Insider's Guide to Southern California

NAVIGATION

PLAZAS & NEIGHBORHOODS

When we get away to other cities, such as San Francisco or New York, we notice that they are great places to explore on foot. It's a great way to find good restaurants, shops, and to get to know the people who live there.

The L.A. area is not known for being a pedestrian friendly area. It is a disjointed area of many cities and neighborhoods that do not have a central area (you would not want to walk around downtown L.A at night or on the weekends). There are several areas, however, where entertainment, dining, & ambience have combined to provide such an experience here in Southern California.

You've probably heard about our most popular gathering spots such as Universal Citywalk, Venice Beach, and Westwood, but here are several more that are also well worth a visit:

Balboa Peninsula & Island,

Newport Beach. Step back in time to this seaside area in upscale Newport Beach. Anchored around the Balboa Pier and Ferry area, this place offers great fun for everyone. Kids will want to try the rides in the Fun Zone (at the peninsula terminus of the Balboa Ferry) and parents will like the quaint shops & restaurants on Balboa Island. The whole family will like spending the day on the beach or renting a boat to cruise the bay.

We never get past the El Torito Grill at Fashion Island so we cannot give you any recommendations but there are dozens of restaurants here to choose from. The better ones appear to be on Balboa Island.

Belmont Shore,

Long Beach is a mile-long neighborhood that lines up around Second Street between Naples Island and Ocean Bl. There are several restaurants here along with shops, cafes, bars & nightclubs. It's a very friendly, laid-back area that never gets too crowded but is never deserted either. Parking can be difficult at times but look for lots lined along the alleys that parallel Second Street. Almost all parking here is metered.

These restaurants offer good food & service: B.J.'s (see the restaurant page), Papalucci's, Shanandoah, and Gazelle. For fast food try the Fastfood Corner at Mykonos. Avoid Taco Surf...it looks nice & fun but the food is really below par.

Be sure to stop off at Legend's, one of the world's great sports bars. Children are welcome and there is over a dozen TV's tuned in to all televised sports events. Also a restaurant serving good food. It can get very busy during major sports events.

For coffee, head over to Polly's at the north end of the street for a great cup of coffee while you read a paper or watch them roast their beans.

Don't forget, this area is next to some fine beaches where you can lay in the sun or take in one of the many activities offered. See the Long Beach section of the beaches page for more info on that.

There are no movie theaters here but you could catch a ride on the free Runabout over to Pine Square to catch a movie on one of the 16 screens at the AMC theater there.

Old Town (Myrtle Avenue),

Monrovia is very family-oriented stretch of downtown Monrovia that is an up & coming contender to some of the other neighborhoods listed here. The stretch from Olive Ave. to Foothill Bl. ahs been redesigned and refurbished to provide a very pleasant pedestrian atmosphere. There are restaurants, an upscale billiard club, an old fashioned soda fountain, and many specialty shops. Monrovia is over 100 years old and many of these buildings have been here almost as long. Old Town is also the home of the Friday Family Festival held each Friday night, March through December. Check the events page for further details on that.

These are the restaurants to try along Myrtle: the Monrovian for good, basic coffee shop food; Hannah's for BBQ and soul food; Sandwiches Etc...great sanwiches; Antoijitos (on Colorado Ave, 1/2 block east of Myrtle) for great Mexican fast food; and the empanadas place on Lemon (4 doors east of Myrtle) for great Argentine empanadas.

The landmark store on Myrtle is Valley Ace Hardware on the east side of the street between Olive & Colorado. One of the truly great model train displays resides in their front window. It should look familiar to you as this storefront has been filmed in many movies, TV shows, and commercials (as has the whole Myrtle Avenue Old Town area). The owner here is very instrumental in keeping Myrtle Avenue as it is and for getting the merchant association's Rose Parade together float each year.

For coffee, the place is Bean Town on the corner of Lemon Ave.

At the current time, there are no theaters along Myrtle but there is a plan to build a 12 screen Krikorian theater here. The city will vote on that project this spring.

The citizens of Monrovia have approved the new theater on Myrtle Avenue. Construction should begin soon on a Krikorian 12 screen theater to anchor this area.

Old Town,

Pasadena is getting to be very popular and well known. Centered around Colorado Bl & Fair Oaks, this area stretches for many blocks in every direction. There are 2 movie multiplexes here, a lot of restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs, and shops. It is also getting very crowded here...all pedestrians are confined to sidewalks which are further narrowed by the restaurants expanding into sidewalk cafes. It would be nice if the city of Pasadena would consider closing Colorado Bl. on weekend nights in this area to give people some breathing room. All in all, it wouldn't be so popular if it wasn't a nice place to be.

Here are some of our favorite restaurants here: Mi Piaci, Market City Caffe and Domenico's...all italian. The Crown City Brewery, nearby on the corner of Del Mar and Raymond Avenue, serves up great home-made beer & food.

Take the 210 freway to Pasadena and exit on Fair Oaks. Head south to Colorado. Parking is hard to come by, but look for one of the many pay lots in the area.

Pine Square,

Long Beach is a fairly new development in downtown Long Beach with plenty of entertainment for everybody. There is a huge movie theater...the AMC Pine Square 16..., many diverse restaurants, bars, nightclubs, coffee bars, and just a few shops. A large shopping mall is just a block up on Pine Ave. It's not nearly as big as Old Town Pasadena or even Belmont Shore but it does manage to pack quite a punch in it's small (4 block) area. The New England themed Shoreline Village shopping center is also nearby and is reached via a pedestrian bridg going south on Pine Ave. and the Long Beach Convention Center/Civic Auditorium/Arena is just 1 block the other direction. This area is centered around the intersection of Pine Avenue and Broadway in downtown Long Beach.

For restaurants, check out L' Opera (check the places to eat page for more info) for an outstanding gourmet Italian meal. We've also heard great reviews of Andiamo in the same block. For a really different change of pace, try Alegria Cafe & Tapas Bar ((310) 436-3388, 115 Pine Ave), where you can watch live Flamenco dancers while you eat. Pine Ave. Fish House on the corner of Pine & Broadway offers fine seafood entres. Fast food outlets also abound here, mostly concentrated in the front court of the theater. Here you will find New York pizza, bagels, and a Johnny Rockets outlet.

The AMC Pine Square 16 theater at 245 Pine Ave. offers plenty of first-run movies to watch in a very pleasant setting. Afterward, head over to the coffee bar next to the Alegria Cafe for a great cuppa joe and some live entertainment.

If you're kidless, there are plenty of night clubs located up & down the block where you can dance the night away. Or, just south of Ocean Bl. is the Comedy Club where you can laugh to your heart's content.

There are plenty of pay parking lots in the area and very little curbside parking. Valet stations also abound. You can also get here from downtown L.A. by taking the Blue Line trolley, which drops you off right in the middle of Pine Square.

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