Friday Photos: Long Beach, California

The Ocean Center Building at 110 West Ocean Boulevard

On the penultimate day of my 2012 visit to America, I went to Long Beach, California. I had never been there before, and wanting to get out of downtown Los Angeles, a trip to the ocean seemed just the ticket before a long flight back to Australia. Here are some snapshots of my visit.

For Sale? Yes, please. Long Beach, California

I assumed Long Beach was part of Los Angeles, but it seems Long Beach is a city in its own right. In fact it qualifies as the 36th-largest city in the United States, and the seventh-largest in California. In addition, Long Beach is the second largest city within the Greater Los Angeles Area, after Los Angeles itself. As of 2010, its population was just over 462,000.

Parkers’ Lighthouse, Long Beach, California

Long Beach apparently suffers from some of the worst air pollution in Southern California and the United States. Thankfully, on the afternoon I visited, non of this pollution seemed to be in evidence judging by the mostly cloudless, and ever present bright blue sky.

Lighthouse, Long Beach, California

The Port of Long Beach is the United States' second busiest container port and one of the world's largest shipping ports. Trade valued annually at more than $140 billion moves through Long Beach, making it the second-busiest seaport in the United States.

Carnival Inspiration (left), and Queen Mary (right), Long Beach, California

The RMS Queen Mary is a 1936 art deco ocean liner which is permanently docked at Long Beach. Roughly 200 ft (61 m) longer than the RMS Titanic, the former Cunard Liner is famous for being the fastest in the world from 1936 to 1952; for its distinctive art deco design, and for its use during World War II as a troop transport. It was purchased by the city of Long Beach in 1967, and converted to a hotel and maritime museum. Unfortunately, I did not have time to get any closer than this view, which is a pity. As a former ship yard worker, I would have loved the opportunity to go on board and give the ship a closer inspection.

The Carnival Inspiration, Long Beach, California

With the Carnival Inspiration berthed so close to the Queen Mary, it was a perfect opportunity to make a visual comparison between the old and new cruise liners. One imagines vast differences between the layout and facilities of each ship, but both no doubt have their champions, even today. If you had a choice, which would you prefer to sail on?

Shopping outlet at Shoreline Village, Long Beach, California

I did not have time to check out other attractions around Long Beach, but the 5-acre (20,000 m2) Aquarium of the Pacific is located nearby, as is the Long Beach Convention Center, and the Shoreline Village, where these two images (above and below) were taken―as were the two photos above of Parker’s Lighthouse. 

Waiting for my ship to come in at Long Beach, California

Downtown Long Beach is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Downtown Los Angeles. I got there by boarding a Metro train somewhere downtown, and riding it to Long Beach. I enjoyed my visit, although it was far too brief, and given the chance I would like an opportunity to spend several days in the area exploring further.

More Information

Thanks to Wikipedia for the background information used in this post. See the full Long Beach Wikipedia entry here...

P.S. Click on the images to view full size. 

All Aboard the World’s Largest Zeppelin!

~ Now this sounds like a real buzz – watching fireworks light the Fourth of July night sky in Los Angeles, while soaring 1000 feet above the Pacific Coast aboard the Airship Ventures Zeppelin Eureka.

Returning to the Southern California skies after a sold-out engagement in May, Eureka will offer flight-seeing tours above L.A. from July 3-7, 2009.

The highlight of Eureka’s return trip to the L.A. skies will be a special two-hour Independence Day fireworks flight that takes advantage of the Zeppelin’s 360-degree panoramas to offer passengers stunning views of fireworks shows up and down the L.A. coastline. The fireworks flight is one of many tours offered during the Zeppelin’s six-day excursion to Los Angeles, which also include one- and two-hour flightseeing tours and private charters.

Flightseeing experiences offer magnificent views of Southern California landmarks, such as the historic Queen Mary, Long Beach Harbor, the Sunset Strip, the Hollywood sign, as well as sweeping vistas of the Pacific Coast from Huntington Beach to Santa Monica.

For those seeking the ultimate Zeppelin experience, tours are available on the transit flights between Long Beach and the San Francisco Bay Area. Soaring above the California Coastline and Central Valley, these 8-hour cruises follow Highway 1 on July 1st (southbound), and July 8 (northbound) as the Zeppelin travels to and from Long Beach from her home base at Moffett Field near San Francisco.

Los Angeles-area flights will depart from the AirFlite FBO terminal, adjacent to the main terminal at Long Beach Airport (3250 Airflite Way, Long Beach, CA 90807, at the corner of Cherry and Wardlow). One-hour flights are $495, plus tax, per person; two-hour flights are $990, plus tax, per person; and the spectacular Fourth of July fireworks flight is $1,200, plus tax, per person.

One- and two-hour flightseeing tours booked before June 30, 2009, will be eligible for the company’s “buy one flightseeing ticket, save 50% on the second,” promotional pricing (excluding the Fourth of July Fireworks Flight). Passengers on every flight will receive a certificate redeemable for a buy-one-get-one free general admission to the Queen Mary, good through September 30, 2009.

At 246 feet in length, Airship Ventures’ Eureka is the world’s largest airship—15 feet longer than a Boeing 747, and dwarfing the largest blimp by more than 50 feet. One of only three Zeppelins currently operating in the world, Eureka offers passengers spectacular 360-degree views of the sights on flight-seeing tours above the San Francisco Bay, Silicon Valley, Monterey and Los Angeles.

About Airship Ventures, Inc.

Founded in 2007 in California, Airship Ventures, Inc., operates the only passenger airship operation in the United States, featuring “Eureka,” the world’s largest airship. The Zeppelin’s spacious cabin comfortably accommodates one pilot, one flight attendant, and 12 passengers with luxury features including oversized panoramic windows, an onboard restroom with window, and a 180-degree rear observation window and “love seat” that wraps the entire aft of the cabin. Using the inert gas helium for lift, and vectored thrust engines for flight, Zeppelin NTs have been flying in Germany and Japan since 1997 with an unparalleled safety record.

For more information the visit Airship Ventures website...

Or call 650-969-8100 x111

IMAGE: Courtesy of Airship Ventures

Photographer: Achim Mende