Beach Is in This California Town’s Name, but It Offers Much More

By: Lucas Peterson

Long Beach has a cute and compact downtown, good food, ethnic and cultural diversity, a thriving L.G.B.T. community, and some unparalleled wildlife viewing opportunities.

The word “discover” is always a misnomer when used by travelers: when a place is new to you, that doesn’t mean it’s new to everyone else. This was reinforced recently in the midst of my excitement exploring a dynamic midsize city close to where I live in Los Angeles, one with roughly the population of Miami or Kansas City. No, I’m not referring to San Diego nor Palm Springs.

I’m talking about Long Beach, Calif., a port city less than 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. It’s got a cute and compact downtown, good food, ethnic and cultural diversity, a thriving L.G.B.T. community, and some unparalleled wildlife viewing opportunities. It is, in short, a city entirely worthy of anyone’s time — and I have no one to blame but myself for not realizing it sooner. 

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