safe neighborhoods in long beach
Nov 28th, 2006, 07:56 PM
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safe neighborhoods in long beach
Is Long Beach, near The Queen Mary, a safe area for seniors or should we stay at a different beach town? We like clean, quiet and upscale neighborhoods.
Nov 29th, 2006, 07:54 AM
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This is sounding like a very loaded question. What are you planning to do in southern California besides see the Queen Mary? The reason I ask is that this is a huge geographic area, and the QM is one item of touristic interest in a list of several thousand in this region. It is also a little off by itself in relation to everything else in the region (at the end of the 710 freeway in the Port of Long Beach). There are two things that are conveniently close to the QM:
-- The Carnival Cruise Line Long Beach Terminal (the old Spruce Dome)
-- The Catalina Express Terminal
What made you choose that area?.... Oh yes. Are you looking at the Coast Inn? It gets good ratings on many websites, it IS pretty nice (a friend stayed there while visiting from Dallas) and it's reasonably priced, but it is indeed in the middle of nowhere. Unless you're catching a cruiseship.
The upscale neighborhoods of Long Beach don't have hotels, generally (FULL DISCLOSURE: I live in East Long Beach by Eldorado Park-- a nice, middle-class area in this gritty industrial town). Frankly, I would recommend looking elsewhere. If you can tell us what you want to do, we can recommend better places to look for lodging.
-- The Carnival Cruise Line Long Beach Terminal (the old Spruce Dome)
-- The Catalina Express Terminal
What made you choose that area?.... Oh yes. Are you looking at the Coast Inn? It gets good ratings on many websites, it IS pretty nice (a friend stayed there while visiting from Dallas) and it's reasonably priced, but it is indeed in the middle of nowhere. Unless you're catching a cruiseship.
The upscale neighborhoods of Long Beach don't have hotels, generally (FULL DISCLOSURE: I live in East Long Beach by Eldorado Park-- a nice, middle-class area in this gritty industrial town). Frankly, I would recommend looking elsewhere. If you can tell us what you want to do, we can recommend better places to look for lodging.
Nov 29th, 2006, 09:06 AM
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I chose Long Beach because we're flying in to the LB airport...good flights on Jet Blue...renting a car of course and planning on visiting the Nixon Library, the Getty Museum, griffith park and the Venice/Santa Monica beaches. We like residential middle or upper class neighborhoods with restaurants, supermarkets, movie theaters. We don't mind driving an hour or so each way to visit an attraction and prefer using a motel as a base. We don't like packing up and moving each day and we are planning on spending 6-7 days in the area.
Nov 29th, 2006, 09:46 AM
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Ohhhh.... The Marriott near the Long Beach Airport would be a suitable place, since you'll obviously have a car. It's pretty nice, the price is good, the planes lining up for landing overhead won't be a bother (heavy sound insulation), and it's freeway close to everything.
If you decide to stay there: The area is thoroughly Suburban Office Park, with a big Ralphs supermarket about a mile away down Lakewood Blvd., a Vons market about the same distance away on Ximeno, a GREAT Mexican fast-food joint called Baja Sonora down Spring (at Clark), a killer Thai place up Lakewood (Norse Way, just off of Carson) called Tiny Thai, etc. The best French bistro in the greater LA area is a 10-minute drive away: Frenchy's Bistro is its name and the food is dazzling.
Belmont Shore is about 15 minutes away, and it's our "walking and noshing" neighborhood-- very locals-only (and Cal State Long Beach students), although people do come in from neighboring cities (it's very laid-back). There are great eateries there, too many to list here. In fact, Long Beach is a great restaurant town-- the same quality and variety of LA without the "I'm your server/part-time actor/but I really want to direct/wanna look at my screenplay?" attitude.
Having said all this, I'd still think about moving a little closer in to the LA metro area (Long Beach is a completely separate city, outside the LA city limits). Beverly Hills would put you central to everything you've named so far as being of interest, and there are moderately-priced hotels/motels in the area (the amusingly-named Farmer's Daughter Hotel, across from CBS Television City and the LA Farmer's Market, is one good choice).
If you decide to stay there: The area is thoroughly Suburban Office Park, with a big Ralphs supermarket about a mile away down Lakewood Blvd., a Vons market about the same distance away on Ximeno, a GREAT Mexican fast-food joint called Baja Sonora down Spring (at Clark), a killer Thai place up Lakewood (Norse Way, just off of Carson) called Tiny Thai, etc. The best French bistro in the greater LA area is a 10-minute drive away: Frenchy's Bistro is its name and the food is dazzling.
Belmont Shore is about 15 minutes away, and it's our "walking and noshing" neighborhood-- very locals-only (and Cal State Long Beach students), although people do come in from neighboring cities (it's very laid-back). There are great eateries there, too many to list here. In fact, Long Beach is a great restaurant town-- the same quality and variety of LA without the "I'm your server/part-time actor/but I really want to direct/wanna look at my screenplay?" attitude.
Having said all this, I'd still think about moving a little closer in to the LA metro area (Long Beach is a completely separate city, outside the LA city limits). Beverly Hills would put you central to everything you've named so far as being of interest, and there are moderately-priced hotels/motels in the area (the amusingly-named Farmer's Daughter Hotel, across from CBS Television City and the LA Farmer's Market, is one good choice).
