Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11
Side Trips from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ma y be one of the
world's most stimulating cities, but don't let
it monopoliz e y our time to the point of
Beach, Laguna B each) and the island oasis
of Catalina.
From L.A., y ou can r each any of these
points in 1 to 2 hours b y car or boat, and
accommodations and dining ar e available
at all these destinations.
ignoring its scenic side trips—from famous
resort communities such as S anta B arbara
to sun-filled S outh Coast beach to wns
(Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington
1
LONG BEACH & THE QUEEN MARY
21 miles S of Downtown L.A.
The fifth-largest city in California, Long Beach is best known as the permanent home of
the former cruise liner
Queen Mary
and the Long Beach Grand Prix, whose star-studded
warm-up race sends hipsters like Wilmer Valderrama and Drew Lachey burning r ubber
through the streets of the city in mid-A pril. Please see the beginning of this guide for a
color map of the Long B each area.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
See chapter 3 for airport and airline information. Driving from Los
Angeles, take either I-5 or I-405 to I-710 south, which leads dir ectly to both downtown
Long Beach and the
Queen Mary
seaport.
ORIENTATION
Downtown Long B each is at the eastern end of the v ast Port of Los
Angeles; Pine Avenue is the central restaurant and shopping street, which extends south
to Shoreline Park and the Aquarium. The
Queen Mary
is docked just across the waterway,
gazing south toward tiny Long Beach marina and Naples Island.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Contact the
Long Beach Ar ea Conv ention & Visitors
Bureau,
One World Trade Center, Ste. 300 (
&
800/452-7829
or 562/436-3645; www.
visitlongbeach.com). For information on the
Long Beach Grand Prix,
call
&
562/981-
2600
or check out www.longbeachgp.com.
THE MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
Aquarium of the Pacific
Kids
This enormous aquarium—one of the largest in the
U.S.—is the cornerstone of Long B each's ev er-changing water front. Figuring that what
stimulated flagging economies in M onterey and B altimore would wor k in Long B each,
planners gave their all to this pr oject, creating a cr owd-pleasing attraction just acr oss the
harbor fr om Long B each's other mainstay , the Q ueen M ary. The v ast facility—it has
enough exhibit space to fill thr ee football fields—r e-creates three areas of the P acific: the
warm Baja and Southern California regions, the Bering Sea and chilly northern Pacific, and
