Long Beach California to Long Beach Washington: Spring 2022

Just before my cruise in April, I had the opportunity to spend the day in Long Beach, CA.  And then in May I enjoyed a couple of days in Long Beach, WA. Two very different towns, but both were a lot of fun.

I was alone in Long Beach CA for the day, waiting for friends to arrive at LAX that evening.  I decided to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. (If you know me, you know I LOVE aquariums) This was the 2^nd time I had been there, so I knew my way around.  Not only do they have some great Marine exhibits, like petting sharks, but they also have the Lorikeet Forest where the birds are flying around you, and with a bit of food in your hand, they will land on you!  These birds are native to the Coastal Lowlands of Australia, and their colors are magnificent.  This link will take you to a page for more information: https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/lorikeet_forest 

The aquarium is two stories and has a variety of exhibits from around the country.  I especially enjoy the Salmon of the Pacific exhibit, and of course everyone’s favorite the California sea otters, which is a part of their rescue program as well as sea turtles.  This is the important role of all aquariums, to contribute to the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered ocean species. 

Another interesting thing I found out is they are involved in a breeding program for Abalone, to restore the population on the California coast.  https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/conservation/abalone_breeding  Although you can still fish for Abalone, it is very restrictive, and closely monitored due to overfishing in the past.

After the aquarium, I did the Harbor tour, a 45-minute narrated tour of the Long Beach harbor.  It was interesting and fun.  A lot of ships out there, a lighthouse, and harbor seals.  There is also a whale watching tour out of the same dock, about 3 hours long and spring is a good time of year to enjoy that tour. 

I was getting hungry, so I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp for dinner.  It was delicious and the service was suburb.  I had a few questions, like country of origin for the Mahi, and my server happily got the answers for me. Also had shrimp, hush puppies and clam chowder! YUM!! Hush puppies are not on my diet, but I haven’t had them in a very long time and they were so good. The restaurant is very close to the Aquarium, so parking isn’t a problem. 

Like I said before my experience in Long Beach WA was very different, but I loved it! Unlike LBCA, it is a very small town, just 30 minutes north of Astoria OR.  The road is windy, mostly along the coast with some forest areas along the way.  There are a couple of small towns, like Chinook WA, and Ilwaco that you will drive through. 

When you reach the town of Long Beach, there are some hotels on the beach side, and some stores and restaurants just as you get to downtown Long Beach.  It’s a nice walk visiting the different shops and restaurants, along Pacific Ave.  There is also a Family Fun Center and Scoopers Market, apparently famous for ice cream, candy, and souvenirs. 

We stayed at Chautauqua Resort, just north of downtown, and we loved it.  It is about a half mile off the beach with easy trails all the way for a nice walk to the ocean. The room was on the second floor with a balcony and a nice view of the waves.  Indoor pool was too chilly for us but did enjoy the hot tub.  Beds were comfy and the room did have a refrigerator and microwave.  We needed that since we had so many delicious leftovers.

There are so many restaurants there, it was hard to choose, but I think we did good! The first place we ate, for lunch, was The Chowder Stop.  We had to wait for them to reopen, they close between breakfast and lunch/dinner.  I got calamari, and it was good, cooked just right.  Also got their Chowder fries, so yummy.  It is fries smothered in clam chowder and bacon bits!  I couldn’t eat all the fries, but I sure did enjoy the chowder.  Mom got the same, but my sister got a Cuban sandwich, which was good. 

After lunch we walked to the main street downtown, very short walk, and were able to enjoy a parade.  It was the Long Beach Loyalty Day Celebration, so it was very busy there that day. The parade was fun, with bands and floats from all over Washington and Oregon, including some bands from home.   The yearly celebration began in 1950 to celebrate our veterans.  When the parade ended, we spent the afternoon walking along visiting the shops, and enjoying a beautiful day! 

When we were finally hungry again, we decided on Mexican food.  El Compadre Restaurant was not far from the hotel, so we went there for dinner, and it was the best!!  The décor of the restaurant was so colorful, so Mexican, and welcoming.  Our server was amazing, and very busy, but she never slowed down.  I ordered Camerones a la crème, shrimp sauteed in a creamy Parmesan sauce with onions and mushrooms, served with rice and beans.  It was delicious, and I had a lot of leftovers, so much food!  Mom and Sharon got combos with enchiladas and tamales. Everything was delicious. 

The beach is beautiful and clean.  People were horseback riding and driving on the beach is allowed. While it wasn’t super sunny and hot, the weather on Sunday was very pleasant and we were able to have a nice walk on the beach, enjoying the sounds of the ocean.  I, of course did walk in the water for a bit, I can’t resist. 

The next morning after we checked out of the hotel, we drove to the boardwalk and drove down on the beach with the car.  Mom was able to get out of the car and sit on beach without the long walk down there from the main street.  My sis and I also enjoyed another walk along the shore, until the clouds moving toward us were a little too black and ominous to keep going.  We got back to the car just as the rain started!! 

Unfortunately, the rain didn’t let up for most of our trip home.  Plans were to try and see the two lighthouses close by, North Head Lighthouse and Cape Disappointment. The story goes that apparently, the later lighthouse was such a big disappointment, too many ships were still running aground at the “graveyard of the pacific”, the mouth of the Columbia River, that they needed to build a second one.  We did drive to Waikiki Beach day-use area where we did get to see the North Head Lighthouse at a distance.  This is the third time I have tried to see Cape Disappointment, and it has disappointed me each time. One of these days, I hope.

We drove home from there but did stop at a restaurant I had never tried before, Pig & Pancake.  Never really wanted to eat there before because I don’t like pancakes, but it was actually really good food and they had a good variety other than pancakes. I, of course, had the Razor Clams and Eggs, so good!  Razor clams are hard to cook just right, but these were perfect.  Don’t remember what Mom and Sharon had, but they were very happy we tried this place at last.

After the eating we took a quick trip up to the Column in Astoria.  Very interesting historical monument, as well as a fantastic view of the mouth of the Columbia River, known as the “graveyard of the sea” You also have a great view of the Astoria Megler bridge that crosses over to the Washington side. Looks scary from up there, but it can be an amazing experience just going over it, especially at high tide or during a storm.  Occasionally you will see a cruise ship docked near the bridge. 

I have been very busy lately, need to spend more time blogging.  I have a girl’s trip to the Oregon coast coming up next week, so I will be sharing all the details of our fun trip real soon.  Can’t wait!