Shoreline Village in Long Beach

Shoreline panaramic 2

Shoreline Village, Long Beach. ( With a short skip over the Terminal Island Bridge))

The second happiest place on Earth.

Although I agree that Disneyland is the number one happiest place on earth, for this story we are talking about Shoreline Village in Long Beach, California.

Shoreline village

Why Shoreline Village for the second happiest place? I don’t know. All I know is that while we were there it was as if everyone was on happy pills. Everyone walking by or on rental bikes/ surreys and all waved and hooted as they passed by us. Even while we were sitting in the patio having a beer, people came up to us, said hi, etc.

It was weird, but a good kind of weird.

However, it wasn’t hard to understand why everyone was so happy, it was a beautiful day in California, the wind was a perfect temperature, the weather was warm and sunny, the harbor was calm and beautiful. It was just a perfect setting. The regal Queen Mary was moored across the harbor, the  convention center with it’s huge mural stood proudly across the street, and a Lighthouse added to the ambiance of the place.

Long Beach Queen Mary Conevtion centerLight house by Shoreline

There were festivals happening across the street and there were tons of people walking around but the village area had something most beach cities don’t have, plenty of parking.

We strolled around the quaint village with all of the shops and restaurants which were all packed, but we still managed to find seats right at the bar overlooking the bay. To continue our quest into happy land, the waitress didn’t care that I had my dog on my lap while sipping a cold one. In the center of the village a band was playing sultry blues and the schedule of performers goes on through summer with various types of music. We decided we will go there again but this time we will rent a boat and tool around the harbor.

Long Beach Cruise shipLong Beach with Queen Mary in Background
While I would have stayed longer, the meter was up and it was time to explore some more of that area. So on toward San Pedro and across the Terminal Island bridge. This is where commerce begins. There were hundreds and hundreds of shipping containers stacked 6 high in the shipping yards along the way. We were amazed at this massive area with all of the cranes and cargo ships and we wondered how they kept track of it all. We even saw one enormous ship leaving the bay on a Sunday, off to who knows where to deliver goods made in the good ole U.S.A.  It is a fascinating area and something you have to see.

Los Angeles harbor entrance looking towards Long BeachLong Beach Harbor ship in background

Beyond the shipping area you pass by Los Angeles harbor with Cabrillo Beach nearby. Looking down from our vista point you can see a long jetty with fisherman dotted along the way. At the end of the jetty is a lone lighthouse leading the way for homeward bound ships and boats. Inside the harbor is a perfect spot for kayaking and SUP’s.

CAbrillo looking towards long beach
Just around the corner heading north we stopped for the day but will return for another staycation story on Palos Verdes.

Cliff SouthCliff looking north

From its old historic buildings, bustling port, recreation area. harbors, special events, and to its odd oil rig islands, we recommend exploring Long Beach and we hope you will be as happy as we were.

Old buildingOil Island

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