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    Betty's Bench Landmarks & Historical Buildings Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Betty's Bench

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    Neptune Fountain

    Neptune Fountain

    4.9(15 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    Wow! A beautiful and intriguing fountain in the middle of a small parking lot…read more The mermaids are in a peculiar stance and doing special things with their hands. Don't remember too much of those poses/statues in high school history classes.

    Dec. 2011 review update:…read more I'm obsessed with this fountain. I might need an intervention. I'm in Malaga Cove Plaza every couple days: post office, market, coffee shop, cafes, gift shop, newspapers....recently I was there to get my hair done. I got to Malaga 40 min early so I could check out fountain photo ops. I was almost late for my appt.. Two hours later, hair cut & colored, I'm back at the fountain waiting for sunset. I was freezing. I was hungry. Should've gone potty before I left the salon but was in a hurry to get back to the fountain....(TMI, apologies). Sometimes in the plaza I avoid looking at the fountain. Resist. Don't take that first pic, you'll be hooked. A couple times they shut off the fountain's water & I felt a sense of panic. Withdrawal symptoms. I never check-in here. People will get wise. She's at the fountain again. Complete transparency: I haven't posted all the pics I've taken, not even close. It's embarrassing. This has been going on for 8 years. I'm exhausted. That Beach Boys song, "Help Me Rhonda", plays in my head but I altered the words: Help me Neptune Help, help me Neptune Help me get him out of my head. I've seen a lot of beautiful fountains in my day (e.g., Chicago's landmark Buckingham Fountain) but none so captivating as this one. It's got me. And there are no barriers here to keep people at a distance. It's so easy to use the sky as a photo backdrop, as water squirts & drips from every cherub, mermaid & dolphin orifice. Flowering trees surround the fountain in late winter/early spring. And Neptune, the star of the show, appears to reach for clouds & contrails. Sometimes it looks as if they emanate from his giant hand. He's powerful. I'm smitten. Another Yelper managed to capture Neptune holding the moon, well done. And then there's that pic where the stature is purple, captioned "photo class". Creative. And btw....about that fig leaf: Originally Neptune was not wearing one, which apparently caused a bit of an uproar as did the topless mermaids which remain. I'm guessing that today, almost a hundred years later, there'd be an even bigger uproar over a completely naked Neptune in the middle of a parking lot. So we've got half-nekkid Nept with the girls spraying water from their bosoms & a crazy lady taking pictures & everybody's just doin' their thing. A glimmer of hope: I'm not tempted to take photos when it's raining. Yet. But whoa, what interesting shots those could be. Uh oh

    Photos
    Neptune Fountain
    Neptune Fountain
    Neptune Fountain - 03-22-2024

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    03-22-2024

    Point Vicente Lighthouse - Light house

    Point Vicente Lighthouse

    4.9(94 reviews)
    5.2 mi

    The good: This place is one of a kind! I am so happy I…read morefinally got around to visiting this place. Parking is free! The whale museum is free! Tours of the lighthouse are free! The picnic tables areas are plentiful and there's lots of grass for picnics blankets. The views are great. It's a great spot for whale watching. I noticed people coming here and bringing their camping chairs just to read. It's relaxing and you get to enjoy the sea breeze and beautiful sunset. I also noticed youngsters coming to record an acoustic guitar music video. I imagine people come here to paint as well. The bad: I've lived around here for almost 3 years now and haven't been here until now. The interesting: They do tours of the actual lighthouse area a few times a month and it's completely free and doesn't require a reservation.

    The lighthouse is tall and picturesque sitting regally on a cliff. It's a must to stop and take…read moresome photos if driving down the coast of PV. The lighthouse has really restrictive hours, only open the second Saturday every month from 10-3 so you have to plan for this if you wanted to go inside. I went years ago and remember it being kind of a clusterfuck with a lot of people and disorganized system on entering. But the good part was you could go inside all the way to the top. Just the picture from the outside would suffice for most people. The Point Vicente Interpretation Center is nearby as well as some cliff trails to explore.

    Photos
    Point Vicente Lighthouse - Sunset at the light house

    Sunset at the light house

    Point Vicente Lighthouse
    Point Vicente Lighthouse

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    Kobe Bryant Mural - Torrance - 9-16-22

    Kobe Bryant Mural - Torrance

    5.0(4 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    The 2024-2025 NBA season kicked off today and what better place to kick off basketball season than…read morewith a visit to the Kobe Bryant Mural located in Torrance! Painted by Mike Trujillo; the mural highlights Kobe's basketball journey via all his jerseys. The mural starts off on the left with a painting showasing when he played high-school basketball at Lower Merion High School and wore #33. The mural then shows how he first wore #8 for the Lakers for when was first drafted and on to when he won three championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The mural next highlights him wearing the #10 jersey for the USA men's basketball team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Lastly it shows Kobe sporting #24 starting in the 2006-07 season; all the way till he retired in 2016. I also loved how the mural had purple and gold hues for the background. This is an amazing mural to see and it can be easily missed as it is on the backside of the Burger City restaurant in Torrance. I definitely say though it is one not to pass up seeing as it's a great tribute to Kobe via showcasing all of Kobe's jerseys from the start to the finish of his career. This mural is something Lakers and basketball fans will truly appreciate. I know I certainly did!

    Public art in Torrance, California…read more.. My friend, Craig Y., knew that there was a relatively new Kobe Bryant mural in his hometown. He tried to figure out where it was located on Torrance Boulevard. We found it in Old Town Torrance... on the wall of Burger City Grill. It's by Mike Trujillo and is awesome! The gigantic mural has great illumination at night! It includes all of the numbers that Kobe wore: from High School, to the Olympics, and when we was with the Lakers! Look for Kobe's Academy Award! It's very cool - go see it!

    Photos
    Kobe Bryant Mural - Torrance
    Kobe Bryant Mural - Torrance
    Kobe Bryant Mural - Torrance - Middle of the mural

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    Middle of the mural

    Korean Bell of Friendship - Sunset

    Korean Bell of Friendship

    4.7(606 reviews)
    8.9 miSan Pedro

    If you haven't been to the Korean Bell of Friendship, you're missing out on a hidden gem in the…read moreSouth Bay. It is a symbol of friendship and community not just to South Korea, but Koreans living in United States. It is also a beautiful landmark surrounded by the cliffside vista of the Pacific Ocean below. There is also a basketball court nearby and a good amount of picnic grounds. It can get pretty windy and cold here, so be sure to come prepared for both!

    Why does it take years and moving away to actual experience places that's been there for a while. A…read morenice sunny afternoon driving around and seeing what's there to offer. Plus it's been decades since I was last around this area. There's so many stops along the way during our drive which this was the first along the path. It's a nice decent size park that it part of. A good amount of parking in the lot next to the basketball courts. Right along the bell is a massive grassy knoll where people were enjoying picnics and laying out. Of course today was beautiful but it was quite windy. Didn't help that the park was little higher than the rest so it made the wind a bit more aggressive. The focal point, the massive bell. With a walkway that leads you to the prize possession. Right in the middle looking out to the Pacific Ocean, she sits there on full display. The bright beautiful color of the details painted was a sight to see. Stairs leading up to the bell where you could walk around. It is roped off. Regardless whatever side you're looking at, it's was quite amazing. Something like this on a hill that's part of the city. If you walk down the grassy knoll, the view of the pacific ocean and cliffs were spectacular. Having a seat and just taking it all in was nice. It was windy so it did get cold but on a nice sunny and clear day, you could see miles and miles of the coastline and tide pools. These little hidden spots in the city are cute when you find them. There's also a little playground around the corner from the bell by the exit and entrance.

    Photos
    Korean Bell of Friendship - Such a beautiful place

    Such a beautiful place

    Korean Bell of Friendship - Purplish

    Purplish

    Korean Bell of Friendship - Tree Dedication Info Plaque

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    Tree Dedication Info Plaque

    South Coast Botanic Garden - 4/12/26

    South Coast Botanic Garden

    4.2(552 reviews)
    2.9 mi

    First time here …read more It was a pleasant surprise to find this beautiful garden area in the city . We came here to see specifically to see the Trolls by artist Thomas Dambo that come here annually. There are 12 Trolls placed about the park which you walk to find. You are instructed to follow the "sparkles" that show which way to go along the paths throughout the garden. We were fortunate to meet a regular patron of this park , and he graciously led us to each Troll. He also shared additional information about the garden and pointed out unique points of interest too. We had a great time looking for the Trolls and enjoyed the lovely day walking around these gardens . * I ended up purchasing an annual pass at the end of our tour. Today's entry fee was applied toward the pass too. Looking forward in coming again.

    First time visitor! I experienced the Trolls and Butterflies! Both were definitely an experience I…read morehighly recommend! What a joyful day. The South Coast Botanic Gardens is organized well by the staff. It is easy to navigate, however, their wifi internet connection is horrible, thus the 4 stars. If you want more information, you can scan the QR code at each troll, but in our case, it only buffered for several minutes, so we gave up. We also learned for a fee, you can get more information on each troll, but we passed on paying more for that and enjoyed just seeing these wonderful wooden creations. We truly enjoyed the trolls and I am so grateful the trolls are here until October 2026. The butterfly experience was fun fun fun! It is a small enclosed area and I learned more butterflies are on their way. We arrived the second day of opening. The weather was chilly and many of the butterflies were resting, so it was hard to see them. It doesn't matter, we were very happy to be in this special enclosed space. The staff here answered our questions and we told them they were fortunate to volunteer there. Parking: plenty of free parking on site. Do arrive early. The temperature was nice in the morning to walk around and parking was easy. As we were leaving, it was getting more crowded. We saw a place that sold food, but we passed on this and drove to a restaurant to have lunch.

    Photos
    South Coast Botanic Garden - That's one heck of a big leaf.

    That's one heck of a big leaf.

    South Coast Botanic Garden - Halloween decorations along the paths.  Fun!

    Halloween decorations along the paths. Fun!

    South Coast Botanic Garden - Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee (Bombus Vosnesenskii)

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    Yellow-Faced Bumble Bee (Bombus Vosnesenskii)

    Bembridge House - Front of Bembridge House

    Bembridge House

    4.4(10 reviews)
    10.7 mi

    My husband and I got married at the Bembridge House in November 2021. We remember seeing photos of…read morethe property and feeling amazed, but the price of the location wasn't online at the time and we thought for sure that it was going to be way out of our price range. However, we wanted to go to see the location since it was so beautiful - even if we couldn't get married there, it would be a cool experience to get to see such a historical location. To our absolute surprise, we met with Anthony Barr and not only was the location affordable, he was willing to work with us on absolutely EVERYTHING on our list. With Anthony's help, we not only had a historic and gorgeous location (which included a bridal area and space for our whole party), but he helped us to find all of our vendors, negotiated with various vendors on our behalf at times, took care of our decor requests... I could go on. I honestly don't know how I would have managed the wedding procedure without the help Anthony gave, but we also just adored the Bembridge property. Picturesque, cozy - we are so grateful.

    I attended a great community event here today thanks to the #willmoreassociation for a fantastic…read morebreakfast. The Bembridge House is a hidden gem in Long Beach if you haven't visited , it's totally worth it. The only thing is that parking is very impacted in the area, I was lucky today to secure a parking spot. I was told by a very nice lady there will be a Halloween party here this year. Put on your list for a place to visit check the website for tour info....

    Photos
    Bembridge House - The happy bride with Anthony Barr.

    The happy bride with Anthony Barr.

    Bembridge House - Side of the house

    Side of the house

    Bembridge House - Little Free Library by the house

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    Little Free Library by the house

    Skinny House - Night View

    Skinny House

    4.3(15 reviews)
    13.2 mi

    A slender, slim and, dare I say, skinny house located on the famed Eastside of Long Beach...pretty…read moreawesome place to drive by and check out, if you're ever in the area. Skinny House is literally that- a very skinny house located on the corner of 7th and Gladys Ave in Long Beach. You'll almost always see people driving or walking by to take a few snapshots of it. I couldn't believe how skinny it was the first time I drove by it. It is in a residential area, so it's best to either drive by or walk by it. Good luck finding parking here...as anyone will tell you, we'll, those who are from Long Beach...as it is impossible to find a parking spot anywhere in this city! So yeah, check this place out whenever you want. Pretty cool landmark...one of many in Long Beach. Beats the heck out of me if anyone lives in it! I can only imagine the possibilities...

    I'm giving it 5 stars for the uniqueness and the cool story behind its birth (so to speak)…read more Do not travel here from far to see it bec it is a residents and you cannot look inside or walk thru. If you're into architecture, it's cool to see if you are in the area. I am and left wanting to get my hands on it. Lol. It's a landmark, but I didn't see a plaque. Personally, I'd open my doors and show and tell :-) It's kinda shocking how wide it is (or isn't ;-)). I held my arms open and felt I was the same length.

    Photos
    Skinny House - Skinny House, transmogrification, leprosy

    Skinny House, transmogrification, leprosy

    Skinny House - Skinny house

    Skinny house

    Skinny House - Skinny house

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    Skinny house

    Betty's Bench - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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