Long Beach, Ca: The Making Of A Tourist Town

Parks & Recreation, Sept, 2000 by Daniel Wegner

With a booming economy and vibrant tourism growth, the city of Long Beach has successfully improved its image after the downsizing of the aerospace industry and naval base closures.

Long Beach is quickly becoming Southern California's rising star in the destination marketplace, offering hot new attractions such as the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Museum of Latin American Art, and attracting multimillion-dollar redevelopment and commerce growth.

Long Beach is one of the best examples of a town that has successfully redirected its destiny to become one of the most popular Southern California vacation destinations. For the new millennium, the Long Beach skyline will be dramatically transformed via a number of developments and renovations including: the completion of Queensway Bay, a spectacular waterfront redevelopment of unique shopping centers, restaurants, attractions, and architecture; a renovated Queen Mary, the retired ocean liner, with an adjacent Science Fiction Hall of Fame and concert hall; new hotels; an expanded Museum of Latin American Art; and a renovated downtown district.

The transformation of Long Beach is tied to its historic past. The origin of the Los Angeles basin can be traced by visiting either of Long Beach's traditional California ranchos. Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos demonstrate rancho life in the 1850s and enable visitors to tour the original homes and gardens. Both ranchos originate from the Nieto Land Grant, the largest land grant ever bestowed in California. Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos are havens in the midst of city life and provide historical and educational programs.

When Long Beach city planners targeted downtown Long Beach for redevelopment, they had a solid vision: Bring in new retailers, restaurants, and nightclubs, yet maintain the downtown area's rich history and ambience. Downtown's main shopping boulevard, Pine Avenue, has since emerged as a Southern California hotspot for dining and entertainment. Visitors to the area will note that the historical art deco character of the district still remains. The Security Bank building, built in 1924, is now home to the Madison Restaurant, which preserved the original teller cages and high, wood-beamed ceilings. The Recreation Mosaic that once graced the entrance to the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium (no longer present) is now on the side of the Plaza parking structure. Z Gallerie, a contemporary home furnishing store is located in what was originally a Masonic temple (circa 1903), the oldest remaining building in downtown Long Beach. Before Hollywood emerged on the scene, Long Beach held the title of the entertainment capital of the world. By 1917, the thriving movie town established itself as a film industry leader and was the city's main tourist attraction and employer. Balboa Studios, a popular filming venue from 1913-1918, is now part of the Museum of Latin American Art.

Hotel Occupancy at an All Time High

At the end of Pine Avenue, one can visit the former Breakers hotel and its amazing Sky Room restaurant, where Elizabeth Taylor spent her first honeymoon night after her wedding to husband No. 1, Nicky Hilton. Hotel occupancy, in general, is at an all time high. In 1999 the city posted the highest occupancy rate ever achieved and the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau booked record room reservations.

More than 30 years ago, Long Beach's most recognized icon sailed into the city. Britain's prized and most luxurious ocean liner embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton in 1936 and streamed routinely across the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton to New York City. The Queen Mary was conscripted in 1939 and became a troopship that transported more than 5,000 soldiers at a time. Winston Churchill appointed the Queen Mary his seaborne headquarters and signed the D-Day invasion plans while secretly on board the ship.

With a new 66-year lease in place, the Queen Mary began a major, extensive, property-wide renovation and development of the 45-acre site, with the first phase starting in January 1999. The renovation includes the Hotel Queen Mary, meeting/banquet rooms, hotel lobby, exhibit hall, public areas, parking structures, and surrounding properties. The 365 staterooms of the Hotel Queen Mary are also being upgraded while maintaining the classic art deco styling and furnishings.

Since July 1998, the historic Queen Mary ocean liner has shared its Long Beach Harbor home with another maritime phenomenon--the Soviet-built Foxtrot-class submarine Povodnaya Lodka B-427. Commissioned in 1973 by the Soviet Government during the height of the Cold War-era, Povodnaya Lodka B-427, also known by the code name Scorpion, enjoyed a 21-year career before the Soviet Navy decommissioned her in 1994. The 3,000-ton vessel moved from Sydney, Australia, to Long Beach, where she is open for public tours through the next three years. Although there are a number of submarines on display around the world, the Scorpion is the only one that has been restored to its original operating battle condition.