pockets.

“I was in banking, but I thought taking over the restaurant would be a good move,” Clair tells us, smiling a wry, “what the heck was I thinking” smile.

As we finish lunch and head out the door, I spot a woman who looks to be a regular customer chatting with Clair, who puts her hand on the woman’s arm in a welcome, comforting kind of way.

That’s my kind of restaurant.

Phnom Penh Noodle Shack

Moulino Tan runs a restaurant in Cambodia Town that was once owned by his parents, who fled the Killing Fields in Cambodia for a safer life in the U.S.

His Mo’s special is lovely dish of pork and meat balls, to which you add delicious pork bone broth, sprouts, fish sauce, hoisin, hot sauce, or whatever is on the table that strikes your fancy.

The round bread with sesame seeds is puffy, slightly sweet and highly addictive.

“I think the food scene has changed more in Long Beach in the last five years than in the previous 20,” Addison told me between bites at Phnom Penh.

Ammatoli

Located in downtown Long Beach, just a few blocks from the waterfront, this is a lovely Mediterranean/Middle Eastern spot with a gorgeous interior that features deep green plants and hanging gold lights that transport you to what feels like Morocco or Egypt. I had excellent chicken soup (I was a bit under the weather) and very good shawarma packed with chicken. My wife had fine grilled salmon and very good lamb kebabs, and a bang-on Greek salad. 

La Parolaccia

This is a thoroughly enjoyable spot in the trendy Bluff Park/Bluff Heights area, which is located between downtown and Belmont Shore. It’s got four or five rooms (I lost count), with a bright red Fiat in the first room and a Vespa further back. There are Italian countryside paintings on the wall and a nice, old-time feel. We had a great Caesar Salad and a nice squid ink pasta with juicy shrimp and other seafood. The bomboni pasta came with sausage and pancetta (there’s no such thing as too much meat), garlic butter and truffle oil for a rich, filling meal. 

Roe Seafood

This is a wonderful, upscale spot in Belmont Shore with faux trees inside that are decorated with twinkly lights. I enjoyed an excellent Sazerac cocktail, as well as a tremendous beet salad with goat cheese and candied pecans. The Hamachi collar was cooked with ponzu and had a delicious, crispy skin. We also enjoyed seafood Cioppino and excellent Chilean Sea Bass. Pretty place. Fabulous food.

Nonna Mercato

This is a great spot in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood in north Long Beach, with excellent breads and muffins, and very good coffee. The quiche was perfect, with a flaky, crunchy crust. If you’re driving into the city from L.A. this would be a great place to stop, as it’s just a half-mile north of the 405 Freeway. They also make appearances at various farmer’s markets in the L.A. area, including the Downtown Long Beach Farmer’s Market, which goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Nettuno

This is a stylish restaurant on the main floor of the new Fairmont Breakers. We had nice beef carpaccio with aioli and pine nuts to start, as well a super-silky burrata with pears. The frutti di mare pasta was tasty but there were no scallops or mussels, while the cacio y pepe pasta was nice and peppery. We didn’t have room, but I was told the tiramisu is to die for. Lots of local art on the walls is a nice touch. Prior to dinner, I had a wonderful Sicilian-style old-fashioned at La Sala bar.

GETTING HERE

Canadians will want to fly into LAX or Orange County/John Wayne Airport. It’s roughly 35 minutes (depending on LA’s famous traffic) to downtown Long Beach from both airports. If you’re flying domestically, there are direct flights from Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Kahului Maui and other airports.

The Long Beach Airport is a delight; with maybe 10 gates and a fabulous, open air middle section with seating under towering palms and outdoor dining. The Uber/Lyft station is maybe 50 yards away, and there’s very little traffic compared to the big SoCal airports. You also can take the super-cheap Metro Rail system train from downtown Los Angeles.

MORE INFORMATION: https://www.visitlongbeach.com/

Note: My visit was paid for by Visit Long Beach. They did not see or review this story prior to publication.