I’m beyond excited to introduce my new series, Meet the Beaches in partial partnership with Jrrny! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now since when I first moved here, I had no idea which beach was where, how close to the city or what was around it.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one! It’s one of the top questions I get when people are visiting LA and decided I’d make a simple guide of the most frequented beaches. Every couple of weeks, I’ll be introducing a new beach and can’t wait to share it with you!
We’re kicking off Meet the Beaches from Long Beach, probably the least “beachy” since there really isn’t that typical pier and sandy beach scene here. But it’s one of the bigger cities in the Los Angeles area with a lot to offer!
Do:
- Aquarium of the Pacific: If you’re with kids (or not, I love aquariums too!) the Aquarium of the Pacific is sure to please the little ones! It’s conveniently located in the downtown area and you can easily spend a day there. Admission isn’t ridiculous considering the size and variation of exhibits. Nice as a date spot, too!
- Belmont Shore: Belmont Shore is a charming beachside community with an entire street dedicated to eateries, boutique shops, spas and other retailers. Street parking isn’t too difficult to find so I highly recommend a visit. You’re bound to find something you adore (or a few somethings!) there.
- The Queen Mary: You’ll see the Queen Mary mentioned here in “Do”, below in “Eat” and “Stay” simply because it’s a Long Beach landmark worthy of your time. The retired ship sits permanently at the Port of Long Beach serving as a museum, event space and several eateries. They host annual events such as the Dark Harbor during Halloween and the Chill during the holidays. I have a post with more details right here.
- Shoreline Village: Shoreline Village is the Long Beach equivalent of a Pier. They have an arcade, ice cream shops, a few restaurants, quirky shops, all right on the water. It’s worth a visit but a quick warning, parking is scarce. It’s close to several hotels downtown so I suggest walking or taking an Uber!
Eat:
- George’s Greek: This Long Beach gem is loved by residents and tourists alike. Their name is fairly self-explanatory as a Greek restaurant but I’m just here to say it’s worth going at least once….or twice. Their servings are generous, reasonable pricing, friendly service and most importantly, delicious, drool-worthy food. Their gyro was just, wow.
- Ma & Pa’s Market: Are you like me and love discovering things that may not necessarily be in a guidebook? Then check out Ma & Pa’s Market, located in a residential neighborhood in Long Beach. Not only is it a charming market with your daily necessities, they’re known for their homemade beef jerky! They have bins of different flavored jerky and they sell out quick! Big thanks to a fellow travel blogger, The Sterling Traveler for the insider tip and recommendation!
- Sunday Champagne Brunch at the Queen Mary: Fancy a bottomless champagne or mimosa along with a ballroom full of delicious food in a retired ship? At approximately $50 and a recommended reservation, you get admission onto the Queen Mary with access to the Sunday Champagne Brunch. Prime rib, fresh seafood, omelet station, Mexican, Italian, Asian and most importantly to me, a sizable dessert station including a made-to-order crepe booth. Are you convinced yet? If you don’t feel like shelling over $50 for food, at least check out the Queen Mary or even stay there. Here’s a post dedicated to the Queen Mary I wrote for more information.
- Fuego: Did anyone say house-made guacamole and strong margaritas? Fuego is inside the Hotel Maya situated by the water. Their menu is to die for if you’re a fan of Mexican food. Roasted pork dish, house-made chips & guacamole with their signature margarita makes for a fantastic meal with a view. You can also explore the aztec-themed hotel in all its hot pink and quirky glory.
Stay:
- Want a tried and true branded hotel? The Westin Long Beach is walking distance to most attractions downtown
- Want a historical experience? The Queen Mary is magical and the opportunity to stay in a retired ship doesn’t come around often.
- Want something different? Hotel Maya, a Doubletree by Hilton is an aztec themed hotel and to this day, remains as one my favorite hotels of all time (and I’ve stayed in a ton!).
I hope you enjoyed the first of many posts of the beaches here in Southern California. Subscribe and stay tuned for the next beach session!
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| Ma’n Pa Grocery |
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| Ma’ n Pa – Homemade Beef Jerkey |
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| George’s Greek |
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| The Queen Mary |
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| The Westin Downtown Long Beach |
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| Hotel Maya & Fuego Lobby |
♡♡♡
This Meet the Beaches post is not sponsored by Jrrny.
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Love the idea of the new series, Kana! Will be extremely helpful when I plan my next trip, and I'm sure there are plenty others who will benefit from the info! xoxo, nano | travelwithnanob.com
Thank you so much Nano!! I was hoping it could be helpful for people visiting! 🙂 xo
I can imagine this will be a fantastic resource for those that want to visit and know nothing about the area or where to start – like me! #FlyAwayFriday
A great idea Kana – I have only visited LA once but it is somewhere I certainly plan to return to. Your guide will be so helpful! #FlyawayFriday
What a great idea! I love the beach and I'm not from California. The only thing I know about Long Beach is that there's an airport there. And the only reason I know that is because I flew into it once because it was cheaper than flying into LA. #flyawayfriday
Shame on me but after 8 years in SoCal I've never made it to Long Beach! Ouch! After reading your step by step guide I have no more excuses 🙂 Question: is visiting The Queen Mary worth it or its totally a tourist trap?
Awesome series! Such a great idea! I've only been to LA once and I would have loved to have a guide to beaches when I was there. The Shoreline village here sounds really cool. Fuego sounds amazing – hello guacamole and margaritas!
Such a fun guide. I'm excited to learn more about the SoCal beaches in future posts. I'm constantly adding places to my California bucket list (SOME DAY) so it's nice to learn about some of the beaches near LA.
This is kind of a coincidence because I was thinking about Long Beach the other day. The city is getting cooler and cooler every day. I was reading about some artists that painted murals all around. I have to go and check that out by myself. #FlyAwayFriday
Great idea for a series of posts. I'm definitely the kind of person who knows there are beaches in LA but wouldn't know the first thing about them. Look forward to reading more of these 🙂
Great little guide, loves things like this! That food looks so tasty – I'm off to raid my fridge now! lol #FlyAwayFriday
Ah, Long Beach. It has a special place in my heart. 🙂 When I lived in Fullerton for an internship in college I wanted to go the beach so I picked a town that was on the coast and had "beach" in the name. Lo and behold, Long Beach didn't really have much of a beach… haha, but the aquarium is nice! Thanks for sharing. #farawayfiles
Love this! You're right about Long Beach. When visiting as a kid, I always wondered, "Where is this long beach you keep talking about?" Looking forward to the rest of the series – the Beach Cities make up one of my favorite areas in the world! #FlyAwayFriday
Brunch on the Queen Mary sounds awesome! Gotta love those bottomless mimosas!
#flyawayfriday
OMG how good is George's??? Thats where we had our rehearsal dinner!!! Probably the best (and healthiest/freshest) Greek food I've had in the States!!
Oh I HAVE to do the Sunday Champagne Brunch at the Queen Mary!! It sounds awesome and next time when I'm visiting Long Beach, I definitely want to go! Thanks for sharing all the tipps. This new series is perfect for me since I'm a beach lover 😉 !! #flyawayfriday
I'm dying to get to So Cal and your article just made me want to go even more. I'm definitely adding Fuego to my list! You had me at homemade guacamole, but then I saw the photo and it looks super fun! I can't wait! #flyawayfriday
What a great idea doing a series of posts introducing us all the awesome beaches around. It's great that you have added places where to stay and eat too! If I am ever in Long Beach, I will make sure to refer back to this article.
What a great series! I haven't been to Long Beach, but I can see the food looks absolutely fantastic. The Queen Mary does look intriguing. I cannot wait to read more in your series! #flyawayfriday
This was fun to read since I grew up in nearby San Pedro, and went to Cal State Long Beach. I was even in a little theater group in Belmont Shore… decades ago! Thanks for the memories.
Yay, thank you Ava! Glad you think so! Hopefully you can visit LA and let me know when you do! Would love to show you around! 🙂 xo
Thank you Tracy! Would love if it's useful when you come back! 🙂
Haha! Yup, the amazing thing about living here is that I can choose out of 6 airports – wherever is the cheapest 🙂 Hopefully you'll come back! xo
Haha! You definitely should visit Long Beach! Nope – The Queen Mary really is a cool place to visit! I even stayed overnight and it was such a fun experience. I highly, highly recommend a visit! xo
Thanks Juliette! Awww well hopefully next time you come, my series will be helpful 🙂 xo
Courtney! Yes you NEED to visit California 🙂 Let me know when you do too, I'd love to show you around! xo
Yes! You're from the area so you would know – it never used to be the coolest city but it's one of those up-and-coming areas for sure! xo
Thanks so much David! I hope you find the series useful! 🙂 xo
Haha yay! I'm so glad you love it! I know, I'm a sucker for all the good food anywhere I go! 🙂 xo
Haha that's so funny! I know, when I first moved here I thought Long Beach was a "beach" too! xo
Haha I know me too! When I first moved, I didn't know that Long Beach wasn't actually a 'beach' 🙂 xo
Yeees! Bottomless mimosa brunch for the win 🙂 xo
George's was SO GOOD! I know, I remembered you told me about your rehearsal dinner! Such a great idea since everyone was so nice and the food was so good!!!! xo
Yes yes yes! Please check out the brunch! It's totally worth it! xo
Aww! Well let me know if you ever make it to SoCal! I'd love to hang and take you around! xo
Thanks so much Kreete! I struggled when I first moved here to understand which beach was which so I'm hoping it's helpful for others too 🙂 xo
Thank you so much! The Queen Mary is one of my favorite places – hope you can visit sometime! 🙂 xo
Aww that's awesome! I'm glad it brought back some memories 🙂 xo