"To Infinity...and beyond!"; Long Beach Dog Beach; 02.20.11

Buzz Lightyear soaring over LBC

P-u!  Someone stinks.  So we took our offending canine family member out for some last beach frolicking before we take him to his b-a-t-h.  Since we have a dinner to go to in less than 3 hours, Huntington Dog Beach is out of the question.  So we decided on the Dog Beach Zone instead.  This is a 3-acre, non-fenced, off-leash dog beach in Belmont Shore.  Entrance to the parking lot is between Argonne and Roycroft Avenue, off Ocean Boulevard.  The best way to get there is to take the 710 Freeway, and exit on Ocean.  Make a left, and take it all the way past Livingston.  We parked on the street off of the Granada Street entrance, not knowing the ample parking lot behind the wall.  The dog beach is also known as Rosie's Dog Beach, named after a late English bulldog by a Long Beach resident Justin Rudd. 

Restroom



Kiteboarders



Happy dogs!

Lifeguard truck watching the kiteboarders

These dogs were gunning for some half-ball thing

Vincent Thomas Bridge

We took the 110 freeway, so we passed by this bridge.  I LOVE bridges.  And churches.  Just about anything that's made from great architecture and engineering. 

The beach: I've never seen so many happy dogs!  And happy owners, of course.  But the dogs are just all over the place, running around, chasing balls, chasing Tico who's too busy chasing balls, Tico chasing them back, and off they all go to "fight" over some blue-green half-ball and around and around they go.  It was a doggie-dog fun day at the beach today.  And then there was a little yorkie chasing after some pigeons who were brave enough to be lounging around in the orange-coned dog beach area.  This place is not fenced in, but the orange cones clearly mark the area where you can safely keep your pooches off the leash.  Once you get out of the coned zone, make sure to keep your pooches leashed.  We made that mistake before, and we scared off some unsuspecting biker at the bike path just a few feet away.  Tico tends to bark whenever he gets nervous, so it's not a good situation to those people who are just carrying on with their own business and this scary-looking Cujo is barking at them.

There were a bunch of people kiteboarding today, thanks to the windy day and the rental gear provided by Windsurf Center  next door at 3850 E Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach.  This of course, made for a great photo-op with the Shoreline Village to your right, the blue ocean in front, and the kiteboarders to your left and in front of you.  And the dog in the sandy beach background.  Albeit the windy weather, it was a great day.

There were also pretty kites flying about, one of which is the Buzz Lightyear being flown by a teenaged girl just a few steps from the dog beach zone.  But being a couple of old folks, B and I couldn't handle too much of the wind, so we decided to walk instead, once Tico started lying around.  We passed by a few dozens of pigeons lying around the bike path, if only we could let Tico roam leash-free, this would have been a great photo-op. 

We then got in to our car, and headed further into Ocean Boulevard, and passed by the marina and the pretty houses along Naples/Alamitos Bay .  The 54th Street and Ocean Boulevard I remember being in, to kayak in the Naples area back in 2004 with the Outdoors Club.  That was a fun memory, because we parked our kayak by the Jamba Juice/Starbucks at the mall behind PCH.  I thought that was pretty cool.  But the kayak rental I believe was $19/hour.  If I was going to do some kayaking, I would go to Sunset Kayak and instead kayak in Huntington Harbor, since Sunset still charges $12 for 2 hours or longer. 

But Naples also offer Gondola Rides for the lovebirds.  The address to that is 5437 E. Ocean Boulevard; rates are from $85 for two.  I've never done it, so it will be something new for Bryan and I to try on one of these days.  And of course, Belmont Shore and their fabulous shops and dining spots is just up the street on 2nd and Redondo/Livingston.

Dog-friendly hotels in Long Beach I would recommend to is Renaissance and Hilton, who are both near Downtown Long Beach, at the beginning of the 710 Freeway; which is a few miles of this area.  But that downtown area in itself is a great spot to visit, with Rockbottom Brewery and the Shoreline Village just down the hill.  There's the Long Beach Performing Arts, the Aquarium, and the race track in the area.  Food-wise, you got CPK, the Yard House (love!), and Islands.  But your pooch is not allowed in Shoreline, so keep that in mind. 

There's just TOO MANY things to do in Long Beach.  After all, it's the 6th largest city in CA, and the 39th nationwide.  It boasts half a million residents on its own.  And being 20 minutes away from downtown and just about anywhere in greater LA, this is a good alternative city from the West LA/Beach Cities/Downtown LA hotel options.  And they offer dog parks aplenty.  The best pet-friendly city in LA.  For dogs and their owners, the activities are just limitless, and - - ahem...infinity.  Or make that infinity times two.  Or infinity times infinity.   

Afterwards, we took Tico to Tidy Dog for a wash.  The address is 4110 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA  90803.  They have self-wash for $15; $16 if you pay card instead of cash.  The place is clean; TIDY.  It is huge, and has several washing tubs.  The lady owner has an english accent, and her assistant kept busy cleaning around, running vacuums and sweepers that drove Tico crazy.  This place is GREAT.  They provide oatmeal shampoo and conditioner as standard, and provide you with 2 hand towels and a large towel as well as two aprons, blow dryer, several brushes and cottons and ear cleaners, swabs, and treats for after wash when your dog is good.  We gave Tico the biscuits anyway; even though he howled and cried and barked at the staff and customers each time they pass by his tub area.  Feeling bad for the mess and the noise, I tipped well.  We'll definitely come back here.  On top of which; she gave Tico a long jerky as a treat after the bath. 

The place also sells doggie treats and supplies, and they provide cage-free, concrete free boarding.  Parking is aplenty, and the place is easy to spot.  Just keep your eye on the shopping strip to your right, after you pass Livingston, driving on Ocean.  I believe the street is Bennett, which is probably the street you turn to get to the Belmont Olympic pool.  It's on your way to the dog beach.  One thing is that, since the shampoo and conditioner is aready pre-programmed with the water hose, I feel like my dog is not getting enough soap.  So bring your own soap if you want your dog foamy.  I do.  It's a preference.  For me, foam aplenty = very clean dog.  Still, Tico looked handsome and fluffy after the bath, though.  And he smelled like oatmeal.  I wrestle-hugged him today, and he passed the EPA (Ew, P-u Animal) test.     

 Toy Story was another Tom Hanks movie that I liked.  But not having the luxury of being around kids, I lost track and interest with Toy Story 2 and 3.  And when they started messing around with Mr. Potato Head's face, that was it for me.  I love mainstream cartoon movies in general, but the sequels rarely do justice to the original versions most of the time.  I did, however rented Shrek Forever After because I wanted to see the fat cat with the funny accent slide down the scratch post.  And of course, Eddie Murphy's donkey.  And Ryan Seacrest.  And Princess Fiona.  And Mike Myers.  But that's it.  And maybe Rumpelstiltskin.  I thought he was genius. 

All I'm saying is that I'm over cartoon sequels.

But I wouldn't mind checking out Mike Wazowski on screen again.  So excited.