Long Beach, Ca

We crossed the river from Seal Beach and found ourselves in Los Angeles County in the 5th largest city in California. The harbor and downtown area of Long Beach has gone through a major revitalization since 2000 that leaves a modern city along the Pacific shore. We drove along Shoreline Drive and past the lighthouse to the marina where they have an awesome bicycle path across the bay from the Queen Mary. We unloaded the bikes, rode the path, ate yogurt, walked the boardwalk, and spent the night at the marina. We didn't anticipate the noise in the middle of the night from people fishing on the pier behind the van.
We had bought VIP tickets online for the 4th of July on the Queen Mary and spent much of the 4th touring the boat. I was delighted to stop in the radio room and operate their amateur radio station as W6RO. The Queen Mary went into service in 1937 as a luxury liner and then was used to transport troops across the Atlantic during WWII. After the war she again became a first class cruise ship before retiring in 1967. In the afternoon we enjoyed a buffet and then had seating on the aft deck for the fireworks display over the bay. What a memorable 4th!! We watched thousand of cars leave the parking lot to cross the bridge back into town while we settled in for the night in the Queen Mary parking lot. More photos.