One-Day Self-Drive Trip to Long Beach on the US West Coast (20230118)

One-Day Self-Drive Trip to Long Beach on the US West Coast 20230118

On January 18, 2023, we set off from Rowland Heights, Los Angeles at 11 a.m. to go to Long Beach on the US West Coast.

At 12 p.m., we first arrived at Venice. Venice is a small seaside town in California, USA—a replica of the Venetian water city, featuring sunshine, beaches, and waves. It originated in 1904 when American tobacco merchant Abbot Kinney developed a swamp. On the faraway West Coast of America, someone imitated the ancient Italian water city of Venice and built a modern replica. This small town embodies a rugged, avant-garde quality as well as a free-spirited passion. Everyone can draw inspiration from Venice, making it very attractive to artists. "Here you can truly feel a spirit, a sense of friendship and community strength. I think it’s this spirit that draws people here."

When we arrived in Venice, we got out of the car and walked toward the canals. The town boasts a rugged, avant-garde quality, but also flows with free-spirited passion. We walked to the canal bank and saw many personal yachts in the water. We went down the steps to a small dock to look at the yachts, which were relatively new, and I took photos as souvenirs.

We headed south and crossed a small bridge—a white stone arch bridge spanning a not-very-wide channel, with the water flowing quietly beneath.

Standing on the stone bridge and looking around, the town was small but extremely quiet, with no tourists. Perhaps because we visited at noon, the streets, the stone bridge, and the flowerbeds only had the three of us, with only occasional solitary figures flickering past in the distance. There were no cars, and the town was very peaceful.

While we were admiring the scenery on both sides of the canal from the bridge, a local middle-aged woman passed by. She warmly greeted us and gestured to ask if we wanted her to take a photo for us. We happily accepted her kindness, and she took a picture of us.

After leaving the small bridge, we strolled freely through Venice, enjoying the scenery and photographing the sights along both banks. This canal is man-made, with water naturally drawn from the nearby sea. The seawater was clear and deep blue, echoing the azure sky above. The buildings along the shore were novel and stylish, mostly white, very eye-catching, refined and beautiful, full of artistic flair. Walking through the town felt like wandering through an artistic scroll. The unique seclusion of the town made everything here a paradise in my heart.

We walked south along the street and noticed that every household had their small yards lush with foliage and flowers. The front gardens were exquisitely arranged, with all vegetation layered nicely. Flowers were in full bloom, neat and tidy. Ahead was a bay, with many yachts still along the shore. Again we took photos as mementos. Due to time constraints, we only gave the town a cursory glance, didn’t even go deeper into the town, and hurriedly left for the beach, feeling somewhat reluctant to part.

We drove to the beach and parked on the side of the road. My daughter took my granddaughter to play in the sand on the beach, while we went to check out the pier. This beach has its own characteristics:

1. The beach is relatively long and wide, with clean sand. There are not many visitors, no rocks on the shoreline, and no cliffs.

2. A concrete bicycle path has been built above the beach, exclusively for cyclists to exercise.

3. A dedicated walking path has also been built on the beach for walkers to exercise safely.

4. There are two beach volleyball courts on the beach, and we saw people playing on both. It seems beach volleyball is quite popular in the US.

5. There are quite a few seagulls and pigeons here.

Then we arrived at the pier.

The pier stretches quite far out into the sea. As soon as we stepped onto it, there were vendors selling things. We walked further in and took photos wherever the scenery was nice.

On the pier, tourists were sightseeing, and anglers were fishing from the pier.

We saw a Chinese man fishing with four sea rods, and he had caught a lot of fish. We greeted him and found out he was a fellow Northeasterner from Shenyang. He had been fishing for many years and was highly skilled. None of the other people we saw had caught any fish.

At the end of the pier, we saw a building that looked like a restaurant, but it was closed. We walked around a bit on both sides.

After seeing the pier, we started heading back. My granddaughter was still playing in the sand. It was already past 5 p.m., so we began our return journey.

1. There are relatively few visitors here. If you want to visit the beach, this place is not recommended.

2. If you want to see beaches in California, I recommend Laguna Beach and Santa Monica Beach.

3. If you want to fish in the sea, you can fish from the pier here.

4. If you want to see a pier, you can come here.

Written in Los Angeles on February 19, 2023