TRAVELPHOTOBOX

The Queen Mary ship   is an icon of the Southern California coastline and a beloved historical landmark in Long Beach.   Between 1936 and 1967, the Queen Mary was considered the most beautiful and stately ship in the world. It was called “The Ship of Beautiful Woods” because of the spectacular woodwork created from the rarest trees in the British Empire. In 1967, it was sold to Long Beach and made her last journey from Southampton (UK). The Queen Mary was converted for military use during World War II for the Allies . It earned the nickname Gray Ghost for its naval camouflage. 

The Colorado Lagoon is a body of saltwater in east Long Beach and one of California’s few surviving wetlands . It is part of the Los Cerritos Wetlands .This place has a sandy beach with restrooms, picnic areas and parking on the north and south shore. A floating footbridge in the middle allows you to walk across the lagoon. The Colorado Lagoon remains a habitat for animals and plants. Walking around this environment you can easily become a bird-watcher . It’s a rest stop for all kinds of migrating birds . Herons, gulls, ducks and pelicans live in this place. There're benches to relax and a few informative signs with info on the lagoon and the various birds that inhabit it. Great Egret

Shoreline Aquatic Park is a city park on Queensway Bay near downtown Long Beach . The park has some amazing views of the  Queen Mary Ship , the  Long Beach skyline  and the  Aquarium of the Pacific . All the park is a wide open green area that is used for picnics and special events. At the center of the  Shoreline Aquatic Park , on a grassy hill, is a  lighthouse tower  with a paved spiral walkway leading to it. It was built for aesthetic reasons and serves no navigational purpose.

A series of beaches extend along the coast of Long Beach  from the harbor to the tip of the Alamitos Peninsula . A path allows walking through this area: the Shoreline Pedestrian Bike path . It's well maintained and the views from the trail are spectacular. This path can be crowded on weekends. The hike goes along the concrete path in Alamitos Beach . You soon reach the Junipero Beach , also known as Cherry Beach . After 2 miles of walking, we arrive to Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier . It extends 1.800 feet into the bay. Just west of the Belmont Pier has been installed a new bike and pedestrian counter called Eco-Totem . The counter shows the number of pedestrians and cyclists who use the path daily. Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier The next interesting point is Rosie’s Dog Beach . From there, it’s another mile to 54th Place , where the Shoreline Way ends. Then, turn right on Ocean Boulevard and follow the sidewalk to 55th Place . Turn right to follow the East Sea

Wyland Whaling wall mural is located on the Long Beach Arena which is part of the Long Beach Convention Center Complex . The building is a cylindrical shaped structure covered by a stunning 116.000 square foot mural called Planet Ocean . Robert Wyland painted the mural in six weeks with the help of 200 volunteers. They required 7.000 gallons of paint. The mural was named the world’s largest by the 1993 Guinness Book of World Records . The mural depicts the underwater environment and marine life common to California waters including gray whales, kelp, sea lions and more.