Long Beach is about two hours away from central Los Angeles, but it’s a calm port town that has nothing in common with the hectic City of Angels – apart from its amazing food.
You can get to Long Beach from central LA through a blue line train that takes about an hour and 15 minutes. The ocean is within walking distance from the 1st Street stop.
Long Beach is a port and marina town with an extremely pretty village on the sea and a lighthouse that looks like a painting. You can get there by following the beach path.
Once you’ve checked out the village and the neighbouring aquarium, head down to the beach, beautifully deserted but still pleasant during this time of year.
If you’re tired of sunbathing, head down to Broadway or to East 4th Street, Long Beach’s “Gaybourhood” full of thrift stores selling Hawaiian shirts, wonderful bars and restaurants. The gay community here is friendly and vibrant – Long Beach has the third biggest gay pride in the US.
As for where to eat, try the fried tomatoes with cheese and alligator sausage at The Attic on Broadway and add the cajun fries to the mix.
If you like South American cuisine, try the taco hondureno and the plantains stuffed with beef and cheese at Honduras – heavy but delightful.
One of my favourite discoveries has been Lola’s Mexican Cuisine on East 4th street. Lola’s is full of mexican skulls and of tattooed and hip waiters. Try the Mole Pueblo, tender chicken in spicy hot chocolate sauce. Delicious just like the Tres Leches cake I had for dessert… even if it looks weird.
For a healthier option, don’t miss the tiny Tru Nature smoothie and juice bar on Broadway. Smoothies like Pitaya Mango and Peanut Butter Delight, together with Açai and Pitaya bowls, have been my not-so-guilty pleasure during this holiday. For a more exciting combination, try the Dark Chocolate Açai smoothie with a hint of kale – as hipster as it sounds, it’s terribly fresh and tasty.
One last reason to visit Long Beach is its importance as a TV show location. It might look familiar to you because it was the set of TV shows Dexter and CSI Miami, both cheaper and easier to shoot right next to LA rather than in Florida.
Pictures: Carolina Are
Long Beach é a due ore di metro da Los Angeles, ma non potrebbe essere piú diversa dalla caotica Cittá degli Angeli – se escludiamo le eclettiche opzioni culinarie.
Potete raggiungere Long Beach tramite la metro di Los Angeles, con la linea blu, in circa un’ora e 15 minuti. L’oceano é a due passi dalla stazione di 1st street.
La marina di Long Beach, il faro e l’acquario offrono una vista pittoresca della cittá, mentre la spiaggia, con la passerella per chi corre o va in bicicletta, é vuota ma ancora perfetta nonostante sia ottobre.
Se siete stanchi di prendere il sole, passate per il quartiere gay tra Broadway e East 4th Street per bar, ristoranti e negozi vintage che vendono camicie hawaiane.Long Beach ha il terzo gay pride più grande d’America ed è composta da una comunitá tranquilla e amichevole.
Passate per The Attic a Broadway per piatti creoli come le patatine fritte in salsa cajun e i pomodori fritti con formaggio e salsiccia d’alligatore.
Se vi piace la cucina honduregna, Honduras a East 4th Street é il posto per voi. Provate i pesanti ma ottimi tacos honduregni e i platani fritti ripieni di formaggio e manzo.
Una delle mie scoperte preferite è stato il ristorante di East 4th Street Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, dove ho provato il Mole Pueblo, pollo piccante in salsa di cioccolato fondente. Per dessert ho preso la torta Tres Leches, deliziosa!
La mia scoperta preferita peró é stata Tru Nature, un mini bar di succhi e frullati. Provate il frullato al Mango e Pitaya o quello al Burro d’arachidi e banana. Non fatevi scappare le ciotole con frutta e purée di açai e pitaya! Se invece siete in vena di sperimentare, provate lo smoothie al cioccolato fondente e all’açai, con un retrogusto di foglie d’insalata che lo rendono piú fresco.
Un’altra ragione per visitare Long Beach é la sua importanza per le serie TV americane. Qui infatti hanno girato Dexter e CSI Miami, più facili ed economiche da girare vicino Los Angeles che in Florida.
Foto: Carolina Are
