Neighborhood: Long Beach

Along the shore, Belmont Shore's 2nd street is a place to enjoy an upscale shopping environment in proximity to the ocean. It is a host to night life in Long Beach, as well as seasonally appropriate festivals and events.

A waterfront entertainment district, The Pike is most popular for its nightlife and waterfront dining. At Rainbow Harbor, guest mooring is welcomed so guests can come by land or by sea. Both the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary are located near The Pike, making this district a unique destination in Long Beach.

Pine Ave, Long Beach's main street, shops, art galleries, restaurants, and night clubs can all be found in Pine Ave's historic buildings.

Fingerprints is like the record stores of old, the record stores I grew up with. I’m an ardent music fan, and music shopping is one of my favorite pass times. I just love discovering new artist’s and albums, and the joy of finding something you’ve been looking for (or exactly what you want). Fingerprints is just that kind of place. As if that wasn’t good enough, Fingerprints offers competitive prices for used CD’s. So if you’re like me and sell on a pretty regular basis (there is a constant flow throughout my collection of things coming and going) than you’re destined to enjoy this little shop at the end of second street.

Fingerprints is the only place of its kind in Long Beach, and that makes it all the more important. Sometimes I don’t have the time, or gas to drive all the way to Hollywood and go to Amoeba. So when I get that craving for new music (which does happen on a regular basis), I can get my kicks at Fingerprints. As a matter of fact, its unique Belmont Shores location (mere minutes from the water) is a refreshing change from the constant stop and flow of Sunset Blvd and Hollywood.

So now I’m sure you are thinking “why don’t you just go to Best Buy, or Borders like everyone else, they’re everywhere!” Well, the easy answer is that most Best Buy’s and Borders music selection leave much to be desired. The more obscure artists that I enjoy are extremely hard to come by at those establishments. That’s what makes Fingerprints so important to my community. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way, and people like me need our kicks.

Record stores are all together a dying breed. With the onslaught of the internet music revolution, the record store (especially the independently owned record store) is slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past. People just don’t care as much about CD’s as they used to. That’s just another reason way places like Fingerprints are important. They still raise the flag high, and us few faithful followers will always be there to back them up. So if you’re like me and believe in the power of the record store, than Fingerprints is the place for you. So drive down to Second Street and pop in, you’re guaranteed to find something, that’s the beauty!

A local favorite that makes midtown Long Beach the place to be on a cold winter night. Located at the corner of Junipero and 4th St, Portfolio is the traditional coffeehouse you grew up with. In a world surrounded by franchise monsters like Starbucks and Coffee Bean, it’s nice to see a small place like this (though it is not necessarily small) thriving within the community.

On the visual side of things, Portfolio offers a fantastic indoor and outdoor atmosphere. Outside the doors there are plenty of places for you and your significant other to sit, sip, and feed off of each other’s warmth. There are also a wide variety of shops within walking distance, making late night that much more fun.

Once through the doors your eyes will typically be greeted by people and laptop computers. Portfolio’s free wireless internet, and limited amount of noise make it a Mecca for writers, and college students alike. There is hardly a person inside whose eyes aren’t glued to their screens, which makes for little, or no conversation (besides laptops, iPod’s are very popular here as well). I would say that there is a feeling that whatever conversation you have inside should be hushed and quiet.

If you are just popping in by yourself, it is a perfect atmosphere to get some thinking done. The walls are adorned with an interesting array of paintings, which I would assume are from local artists. They also sport a wide variety of magazines for sale (consisting of mainly music magazines, Rolling Stone, Mojo, Etc).

When you reach the counter, portfolio offers you typical coffee house fare. There’s coffee, mocha, tea’s, etc, all of which is good, and worth you four dollars. I would recommend anything from the mocha category, as well as the teas. For those who’ll be spending an extended amount of time there, Portfolio also offers a pretty extensive lunch menu.

Things then change on Friday and Saturday nights when Portfolio’s back room becomes a hot spot for weekend entertainment. At around nine o’clock, you should make your way to the back room where you can see the cream of the crop of local singer songwriters performing the best they got. I think that’s what really makes this place feel like the traditional coffeehouse I grew up. They are grooming house for the best talent that Los Angeles has to offer. To top that, amateur talent can show their stuff on Wednesday nights Open Mic, also starting at nine.

Portfolio is only a hop, skip, and a jump from my house, so I spend a good amount of time there. It’s a fantastic atmosphere that serves many purposes. So, whatever you’re feeling, Portfolio Coffeehouse is a good place to go to think about it, or not think about it.

When the Queen Mary first launched on September 26, 1934 it was considered to be the ship of the future. Weighing in at an impressive 81,237 tons it was larger than the Titanic and faster than any ship made previously. The maiden voyage set sail on May 27, 1936 and to all accounts was a major event.

John Brown and Company out of Scotland built the Queen Mary to be a weekly express from Southampton England to New York to be one of the fastest ships on the ocean at that time. It certainly held up to that name as it did indeed garner the record for the fastest North Atlantic crossing in 1937. For 3 years she traveled back and forth bringing the rich and elite across the Atlantic in luxury and style. In 1939 she was on a trip when World War II started and was ordered to become a troopship to carry soldiers from Australia and New Zealand to the United Kingdom.

After the war had completed, and Queen Mary narrowly escaped being sunk by the orders of Adolf Hitler and his U boats, the Queen Mary was used as a transatlantic passenger trade until 1958. Then the jets were starting to fly and it seemed that people wanted quicker ways to get across the Atlantic Ocean. Finally in 1966 it was put up for sale and bought by H.E. Ridings of Long Beach California where it still resides today.

Today, Queen Mary is on the National Register of Historic places and serves as a hotel, entertainment venue, and a museum. It is an extremely popular tourist attraction that brings people in from all over the world. You can choose a self guided ship walk tour that takes you from the engine to the wheelhouse, or you can have a daily guided tour that explores the elegant bygone era. You can even go on the special tour called The Ghost and Legends tour that talks about the paranormal experiences of the Queen Mary which people swear have taken over the ships at certain times.

Many people come to the Queen Mary to stay in one of the 365 original staterooms, 8 of which are luxurious suites of their time. Each room is artfully appointed in the style of the 1930’s and 1940’s with original artwork and much of the art deco feel that it had in the past. The room rates are very reasonable depending on the season and you can buy packages that include dinner or show tickets. After checking in you can experience award winning dining in many of the waterfront restaurants such as the Sir Winston restaurant or you can just grab a quick bite to eat at The Promenade Café if you are in a rush to get back to your self guided tour of the Queen Mary.

Visiting and staying on the Queen Mary is like taking a step back in time to the more elegant and fascinating bygone years. It is an experience you won’t soon forget.

If you’re looking to infuse a little romance into your relationship, head out to Long Beach for an enchanting gondola ride. Located along East Ocean Blvd, Gondola Getaway will take you on a gentle 50-minute cruise through the waterways of Naples Island in Alamitos Bay.

Salami, cheese, and bread are provided for you by Gondola Getaway; you also get your very own gondolier to serenade you. Consider bringing a bottle of champagne along – it makes for a much more intimate experience and they don’t have a problem with it.

Gondola Getaway recommends that you make reservations at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

The cost is $75 for two people (tip not included).

Since 1969, the El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach has hosted over 2 million visitors coming to enjoy its scenic beauty and peaceful surroundings. The Nature Center is home to a variety of animal life, including coyotes, hawks and squirrels. As you step in to the Nature Center, you’ll be immediately drawn to it’s lush greenery – composed of Oak, Redwood, and Alder Tress.

The 102 acre nature center can be traversed by way of a paved trail, which is 1/4 mile in length, and/or a 2 mile dirt trail which winds around a pair of lakes. As you walk through the Nature Center, you will find dozens of peaceful spots where you can relax and simply take in all the beauty it has to offer. If it’s been an especially chaotic week, or you just need a quiet place think, swing by the El Dorado Nature Center for a few hours.

The Nature Center is also a fantastic location for a date, especially the first one. It’s a great place to talk and get to know each other without all the distractions you may find in the city.