|
|
Long Beach, CA
and Surrounding Area
As a pleasant alternative to flying into LAX, consider the Long Beach Airport. A small airport without all the confusing hustle and bustle, it is well situated to afford access to many tourist attractions. By arranging an early morning flight it may be possible to arrive in Long Beach before noon, with the bigger part of the day left to begin your fun.
No trip to Long Beach would be complete without
visiting the magnificent Queen Mary,
the world's largest luxury liner and now a permanent resident of Long Beach since 1966.
Even though we were there some years ago, the Queen Mary, only about eight miles
form the aiport, is 
where we started our fun.
Located at
the end of the 710 Freeway South, it is relatively easy to find by following the
signs--and there is no question about whether you are in the right place when the
big ship comes into view. We parked the car and walked through a little
"village" containing several shops and a few fast food restaurants before
reaching the entrance to the ship. Fine dining is available on
the Queen Mary, so we paid the admission,
boarded the ship, and had lunch in the Promenade Cafe. We spent the rest of the afternoon
strolling the decks and soaking in the historical significance of the
impressive ship. Although she was designed and launched as a luxury liner in 1936,
her portholes were blacked out in 1940 when she was pressed into military service as a
troop carrier, known as "The Grey Ghost". Having transported thousands of
troops and such famous people as Sir Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother Elizabeth, in
1946 she made thirteen voyages bringing European war brides and children to Canada and the
United States. Although it was the Titanic that captured the hearts of many people,
the Queen Mary is actually longer and heavier than the Titanic and no doubt has a wealth
of stories hidden within its confines. One may make hotel reservations and spend
the night aboard the Queen Mary, but don't expect to make a walk-up reservation.
Allow at least three weeks. Another part of history, the Russian Scorpion submarine is now
nestled next to the Queen Mary. As you can see in its photo gallery, this submarine
is not a large vessel like the one in we saw in "The Hunt for Red
October"! While crawling through the Scorpion one can only imagine how
thirty-five adults could live within its confines.
Located across a small bay from the Queen Mary is the Long Beach Aquarium, a new attraction on the Shore, with a large parking garage available nearby. Visitor Information shows the location and admission prices. It is a popular place for school field trips during the week, as well as for parents/children trips on weekends. Two hours should be an adequate amount of time for your tour of all the interesting exhibits. Walking through the shoreline park nearby, you see the Queen Mary from a different perspective, and there are Shoreline shops for browsing, all of which are easily accessible by Water Taxi.
Buena Park is a community not far from Long Beach. The Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center is only about one mile from Knot's Berry Farm (the Hotel provided shuttle service to this, DisneyLand, and several other places) and only one block from two theme dinner attractions and the Movieland Wax Museum. One evening we attended Wild Bill's Wild West Dinner Extravaganza. The entertainment was not "Wild West" as we had expected, for the music had a distinct Nashville sound. We rated the food (consisting of soup, salad, biscuits, beans, chicken, potato, and cobbler) on the low end of the rating scale. Another evening we went to a Medieval Times & Tournament theme dinner (on-line discount coupons are available), where everyone was seated bleacher style facing the large arena, somewhat like a "theater in the round". The entertainment was full of medieval pageantry with a king, a queen, and several knights on horseback, all in full regalia, delivering their lines and engaging in medieval games (jousting and sword play). Herald trumpets at the appropriate mements added much to the pageantry, and a cheering (or jeering) audience helped create the atmosphere. The food (soup, bread, half chicken, rib, potato, and dessert) was tasty and eaten without utensils (they didn't eat with knives and forks in medieval times!).
The Crystal Cathedral is located in nearby Garden Grove. Check their calendar to find out who is scheduled to appear on the program and for information about any special events. If you are planning to be in the area at Easter or Christmas, be sure to check out the special productions for these important events. We attended the Glory of Easter production some years ago, and it is truly outstanding! If you plan to go to the Crystal Cathedral, plan some extra time to walk around the grounds and browse through the Bookstore.
Dining out is a favorite
part of any trip--especially for most wives! I wanted to return to a restaurant we
had visited once before a number of years ago. Not remembering the name of it, but
recalling that it was located at the intersection of the Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset
Boulevard, we arrived at Gladstones
about 5 p.m. on Sunday evening and it had not changed much over the years.
Patrons may choose to eat and watch the Pacific Ocean from inside, or they may find a
concrete booth in the open air dining where they can hear the ocean and the gulls flying
overhead. We chose to eat inside. Much busier than usual because of their
special monthly event, the October Lobsterfest, 
we had a long but enjoyable
wait, wandering the beach for an hour and a half until almost time for our names to be
called. The restaurant is popular with both young and old, and the atmosphere is
exuberant--especially on a busy night. The service is good, and the food is
outstanding! It was every bit as enjoyable as I had remembered!. On the menu
they list a "mile-high double chocolate cake" for those who have room left for
dessert, and when this cake is used to make their famous dessert, "The
Works", it is more than enough to serve a family of six. It is an AWESOME
dessert! Gladstone's does have special monthly events, so be
sure to check into their website before you go.
The California road system has quite a reputation, and driving in the metropolitan areas is a challenge--not for the faint of heart! One gets the eerie feeling of being suddenly thrust into the middle of some wild video road game. For those not familiar with the area, it does help to have a driver and a co-pilot to read the map and the road signs. A few words of wisdom for driving in the area are:
Study your road map before you get on the road. Know your destination and how you're going to get there.
Know the proper names of the roads, as well as their number designations, before you begin. Sometimes one will be used on the signs, sometimes the other will be used. Be prepared by knowing both!
Some of the roads have an express lane for cars with two or more people. This is really "life in the fast lane". There are only certain places to enter/exit this lane. You have to be sure to get out of this lane in time to make your exit from this highway.
For a change of pace, those who appreciate
the beauty of trees and gardens should visit the Arboretum of Los Angeles County, a
127-acre horticultural and botanical center located at the foot of the San Gabriel
Mountains. It is a wonderful place to visit for a relaxed afternoon of strolling and
getting close to nature. If you aren't wearing your walking shoes, you prefer to
enjoy the scenery from the shuttle tram.
Beautiful sunsets have always been special to us and are a sight to behold anyplace, but a sunset over the Pacific Ocean is truly inspiring! We were able to capture on film such a sunset, which will serve to remind us of our recent trip to the California coast!
Last updated 11/20/98
