After an invigorating glide along the Long Beach bike trail on a pair of inline skates, head down past Belmont Shores to Naples Island for a relaxing — and romantic — ride through the canals of the island in a gondola. Or head for the Long Beach Sailing Club in Alamitos Bay where qualified sailors can rent bareboat charters, or those seeking a unique sailing experience can charter the club's 72-foot John Alden-designed Dirigo II for an overnight cruise to Catalina Island. Dirigo II also is available for other area cruises.
How about motorcycles? After landing at the Long Beach airport, it's only a quick drive down Cherry Avenue to Long Beach BMW. This company rents BMW motorcycles through EagleRider Motorcycle Rental USA. You have to be at least 25 years old and have a motorcycle endorsement, but for the price of a one-night stay in a five-star hotel room you can rent a KI 1200 LT, RT 1200 RT, or R 1200 GS for three days.
Long Beach may not be on most vacationers' A-list but there's no reason it shouldn't be. It's blessed with a variety of adventures nestled within a stone's throw of the sea — wonderful, one-of-a-kind attractions such as the RMS Queen Mary ocean liner, one of the longest public-access beaches in the United States, and an appealing energetic panache that visitors can't ignore.
Sailing, jogging, rollerblading, catching some lizard-time lounging on the beach, and riding a motorcycle are just a few of the active-lifestyle activities that are available. But first let's get that airplane on the ground and secure.
The Long Beach airport
Long Beach/Daugherty Field is a big airport that averages 981 operations a day. Eight percent of these flights are commercial. The commercial flights use the 10,000-foot-long Runway 12/30 while everyone else is generally assigned to runways 25R and 25L. Pilots at Long Beach must be familiar with taxiway markings and land-and-hold-short operations because of the crossing runways. A taxi diagram is available at AOPA's Airport Directory online or on the airport Web site.
There are noise-monitoring stations located around the airport, so pilots are advised to practice neighbor-friendly flying procedures, which also are detailed on the airport's Web site. The controllers in the L.A. Basin and at the Long Beach airport are some of the best in the business. The visiting pilot's end of the equation is to become familiar with the five VFR transition routes for north/south traffic into the western part of the basin and the VFR flyways, and to maintain communications contact.
When approaching the Los Angeles Class B airspace, an approach controller will ask for your desired transition route (see " California Flying: VFR in the L.A. Basin," September 2005 Pilot).
The overnight parking fees at Long Beach are pretty stiff compared with small, remote airports', but many of the FBOs-which manage the ramp's parking-will waive the first night's fees if fuel is purchased.
All major car rental companies are represented, and the FBOs will make rental car arrangements if requested. Long Beach has a great public transit system, especially up and down the beach. It's entirely possible to take a cab from the airport to one of the many motels located along or near the beach before enjoying a car-free visit. If driving is part of your idea of fun, you should probably reserve a convertible to cruise in style along the beach.
The big beach
The beachside attractions start in the west at the edge of the Los Angeles River, a concrete riverbed that empties into Queensway Bay and then into the Long Beach Harbor. The beachfront gently curves to the southeast and extends nearly 16 miles. Ocean Boulevard follows the shoreline from the west end past the Long Beach Museum of Art, Belmont Shores, Naples Island, and Alamitos Bay to where the San Gabriel River flows into the bay.
Paved, dedicated bike trails follow the beach from downtown all the way down to the other end of the beach. Bikes can be rented downtown at First Street and The Promenade.
The Queen Mary; the Aquarium of the Pacific; the departure point for the Catalina Express; Shoreline Village; and The Pike are all near the west end of the beach. The Queen Mary was launched in 1934. Before being pressed into the business of transporting Allied troops during World War II, the ship carried 1,957 pampered passengers from New York to London in a little more than five days, and they were well cared for by a staff of 1,174 officers and crew. The ship made 1,001 Atlantic crossings. The suites and stateroom are now part of the Queen Mary Hotel. I enjoyed the Royal Suite for the bargain price of $125 a night.
At the west end, Ocean Boulevard wends its way between valleys of high-rise buildings downtown and past the convention center area (Long Beach was the site of AOPA Expo 2004) for a little while, then, voilà, just past the Long Beach Museum of Art there are no longer any buildings between the road and the beach.
To the west is nothing but miles and miles of wide, clean, sandy beach. Nestled cheek to jowl along the east side of Ocean Boulevard are homes-unique homes that define the health and individuality of the city.
The Museum of Art is housed in the Elizabeth Milbank Anderson House, which was built for the wealthy philanthropist and heiress in 1912 by the Milwaukee Building Co. as her summerhouse. Just down Ocean Boulevard is a fine example of a Greene and Greene bungalow. Cruising slowly through the neighborhood streets of western Long Beach enjoying the amazing variety of well-kept homes is a sweet experience.
The list goes on and on
Farther down Ocean Boulevard is the Belmont Pier, and a little farther along on both sides of Second Avenue you'll find block after block of shops and esoteric sidewalk eateries to be explored. Second Avenue leads on to Naples Island, where kayaks can be rented, sailboats chartered, and delicious seafood enjoyed.
A few miles inland from Naples Island, located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach, are the peaceful grounds of the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. Admission is free. A few of the attractions include a dry garden, or karesansui, a teahouse, a moon bridge, and a black pebble beach, as well as a peaceful Koi-filled pond surrounded by carefully tended shrubs, flowers, and bushes. Graceful wooden bridges arch over the waterways.
A comprehensive list of Long Beach's attractions and activities would fill many pages. Long Beach is a healthy, outdoor town that has put a lot of time and effort into becoming an appealing tourist destination. Fly in to its big airport, head west to the beach, and enjoy one of California's most appealing cities.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
Where
Long Beach is located in the heart of Southern California, 25 miles south of Los Angeles. Long Beach airport is one of the busiest GA airports in the area and is known as the "easy in, easy out" airport.
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