Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event.
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Long Beach is a large coastal and port city in Southern California. It is situated at the very southeastern edge of Los Angeles County, bordering both the city of Los Angeles and Orange County, in a region known as the Gateway Cities. With a population of 467,000 as of 2020, it is the second-largest city in greater Los Angeles as well as the seventh-largest city in the state of California. Long Beach is not quite as historic as Pasadena or Old Los Angeles, but it received its share of "the folks" from Iowa. It was incorporated December 13, 1897 and had over 100,000 residents by the late 1920s. Long Beach is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse cities in America.
A car is the most convenient way to get around Long Beach. Most areas of Long Beach have free parking but be aware that much of Downtown Long Beach and the shoreline have pay parking lots. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National all have car rentals at the Long Beach airport. Enterprise has several other car rental locations around the city; Avis and Thifty have non-airport locations as well.
1 Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, ☏ +1 562-590-3100, fax: +1 562-951-1629, aquariumofpacific@lbaop.org. 9AM-6PM daily, except Dec 25 and the weekend of the Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. One of the largest aquariums in the United States, its nearly 1,000 species fill 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits and take visitors through three regions of the Pacific Ocean: Southern California/Baja, the Tropical Pacific, and the Northern Pacific. There is also a Combo package with the Queen Mary. (Pay parking or take Passport C). $19.00. (updated Nov 2020) 2 Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy, toll-free: +1-877-342-0738. M-Th 10AM-6PM, F-Su 10AM-7PM.
1 Long Beach City Beach (Ocean Blvd between Alamitos Avenue & 72nd Place), ☏ +1 562-594-0951. Dawn-10PM. Long Beach's beach stretches four miles between Alamitos Avenue and 72nd place. A portion of beach where dogs are permitted is Rosie's Dog Beach. At Grand Avenue is the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. There are access points every few blocks, and parking lots at Junipero, Termino, Granada, La Verne and 72nd Place. Concrete bike and skating lanes run along the beach. Water is usually fine for surfing or swimming. Lifeguard services are limited, and no lifeguard is guaranteed outside of peak hours or specialized, supervised areas. Beach is free, parking is $2-16.
Formerly known as "Iowa by the Sea", but now populated by a diverse community, Long Beach has a full range of dining options. 1 Gladstone's Long Beach, 330 S Pine Ave (at Shoreline Dr), ☏ +1 562-432-8588, fax: +1 562 432-8589. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM. Seafood dining along the Long Beach waterfront. (updated Feb 2016) 2 Jongewaard's Bake-n-Broil, 3697 Atlantic Ave (Bixby Knolls neighborhood), ☏ +1 562-595-0396. M-F 6:30AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 7AM-8:30PM. A local secret known for homebaked pies, desserts, soups, and comfort food. Inexpensive (and popular so expect a wait).
1 Joe Jost's, 2803 E Anaheim St, ☏ +1 562-439-5446, joejosts@joejosts.com. M-Sa 10AM-11PM, Su 10AM-9PM. Long Beach Classic--Opened in 1924, one of the oldest family operated taverns in the West. Schooners of draft beer, "Joe's Special" (Polish sausage on rye, with Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle), fresh roasted peanuts, and pickled eggs. Turn of the century pool tables in the back room. $1.35-4.65 draft beers, $2.65 Special. (updated Mar 2016) 2 The Yard House, 401 Shoreline Village Dr, ☏ +1 562-628-0455, fax: +1 562 435-5544. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1:20AM.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Long Beach typically sees ~24°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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