Oh hey, American Pie, Weird Science, and Donnie Darko houses are also along Country Club Drive in…read moreLong Beach too?! Sweet!!! After you've finished checking out the houses from Ferris Bueller (which was also featured in Red Dragon and Not Another Teen Movie) and Painters' House from American Pie 2, swing on over to the other streets surrounding Country Club Drive in Long Beach to check out these film location houses. Originally, I was planning on just visiting Ferris Bueller's House. Thanks to my trusty Yelp, it also pulled up this feed and other Yelpers reviewed the surrounding houses. Furthermore, a huge shout-out to Yelper Alana M., for posting the addresses on her picture captions. Definitely saved me the huge headache of trying to find them, lol! With that, I continued on my mini house tour before heading over to my first ever Long Beach Elite Perk from Alex, the newly appointed Long Beach Community Manager, yay! Admissions and Parking: All free and residential parking all around. Yes, residents actually live in these homes and so please be respectful and quiet when visiting the neighborhood. Locations: +2001 Donnie Darko House: 4225 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore: A demonic-looking rabbit tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days when Donnie sleepwalks outside his house during the 1988 presidential election. I had never seen this movie but decided to check out house since it's here in Long Beach. +1985 Weird Science House: 4252 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall and IIan Mitchell-Smith. Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman. Loved this movie! Always rooting for the geeks and Lisa (their creation) was sassy, loving, protective and brilliant! Then again, John Hughes' movies are always dope! (Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, etc). +Jim's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Stewart Way), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginity by prom. Lol, the apple pie sex scene! Can't live that imagine down...ever, lol! +Michele's House from 1999 American Pie: 3925 Cedar Avenue (and Roosevelt Road), Long Beach, CA 90807 Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott. Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Nicholas, Shannon Elizabeth: Jim and his group of high school virgin friends decide to take action and vow to lose their virginities by prom. Michele's infamous quote: "And this one time at band camp...I stuck a flute in my...." LOL! Not so innocent, geeky, little band camp girl after all. She definitely taught Jim a thing or two.... If you're a fan of Donnie Darko, Weird Science, and/or the American Pie Franchise movies, come on over and check it out on these streets!

Went for a walk hoping to find all the famous houses. I found a few. Not a lot of color in the area…read moreby way of flowers but there was a lot of grass and trees both i loved. I enjoyed looking at the different styles of homes. I also liked the wide streets. I must dispute this as the nicest neighborhood in long beach. Belmont heights, Belmont shores, Naples and South long beach all have beautifully maintained homes and landscaping. And sidewalks. As someone pushilng a stroller bixy didnt have many sidewalks so i had to walk on the edge of the street. Bixy has a lot of trees and Grass. Grass is not something i see a lot of so i really appreciated that. Worth coming back but not with any sense of urgency.

Great looking house…read more I saw it in the movie and then I saw it in real life. I mostly like looking at things and this is one of the things I looked at. What a pleasure for me. Thank you

So cool to see. Surprising that it was in Long Beach! Felt all the nostalgia…read more BUELLER?

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.

Finally made it out and they are about to close. :(…read more It was very busy when we arrived and we had to wait about 20 minutes, but after being seated, everything was smooth. Trying several items on the menu provided us a nice sampling of what they have to offer. We enjoyed everything we ordered. My favorite was probably the Brussel sprouts as they were cooked to perfection and not sweet like most restaurants serve them. A close 2nd was the chicken parmesan served over zucchini noodles. The final item ordered was a mushroom pasta with shrimp. The shrimp were fantastic with a light char and perfect flavoring. The pasta was good. It was a bit to spicy for me with the chili oil so I only had a small portion. The inside is simple yet inviting with an open layout. They seemed a bit short staffed, but every one was hustling and honestly we were well taken care of. Sad I won't have another opportunity to try more of the menu, but grateful to squeeze in this visit before they close in about a week.

It's been a while since the last time I've visited for dinner and drinks. This time, we stopped by…read moreSaturday evening with no reservations. It did look quite busy on the patio when we checked in with the hostess. We were informed that it would prob be about 20 minutes or so for a table and if we wanted to wait at the bar. Exactly what we did. Bar area had maybe 5/6 hi top chairs that look onto the bar. Gabriel and Francisco who were working was knocking the drinks out one by one. Sitting there and just watching them create magic for everyone, it was quite amusing. Seeing how it's made and presented with precise detail, it was an art. While waiting for the table we started off with the raspberry lychee martini and the spicy margaritas. Both were great. The right amount of kick with each sip. Gabriel was knocking them out one by one and man was he busy. Fransisco took are of us while we were eating which we ended up just having our dinner at the bar instead. The last time I remembered the chicken Parmesan which was excellent. So we started off with the grilled prawns as a starters. Five prawns in a skewers and grilled with a delicious sauce accompanied. It was tasty and quite delicious. Decent size and meaty for each bite. Entrees was a little mishap as our meal was mistakenly given to the party next to us which they enjoyed. Honesty mistake but we laughed it off. Kitchen was informed and a rushed was put on our order. We weren't in a rush so it was fine with us. They apologized and graciously offered us a dessert after dinner. Something simple but very graceful for the honest mistake. Entrees, the wild mushrooms pasta which was quite tasty and pretty decent in size. The cream sauce which wasn't too over powering the meal was great. Each bite was very tasty. Then there was the chicken Parmesan which why we were here and expecting. The last visit it was excellent with grilled broccolini, slices of tomatoes on top and mozzarella cheese and onto spaghetti pasta. It was great. Thinking it would be the same this time which it wasn't. This visit, it was just served with squash pasta and buffalo mozzarella on top. Honestly it wasn't what I expected, somewhat of a little disappointed. Chicken was good don't get me wrong. But the hot meat with sauce and then you have literally COLD squash pasta paired with it. It was a little underwhelming. Overall, we still had a nice experience. The place was pretty full and of course the lakers were on so it was fun seeing everyone cheering them on. Bar seating for a meal was great as we had fun conversations with both Gabriel and Francisco. Plus they were cranking them drinks out one by one. Excellent in what they do. The drinks were great, grilled prawns and wild mushrooms pastas were excellent. Chicken parm, this time was a miss. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and cocktails. Also the dessert, highly recommend the Cinnabon with vanilla ice cream. Wow, it went down very well. Hoping next time will outdo this.

There's little cluster hidden in Long Beach that you sort of want to keep a little secrets.... But…read morebeautiful places are meant to be shared. Everyone knows about mother's beach with the clam water just along the bay. But across the water, this little hidden spot with its cute picturesque view of the waterfront and beautiful homes. It's tucked inside the community of Alamitos Heights along the Marina. There's a parking lot beforehand where you'll have a little walk which isn't much. If you know where the Pete Archer Rowing Center is, then it's basically there. There's a little dirt path behind the center which leads you to the entrance of the trail. It's not a big place but a cute little path that shows you beautiful homes and plants along the way. A good 15 min or so if you walk leisurely taking your time around the whole path. But take your time so you can fully enjoy it. There's also docks that you can walk onto looking out over the water. I didn't know that it's a sanctuary where oysters are habitat. The path is along the back of some homes so be respectful as it's someone's property and leave it the way you saw it, clean. There's benches places along the way to have a seat and just take it in. Native plants growing wild but beautifully preserved. Just taking the time and enjoying everything was quite nice. A quiet place that you didn't even know was here. Loads of flowers starting to blooms at the moment. Also with flowers comes the butterflies. Plus as it's part of the bay, the water was so calm and clear. People were kayaking and paddle boarding while we were there. The view of the boats and homes were beautiful but you're there for the path. A simple beautiful walk with nature. Man made nature but beautiful. Afterwards, you could sit and enjoy the water view along the path back to your car.

At the end of Marine Stadium, through a narrow pathway next to the rowing center, is the entrance…read moreto this park. Surrounded by water, this tiny park is a great place to walk or sit and watch the Marine life. Very clean and well maintained. It's especially beautiful during sunsets.

Summertime in the LBC. The weeklong public mural festival has been renamed Long Beach Walls and…read moreArt Renzei. Read all about it here: https://lbpost.com/hi-lo/pow-wow-is-now-long-beach-walls-heres-your-guide-to-the-colorful-mural-festival https://www.longbeachwalls.com/ https://www.artrenzei.com/ https://www.instagram.com/longbeach_walls/ There are events centered around this week. One past year, Sun Bum (sunscreen) was a sponsor and held an event at the beach that ended in a movie showing. Some year before that, KCRW held a party in collaboration. This last time, I joined in the free yoga session (with RSVP). Led by Pedal Movement, bike tours are held during this time to visit the murals. The run club I'm involved in throws a couple of the murals in the downtown area being worked on into the running route during this time. Volunteer opportunities are available (such as being on site with the artist making sure they have what they need.) Look out for it next summer!

"Pow! It's the impact that art has on a person. Wow! It's reaction that art has on a viewer."…read morePowWow - a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. The weeklong event that originated in Hawaii has expanded out to other parts of the country and world, including its 5th year in Long Beach. I was a bit disappointed the first year or so because they brought in a lot of outside artists when there are so many talented ones here. It also seems as if there is little collaboration between the artists and the places they paint. Businesses offer their walls and artists are given the freedom to create whatever inspires them at the time. Sometimes, the pieces seem random, whereas, others perfectly reflect the feel of the establishments. This year, I was happy to see a lot more local artists represented in the community. Some of them even took the time to collaborate with either the business or Parks & Rec to design pieces that emulate the nature of the places. I live close to Drake Park and was happy to see 3 artists beautifying it by adding more color and character. By request from neighborhood folks, Crisselle Mendiola and Jason Keam added butterflies to match the playground while Bodeck Luna depicted young people shooting hoops along the wall facing the basketball court. Another highlight from Pow! Wow! Long Beach was the closing party in the Promenade. I absolutely loved that KCRW DJs Mathieu Shreyer and Anthony Valadez came and served us some eclectic dance music. I can't wait to see what's in store next year!

Can't wait to see more Cambodian fare-type booths, particularly hoping for fresh fish, produce and…read morethe like. Mostly various ethnic foods ready made at this time. The generator is crazy loud. Too close to the booths. Music needs work. I like the ethnic music, but it needs to be louder than Metallica? What happened there? Also, just a few random booths, but I guess I was hoping for Cambodia food, produce, and such here, rather than miscellaneous vendors selling cheap hair bobs, hats, t-shirts, and similar items. It's the second week. Here's hoping that it becomes a bit more integrated, has tables, and a theme!

After a great day of the beach and lunch, our friends wanted to show us their favorite spots to go…read morefor a walk to get their steps in. Naples Canals is a beautiful neighborhood. Beautiful homes nestled around water and gondolas rides coasting by. We actually drove around for a couple of loops just being that crazy looky loo's at the beautiful neighborhood. We found parking and went for a walk. There's a cool bridge overlooking the canal. We got to see the gondola ride! Our friends told us this was a great neighborhood for seeing Christmas lights displays. All the neighborhood decorates their homes. How cool is that?!?!

After a satisfying lunch at Parker's Lighthouse, we realized time had totally flown by! We…read moreoriginally planned to visit the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach for a little flower stroll, but it was getting too late... so we decided to switch things up and take a relaxing walk around the Naples Canals instead. Naples Island is such a hidden gem in Long Beach! It used to be a swamp before developers transformed it into a charming Italian-style neighborhood -- all the streets even have Italian names. It kind of reminds me of Venice Beach, but quieter and much more upscale. The canals are lined with beautiful waterfront homes, and boats are literally parked right in front of them. During summer, you can hop on a gondola or go kayaking or paddleboarding on the canals. And in winter, this place turns magical, residents go all out with Christmas lights, and there are festive boat parades gliding through the water. (Though Newport Beach usually gets more attention, Naples definitely holds its own!) It's such a peaceful spot for a stroll, and not many tourists know about it. It's perfect if you're looking for something a little off the beaten path. Naples Island You can set your GPS to La Bella Fontana Park, then find parking along the nearby streets. 90 Corinthian Walk, Long Beach, CA 90803

Food: Thank you to our waitress for recommending the lunch prix fixe! With the option of a salad or…read moreveggie an entree, my partner and I settled for the Roasted Cauliflower, Shrimp & Melon salad, Tagliatelle and Gnocchi, which were all very wonderful, with a nice flavor balance, to say the least. The meal also came with dessert, per chef's choice--this time it was a panna cotta that was to die for! Instantly became a fave. Service: Great! Always attended to, and food came in at a reasonable pace. Ambiance: Casual and simple, with a monochromatic interior. Really puts the focal point on the food. Parking: Street parking is available, but can take a minute to find a spot during peak hours.

Parking is street parking only, so definitely give yourself extra time to find a spot. I'd also…read morehighly recommend making a reservation since the space is small & busy. The restaurant has a cute, no-fuss decor style that still feels cozy and elevated. We sat inside, which seemed like a much nicer vibe than the outdoor seating. Service was fast and friendly throughout the meal. I ordered the chittara pomodoro, which was so tasty and clearly tasted homemade in the best way. For dessert, we had the panna cotta, which was the perfect light and creamy ending to the meal. Overall, such a charming little spot for a cozy dinner.

TED is great at challenging people to think…read more Sharing ideas. Inspiring. The bathrooms were clean and the staff was, like Tina Turner said to me once, simply the best. Better than all the rest. Thank you

Probably shouldn't be spilling the beans about this, but it's one of the greatest new developments…read moreat the Long Beach Convention Center, and I just can't keep it to myself. TED (Technology Entertainment Design) has decided to call Long Beach its new home. This is good news for the city and good news for the residents who want to take advantage of the influx of brain power and talent to downtown for one week each year. Do yourself a favor and check out the talks on the websites to find out how incredible an honor this is, and how lucky we are to have a convention of this caliber to call Long Beach its headquarters. Most of the convention is private and extremely exclusive (it costs 6,000 dollars to get in and is completely sold out for next year), but there is the chance that if you time it right, you might bump into a few of the speakers and participants while they are strolling around Pine Ave. in between lectures.