Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with longbeach

Looking for the ideal hangout in South Bay/Long Beach...

Katemonkey — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:34:45 -0800

Looking for a good bar/coffee/food place in the South Bay/Long Beach, CA that works for an unknown number of people with a wide variety of tastes... I want to get a bunch of my old high school friends together when I go visit Long Beach again in October, and I want to find a place that:

A) Won't require reservations for big groups (because I don't know if there will be a big group)
B) Isn't a sit-down type of restaurant, but will serve food
C) Serves a variety of drinks (non-alcoholic, coffee, cocktails, etc.)
D) Is not a sports bar or a meat market or anything like that
E) Veers a bit on the eccentric without trying too hard to be "wacky"
F) Cheerfully caters to a jeans-and-t-shirt clientèle.

Bonus points if it panders shamelessly to nerds.

For an example of what I'm thinking, if the situation was reversed, and I had a bunch of people coming to Nottingham who wanted to go out and have a few drinks, I would take them to the Malt Cross. There, I know I can get an excellent rum and coke or cup of coffee, a good burger, and I'm in an old Victorian vaudeville hall of awesomeness. Or, if I was feeling a bit more kitschy, I'd take them to the Pit & the Pendulum (the website looks like it was hacked, alas), where I know I can get a weird cocktail, some decent food, and it's decked out like a Vincent Price movie.

It doesn't necessarily need to be South Bay/Long Beach - it just seems easier to me, since we all grew up around Long Beach, Carson, Torrance, etc. I'll also caging rides from people rather than driving myself, and I'd much rather talk someone into driving an extra 10 minutes than an extra 45...

(I just don't want to end up hanging out at Del Amo Mall, like I did when I was 17...)

Where to buy a crepe cake in LB/OC?

Horselover Fat — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:21:50 -0800

Where can I find a crepe cake in the Long Beach, CA area? Shipping one of these from NY would cost in the neighborhood of $80. $45 for the small cake seems pricey enough, and the shipping kills the deal. I found this listing on Yelp - has anyone tried it? Downtown LA is a little further than I'd want to go, but I'll consider it with a recommendation.

A long day in Long Beach

josh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:11:43 -0800

I'll be spending a day in Long Beach, CA without a car. What should I do? Where should I eat? This week I'll be spending the day in Long Beach. I'm going to get dropped off in the morning - I can get dropped off pretty much anywhere in Long Beach - and then I'm catching a ride home very late, probably around 11. Meanwhile I have the whole day to fill up. I'll have a small bag for supplies, reading material, etc.

What should I do? I'm open to anything - I'm thinking the aquarium, the beach, lunch, maybe some shopping, a movie, a museum . . . . The truth, though, is that I don't know much about Long Beach and I don't know what I ought to be looking for. I'm a walker and have a lot of energy. I'm open to taking the bus to something truly super-awesome. Mainly, though, I just want to have an enjoyable and interesting day!

Advice on taking a cruise from Southern California

TheClonusHorror — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:28:21 -0800

Got any advice on taking a short cruise leaving from Long Beach, California (or thereabouts)? I've never been on a cruise in my life. I was thinking of booking one for our 5 year anniversary. We live in Los Angeles, so if we left from Long Beach we wouldn't have to pay for a flight anywhere. Actually, leaving anywhere from the LA area would work, I just happen to know that some of the ships leave from Long Beach because I saw the staging area whilst visiting the Queen Mary a couple years ago.

So, if you have done this: Did you enjoy it? Where did you go? What cruise line did you take? What was the food like? What was the noise level like? Did you get motion sickness? Was there a good enough fun-to-relaxation ratio? Is it worth it to pay more for a room on the outside/with a balcony/with more space/with golden toilets/etc?

Any other specific tips or recommendations for a total noob?

I usually go in the middle of the day...

Korou — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:15:15 -0800

TrafficFilter: Help me get to San Diego! I live in Camarillo, CA. I am driving to San Diego, but have to stop in South Pasadena and Long Beach. I am picking someone up in Long Beach—he doesn't get off work until 6:30pm.

I want to arrive in SD as early as possible, with the least amount of driving, stopping in these two places.

When is the best time to leave? Is this the best route?

diagonalism - a new science of mental health

anazgnos — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:02:20 -0800

What is this odd geographical feature in Long Beach, CA? See the diagonal strip running from the upper left to lower right on the google map. It can be followed for several miles northwest from the linked point. Zoom in and check it out, and you'll see that it's pretty well defined for the several-mile span both by surrounding development and non-development.

I've had it suggested that it may have been an old rail line, but haven't found anything concrete on that. There's nothing really visible or tangible to it at ground level, but I'm curious why seemingly everything developed in the area has stuck precisely either within or without that diagonal footprint relative to the surrounding street grid. If it was a rail line removed sometime in the 60s or 70s, that'd probably explain the way it looks now, but I'd love to find out what, if anything, was there.

Thanks!

Liquor in Long Beach

Secret Life of Gravy — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:27:38 -0800

Looking for a fabulous Liquor store in the Long Beach, CA area. I'm in Long Beach for a month and my husband is coming out shortly to spend a week. He's lived his whole life in NC which has ABC stores-- meaning the government decides what is for sale. I would like to take him to the biggest, baddest liquor store in the area-- which could include downtown LA since we will be going up to the La Brea Tar pits, and San Diego since we will be going to the zoo.

Best florist in Long Beach, CA?

taojones — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:23:46 -0800

I'm on the east coast and I want to send flowers to a lady I really, really, really (did I mention "really"?) like in Long Beach, CA. Is there a great local florist that the hive mind could suggest? I suspect that a local shop could make something nicer than the national brands (FTD or 1-800-flowers). I searched all of ask.metafilter, I swear. The closest questions I could find were posts on sending flowers to Vancouver and buying orchids in Los Angeles.

with my mind on my money and my money on my mind

DragonBoy — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 14:47:15 -0800

LongBeachFilter: With so much drama in the LBC, I'm looking for travel plans for my son and me But i, somehow, some way Gotta find something to do with him next Wednesday Next week my son (the six year-old who swallowed his tooth the other day) and I are heading out to Long Beach, California for a visit with my sister. We're staying through the weekend and there will be two days which I need to entertain my son by myself.

My son is interested in all the typical things that a boy his age would like; movies, music, dinosaurs, toys and doing things in the water. My interests are generally overlapping as long as there's some intellictual interests involved too. I'm looking for things to do using Long Beach public transport on Wednesday. What good beaches are nearby and what sorts of kid friendly activities will I find. If you have a suggestions please let me know what public transport I need to take to arrive at my destination.