Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Long Beach & San Pedro
Long Beach has evolved since its working-class oil and navy days. Over the past two dec-
ades, LA's southernmost seaside enclave has reinvented its gritty downtown making it an
attractive place to live and party. On any Saturday night the restaurants, clubs and bars
along lower Pine Ave and the Promenade, a new upscale loft district, are abuzz with every-
one from buttoned-down conventioneers to hipsters to the testosterone-fuelled frat pack.
Additional eateries line Shoreline Village, the departure point for boat cruises.
'San Pedro is real quiet,' Bukowski once observed. That's still true today, except for the
distant clanging of containers being hoisted on and off gigantic cargo vessels. LA's own
'Golden Gate', the 1500ft-long suspended Vincent Thomas Bridge, links San Pedro with
Terminal Island.
Long Beach's most mesmerizing experience, the
Aquarium of the Pacific
(
GOOGLE MAP
; tickets 562-590-3100;
www.aquariumofpacific.org
;
100 Aquarium Way, Long
Beach; adult/senior/child $29/26/15; 9am-6pm; )
is a vast, high-tech indoor ocean where
www.queenmary.com
; 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach; tours adult/child from $26/15;
10am-6:30pm; )
, a supposedly haunted British luxury liner from yesteryear, is another
www.molaa.org
;
628 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach; adult/seniors & students/child $9/6/free, Sun free;
11am-5pm Wed, Thu, Sat & Sun, to 9pm Fri;
)
is off the beaten path and worth seeking out.
