Downtown Scene

We’ve said that being an effective politician isn’t easy because it’s a mixture of wearing many hats: appealing to constituents while also challenging them to be better, being a leader while also being a great listener… Former Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal excelled at...

The Children’s Gateway Garden and amphitheater at Cesar Chavez Park, Long Beach's first ADA-accessible garden. The Welcome to Pine Avenue neon sign, just south of 8th on the west side of Pine. The soon-to-come historical wayfinding signs to grace DTLB… The small...

Long standing with little love for years, Long Beach architectural firm Interstices (based over in the Zaferia District off of Anaheim) saw something special about the Newberry Building at 433 Pine Ave. And now, Interstices (the crew also responsible for the design of...

For those who missed out, fear not: the last Taste of Downtown event of the year is upon us, invading the Waterfront, from 6pm to 10pm, on August 24 and 25 to bring you a plethora of DTLB eateries serving up sample sized portions of their signature dishes, while live...

Like any downtown, DLTB is full of hidden gems, little oddities that offer spectacular surprises and genuinely great things. This isn’t a top list or a ranking; just five spots we feel are under the radar but should be in the spotlight. Aroma di Roma Centro (444 W...

Praise be to the Breakfast Gods, as Downtowners can now enjoy the healthy offering of Kress Market & Deli in the AM hours as the staple unveils its morning menu (and quite possibly the best lox in town). When husband-wife team Javier and Hilda Ortiz opened the...

Bright new renderings have been released showing off the $11.3M, 605-foot long pedestrian bridge under construction along Seaside Way in DTLB. Construction officially started back in late May and will connect the Long Beach Convention’s west-facing walkway and...

We love DTLB’s culinary scene specifically because it is so unique. And it is so unique because the vast variety of eateries are either locally owned or unique to Long Beach, giving visitors and patrons alike distinct offerings that run the full gastronomical gamut....

Shoegazing staples DIIV and Nothing will invade DTLB for Summer and Music (SAM) ‘s inaugural Shugazi event, set to take place Friday, August 12 from 6PM to 10PM on the Downtown Long Beach Courtyard Marriott rooftop. Tickets for the event, set at $15, are on sale....

We’ve long touted of our love for hotel bars and restaurants and their versatility in acting as both watering hole and event space—which is precisely why we are taking over two of DTLB’s finest hotel bars, Hyatt Centric’s Bay Street Bar and SIP at the Renaissance...

Textile art, too long relegated to craft rather than Art with a Capital A, is seeing a pop resurgence: from the Met’s annual May 1st show dedicated to fashion to LACMA’s ongoing men’s fashion exhibit Reigning Men, what artists can do with textiles is being elevated...

Many (rightfully feel) that Music Tastes Good (MTG), a three-day festival in DTLB that hopes to attract and draw the respect of fellow fests like FYF and Coachella (but with the distinct flavor of DTLB and a bit smaller in scale), is filling a much-needed void in the...

Public service announcement: today is National French Fry Day. Surely, there is the classic way to celebrate, that is, with unadulterated fries, crisped to perfection with a healthy dose of salt (kinda like the way BO-beau does their fries so perfectly). We hold no...

July is, appropriately, National Ice Cream Month. In honor of this venerable holiday, while we lament that the government hasn’t formally sanctioned it, we’ve decided to give away this creamy awesomeness at The Loop. For free. Oh, and we’ll also have face painters and...

Summer and Music (SAM) has been a massive success this year, with 720 Pine invading one of our most famed streets with skate culture and rock while Twisted at the Pike just wrapped up with thousands takin’ on carny folk and dancing. It only seemed appropriate we one...