Always a good time and another great thing the city does for free…read more If you like being outside in the summer and listening to music these events are for you.

"Hey Robin, do you want to go see KISS*?" "Are you kidding?…read moreI can't stand KISS!" "What if it's only 3 miles away with front row seating, it's free and Delius (http://www.yelp.com/biz/delius-restaurant-signal-hill#hrid:KFRZRQBd6YCfrg8D-6KZUw/src:self) is providing the desserts?" "Now you're speaking my language!" And I was treated to what turned out to be the best of the whole summer series of the Signal Hill concerts. These guys were totally into the act, making this performance the grandest finale I've seen here yet. I had so much fun up there with the dolled-up spark of high-heeled boys. But wait, I recall Gene's tongue being much, much longer... hmm**. That was about the only thing I missed with this group. I may not like KISS but I sure enjoyed this show! When I attend a rock 'n roll show, I want to be entertained and I got that in spades with these "thunder gods". *Gods of Thunder ("World's Best KISS Tribute Band)http://www.gotkisstribute.com/home.html **Having met Gene Simmons twice, I've seen the real deal ;-)

Oh hey, American Pie, Weird Science, and Donnie Darko houses are also along Country Club Drive in…read moreLong Beach too?! Sweet!!! After you've finished checking out the houses from Ferris Bueller (which was also featured in Red Dragon and Not Another Teen Movie) and Painters' House from American Pie 2, swing on over to the other streets surrounding Country Club Drive in Long Beach to check out these film location houses. Originally, I was planning on just visiting Ferris Bueller's House. Thanks to my trusty Yelp, it also pulled up this feed and other Yelpers reviewed the surrounding houses. Furthermore, a huge shout-out to Yelper Alana M., for posting the addresses on her picture captions. Definitely saved me the huge headache of trying to find them, lol! With that, I continued on my mini house tour before heading over to my first ever Long Beach Elite Perk from Alex, the newly appointed Long Beach Community Manager, yay! Admissions and Parking: All free and residential parking all around. Yes, residents actually live in these homes and so please be respectful and quiet when visiting the neighborhood. Locations: +2001 Donnie Darko House: 4225 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore: A demonic-looking rabbit tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days when Donnie sleepwalks outside his house during the 1988 presidential election. I had never seen this movie but decided to check out house since it's here in Long Beach. +1985 Weird Science House: 4252 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall and IIan Mitchell-Smith. Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman. Loved this movie! Always rooting for the geeks and Lisa (their creation) was sassy, loving, protective and brilliant! Then again, John Hughes' movies are always dope! (Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, etc). +Jim's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Stewart Way), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginity by prom. Lol, the apple pie sex scene! Can't live that imagine down...ever, lol! +Michele's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Roosevelt Road), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott. Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Nicholas, Shannon Elizabeth: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginities by prom. Michele's infamous quote: "And this one time at band camp...I stuck a flute in my...." LOL! Not so innocent, geeky, little band camp girl after all. She definitely taught Jim a thing or two.... If you're a fan of Donnie Darko, Weird Science, and/or the American Pie Franchise movies, come on over and check it out on these streets!

Looking for something fun to do this afternoon? Want to impress your out of town guests or your…read moreday date? Put on your walking shoes or hop on your bikes and check out the "Little Hollywood" of Long Beach. The Virginia Country Club area of LB is where you'll find the real homes used in the filming of "American Pie," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Red Dragon," "Donnie Darko" , "Weird Science" and "Not A Teen Movie". Filming continues in this neighborhood and a few weeks ago they were taping episodes of "Dexter" in the area. Many of these locations are close enough together you can see a few at a time. But with nearby Rancho Los Cerritos, Los Cerritos Park or the Bixby Knolls Biz area, a visit to a few of these spots can make for a wonderful day! [ Warning: These are private homes. Do not trespass on their property, knock on their doors, or otherwise disturb the residents' privacy. ]

This organization needs to get their acts together. At both entrances there were long lines, one…read morecircling around the block, the main one we had to wait in line over an hour. There was no organized line , allowing people to cut the line, slowing the main line. At the gate, only two people scanning tickets. I have never seen such a lack of organization and crowd control at any event. If you are going there to take photos, there are not that many spots to shoot good photos away from the fences, get ready to fork out over $400 for about a dozen spots. Like in most motorsports, one thing this organization is good at is blocking good watching and photo spots

I think like most people here I am going to say the same thing which is I been coming to the Grand…read morePrix for a loooong time and it's become an annual tradition to come out and enjoy it all I love the smell of fuel the sounds of the roars of the engines and the overall atmosphere of the cars and people enjoying a good time whether if you are there alone or friends or family or a date it's an event for everyone I enjoy seeing all the different cars practicing or racing but also the convention center with all the things happening there and out back Food options come in the form of the kind of stuff you find at a fair/carnival and drinks too but also there's lots of restaurants to choose from Crew always seem to be friendly and it's always a smooth entrance The bad part is parking and seems to be getting worse each year This time I parked like a mile away practically wheee the 710 starts lol but it is what it is

Cute spot to walk around and watch the the scenery…read more..... featuring a rotating collection of modern sculptures in a peaceful setting with paved paths, seating, but very small. Located right next to the library. Glad we came to check it out.

Didn't even know this existed and I pass by it everyday. Beautiful intimate sculptures garden…read more Take a little walk and sit to absorb the beauty of it. Right next to Sheriff office. So happy I found it.

Any area with a focus on ART gets an approval rating from me. Adding creativity and beauty to the…read moreworld is always a good thing. With art, you'll always find works you like and some you don't like as much but through it all, the artist prevails to tell their story through a medium that allows expression. Appreciate it all. A rather quiet few blocks in a rather busy eclectic city. Even the term "art" is related to the Latin word "ars" meaning, art, skill, or craft. So there you have it. East Village Art District, do your thing.

One of my favorite neighborhoods to wander around in Long Beach…read more I love the fact that it still has some quirkiness and quaintness. Yes, there is development happening all around -- and here, too -- but some of the uniqueness has been maintained by the buildings and by the shops and restaurants in the area. Worth a wander around, and to support some of these local businesses. 2020: 44/100

Great views! Can't lose coming here and taking a few pictures for posterity. Make sure to bring a…read morejacket just in case the weather is cold though.

This location is noted on maps as "Scenic Outlook - Vista Point" but we just call it the Hawthorne…read moreOverlook. Considering the light traffic in the area, the spot is as popular as one would expect...i.e., not crowded. It must be accessed going uphill on Hawthorne due to the median. Heading up, the overlook is steps before the stoplight at Vallon Drive. There's room for about 5 cars in the turnout (no meters). There's also a bus stop (bus line 344) but in more than a decade I've never seen a bus. No overnight parking is allowed - from 10pm-5am. The overlook has one bench, that's it. But people pull over to take in the panoramic views often without getting out of their cars: Terranea Resort far below, Catalina offshore, protruding peninsulas to the south. You'll sometimes see a red-tailed hawk circling around. And when yellow wild mustard covers the surrounding hills in early spring, hang onto your hat. The view is dramatic in any weather conditions, including fog. Sunrise, sunset, clear days, overcast days.....the changes in the landscape & sky are the enticing draw. Easy to understand why I take this "scenic route" when driving up the hill to do errands. I've never not been able to pull over & park - people don't stay long, just long enough to snap a few photos/videos. A couple days ago the view was so stunning that a lady pulled her car in behind me & jumped out so fast with camera she left her car door wide open. I'm so glad this overlook exists because there's really no other place to park on this stretch of Hawthorne offering unobstructed views. So if you're driving up or down the coast, take a minute (literally) to go up Hawthorne to check it out. The rugged beauty of the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline is truly breathtaking. I'm completely in love with this magical area.

A yearly classic outing for fun and festivities. The food lines seemed much better this year with…read moremore offerings. Helped with the lines for sure. A couple of interesting items to note. This year, security did not seem to be in place by Tustin PD but with a private security company. I also did not see a Police Department booth this year. Maybe they were a bit upset that they didn't get the security contract for the event? Still had no problems and it all went well with no problems during the time we were there. Great bands again, good overall feel. Things were laid out a little differently but that's a good thing. They had one new item that really seemed to catch people's attention. There was a Car Smash booth area for charity that was so much fun to watch. Please see my photos. What a great idea, very much like an outdoor "Rage Room" kind of vibe. People were really into it. There was one mother yelling at her daughter while she was swinging the bat "That's it honey, just remember the way he broke your heart!"...lol, you get it girl! Brought a friend who had never been before, and they loved the overall community feel of this event. I'll see you there next year near the beer tent.

It's great to see a city have an annual event like this. They had lots of events and programs for…read morethe old and young. Parking was managable with the surrounding neighborhoods however still a far walk to the fair. They need more signs as to how much the wristband costs. There was a long line to get wristbands only because people were trying to read the prompts to figure out their options. If they had signs that tell you your options, you can decide before you get to the terminal to purchase. All in all, I found the carnival games and food vendors over priced. A $20 wristband was enough for 1 game not for 2 you would have to recharge or pay additional. Why not make it easier for the parents and kids and just make it enough credits for 2 games or more.

The Jergins Subway is a tunnel that was built under Ocean Blvd. at Pine Ave. in the 1920's as a…read moresafe way to cross under the street. It led from the corner of Pine Ave. (I believe the one opposite Rock Bottom, which is now a hotel) across the street to what is now a parking lot directly across from the Ocean Center building. The builder, Mr. Jergins, designed it with fancy tilework and a huge skylight. The tunnel ran under Ocean Boulevard and connected up with the Jergins Arcade. The Jergins Arcade was also a walk through with a series of shops along the way which opened at the far end onto the Pike. The Jergins Subway had no shops except during the 1930's in the depression when people were allowed to open booths along the walls. These were taken out in 1940. The subway has been closed off since the demolition of the Jergins Trust Building.... not sure when that was. It was recently opened for inspection and local historians say the tile work is still in great shape. The floor tile is in a kind of mosaic that looks like carpet. There is beautiful wall tile going up 10 feet with a decorative cap. Most of the ceiling is also tiled though the skylight has long since been filled in. The tunnel is very long, more than 180 feet. There is some graffiti on the walls and evidence of a homeless camp at the far northern end. The original steps are still there but there is a concrete wall blocking off that north end. I recently found out about the Subway while researching the old Pike and I've been wanting to go try to "find" it. On a recent walk down Ocean Blvd, my bf and I found what we think is a door leading to the inside of the tunnel. It's located in the parking lot across the street from Caso Vino / Ocean Center Building. It's in a fenced off construction site. Very cool that a part of Long Beach's history still exists, virtually untouched, hidden under the street. I hope one day it can be opened again, because not only is it historically significant, but crossing Ocean and Pine (especially at night) can be a little dangerous with all the traffic. Also check out another piece of old Pike history if you're in the same area. Located on Seaside Way & Pine Ave. (right near Casa Vino) is a huge old building up on blocks in a fenced off parking lot. It's an original building from the old Pike.. called the Loof's-Lite-A-Line building that once housed a carousel and later a gaming hall. It's about 90 years old and was considered to be the center of the old Pike. Loof's-Lite-A-Line still exists.. it's located now at 2500 Long Beach Blvd. Thanks to Paul Prosise for some of the text.

Wow, I now think I may have an idea how Geraldo Rivera felt when he finally opened Al Capone's…read morevault. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was a serious letdown. Oh sure, it was cool seeing a place that time forgot, but they don't really let you behind the curtain. From what I understand, all the cool shit is still blocked off! I will say that it kinda reminded me of that scene in Beneath The Planet of the Apes where Brent discovers a cave that ends up being a post apocalyptic New York Subway station. Maybe if they had a guy dressed up as Victor Bueno in a deformed mutant costume, I may have bumped this up a couple stars.