Long Beach

I will be visiting Long Beach in two weeks and was wondering what needed to be seen while I am there. I will be there with my kid who is 4 and my wife. We are gonna do the Petersen one day and not sure what else to do the rest of the week. It doesn't have to be car related, just need a little help with what there is to see in or around Long Beach. Help with some old Hot Rod shops would be a plus.

Thank You HAMB

 

How long are you going to stay? Are you flying or driving in? What are your wifes hobbies/interests? The 4 year old would probably like the aquarium in Long Beach. Any chance you can catch the LA Roadster show?

Jun 16-17 LA Roadster show at Fairplex in Pomona, www.laroadsters.com, (310) 544-4200<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Charlie Stephens

 

She will be at a conference for a couple of days, so on those days my boy and I will be doing the car thing. We will be there from the 2nd to the 9th so the roadster show will be out. My wife likes the beach, so we may head that way a day or two. We are going to be in a topless car so we may cruise down the coast too.

Thanks for helping out

 

Lets see, there's Port O Call for some yummy seafood. The Queen Mary. Shoreline Village. Belmont Shores. Of course the aquarium. Also you can catch the blue line train and take a trip to Downtown L.A. Check out Olvera St. Phillipes for a sandwich. You can even continue on the train to old town Pasadena. Plenty of things to do.

 

A bunch of us locals go to Glory Days Sports Grill for breakfast every Sunday morning.
from about 8AM to ?AM
Glory Days is at 4132 Woodruff Ave (Woodruff, just North of Carson St.)
Lakewood, CA 90713
(562) 420-2424
That's about 50 yards North of Long Beach City limits but that's close enough.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-20572515-glory-days-sports-grill-lakewood

 

Long beach Motorama is on that weekend. Long beach swap, gathering of Kustoms in Corona and an El Mirage meeting.

 

We will be flying in on the 2nd.

 

Queen Mary!

 

Beach things:
Drive down PCH to Seal Beach, walk to the end of the pier, watch the surfers, eat at Rubys.
Continue on down to Huntington Beach, walk to the end of the pier, watch the surfers, eat at Rubys.
Same with Newport Beach.
Same with Balboa.
Take the Boaboa ferry (coupla hundred yards), continue down PCH to Laguna.
Dana Point museum and tidepools (for the 4yo)
Forget going north to Venice Beach (professional wierdos), Santa Monica Pier, $$$$, or Malibu. (nothing but the backsides of beach homes).

 

While you are at the Peterson you might stop by the La Brea Tar Pits, http://www.tarpits.org/, which is only a couple of blocks away. It is a museum based on animals that were stuck in the tar pits (still visible in the area) over the last 10,000 years. The LA Natural history museum, http://www.nhm.org/site/, has an exhibit of butterflies currently going. You go into a large enclosed area and the butterflies sometimes land on you. They also have a large display of dinosaur fossils. My 6 year daughter loves it. If you are interested in high dollar (Cadillac/Rolls Royce/Lincoln plus a lot I have never heard of) restored classics of the pre 1940 period try the Nethercutt Museum, http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/Museum.aspx . They not only don&#8217;t charge to get in, they don&#8217;t even charge to park. Call ahead if you want a tour of the part where the person that founded the museum lived (impressive). If you are driving from Long Beach to the Peterson you might stop at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation area http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=612 at 4100 South La Cienega Boulevard (Los Angeles, CA 90056) and feed the ducks at their small lake (bring Cheerio&#8217;s). No admission and no cost to park during the week. The Pomona swap met is Jun3, www.pomonaswapmeet.com but the walking would probably wear your son out. What exactly are your interests?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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Charlie Stephens<o></o>

 

I am into the car thing obviously! But I also like to fish and am into photography! I thought about the Pomona swap meet, but if I find something it would be a booger to ship it home! Not to mention have to carry it since i wont have my wagon to haul the kid and the parts in. I do need some stuff for my car still but I can find that stuff here if need be. I would like to find a couple of old hot rod shops If they are still around.

You guys are giving me great ideas. I appreciate the help...

 

If you want the very BEST breakfast burrito in the world, go to Nicks Deli on main street in Seal Beach. You won't regret it. Also I believe Bad Bobs BBQ is that weekend on the 2nd.

 

There you go, while in Laguna Beach you can park at almost any beach when you get into town and walk from beach to beach on the rocks (and cliffs). If you hit main beach (center of town) it's just one long beach to the south with little rocks.

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;q=Crescent+Bay,+Laguna+Beach,+Orange,+California+92651&amp;aq=&amp;sll=33.546018,-117.799755&amp;sspn=0.005964,0.013078&amp;t=h&amp;gl=us&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;geocode=FVjd_wEdKHv6-A&amp;split=0&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Crescent+Bay&amp;ll=33.54556,-117.8022&amp;spn=0.011928,0.026157&amp;z=14&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View Larger Map</small>

and the Dana Point walk over looking the harbor (zoom in and you'll see it on the left).

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Hi I am just new to this thread. I believe all your suggestions are great. Better try the best though, any suggestions which you think is the best beach right now?

 

Check out Hot Rods n Hobbies rite by in Signal Hill to see an amazing shop and lots of impressive work being done. Pm Lowsprings (Dante for a tour)

 

NHRA Museum, Pomona.
Wed June 6 is the monthly cruise night, about 400-500 rods and the greatest drag museum. (Not the West Hollywood kind.)

 

X2 on this one . Also if you do the drive down the coast from LB , I'd plan on the whole day with a detour to balboa island and the ferry across to the peninsula and back to coast hwy , then continuing on to Laguna . Your wife might like to walk around the "downtown village" area . cool shops and restaurants , kind of artsy .

 

The Queen Mary is old and tired compared to what it was in the 80s.We see it at Ink and Iron Show time.If you visit NHRA Museum also try Train Museum and Early Ford shop at San Dimas.SoCal Speed shop is not far away Regards

 

Stop by Samy's Camera, 431 South Fairfax, Los Angeles, (323) 938-2420, when you go to the Peterson as it is close. It is a good camera store (actually it's the whole building). I don't have the statistics but if someone told me it was the biggest camera store west of New York I would believe them (but what do I know?).

Charlie Stephens

 

From LB go north up PacificCoastHighway make a right on Sunset Blvd. to Hollywood. Very nice L.A. drive.

 

Definitely would like to see SoCal and Hot Rods and Hobbies.

What time does the cruise night start? And where does it start at?

Sounds like I could do some damage in samy's camera shop.

Thanks for all the ideas. Now I have to get busy and make an itinerary.

Appreciate all your help

 

If you go to SoCal S.S. you have to go to Early Ford Store in San Dimas its way better. One of the best.

 

What are your wife's interests? She will probably have a little free time. She might enjoy the Getty or the Getty Villa http://www.getty.edu/visit/see_do/art.html. Maybe the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, http://www.huntington.org/?

Charlie Stephens

 

I just got back from there...ten days from San Diego (stayed in La Jolla...yipes) to Long Beach, down the PCH to Laguna (stayed there...yipes again) to San Juan Capstrano, to Palm Springs & Joshua Tree Nat. Park to Temecula & back to La Jolla. Perfect dry weather & then back to wet humid PA where I had to mow the stinkin' lawn twice. Do you So-Cal guys know how good you have it? Do you ever get tired of this?

 

Just to get you psyched, here are some random pics I snapped along the way. The woodies were from the car museum in Balboa Park in San Diego. By the way, the people are as friendly as you'll find anywhere & the drivers polite.

 

I am a docent at the Petersen and will be working both the 2nd and the 9th from 10 AM to 1 PM. If either of those days works, ask for me (Tony Miller) and I'll show you around. Sounds like those are your travel days, though, and the mornings may not work for you.

Donut Derelicts in Huntington Beach is also worth doing. Every Saturday, starts before dawn and is over by 9 AM.

 

MATACONCEPTS, Will try to check out the early ford store. How far from SoCal S.S. is this place?

Charlie, her interests vary from time to time. She loves scrapbooking and she does enjoy going to gardens as well as lying on the beach. We may have to try that one.

Fleetside, looks like you had a great time. May have to make Balboa one of the stops. Thanks for the pics. May entice the wife a little more into some coastal driving.

50Fraud, I am coming in on the 2nd and visiting the museum on the third. Too bad you are not working that day. Would love to get the tour from a fellow HAMBer. Thanks for the offer though. Donuts and cars! My kiddo would really love that!

 

So Cal Speed Shop Pomona to Early Ford Shop San Dimas about 10miles ,20 minutes on a good day