How to Spend a Chill Saturday in the LBC

Greetings friends! This past weekend, I decided to head to a city that is very near and dear to my heart; Long Beach! As you might know, I went to college at CSULB and my workplace (before COVID) was also based in Long Beach.

Although in LA county, Long Beach is a place that has its own identity. It’s a casual, retro, and accepting city that is like a second home to me. It had been awhile since I had stepped foot there and so, I decided to plan a fun day with my friend Brigitte.

Here is what we did in the LBC that you can also (safely) do!

Lunch:

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Long Beach is to try out Plant Power, a vegan fast food restaurant. Like many other things I have mentioned on my blog, I discovered Plant Power through TikTok.

I am not vegan, but I do love trying vegan options! The food here was very good and very affordable. I got a cheeseburger (pictured below), fries, and a coke for less than $13. No, it’s not as cheap as Mcdonalds, but if you want to try plant-based food on a budget, this is the spot to go to!

Plant Power is located at 5095 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, and is open every day from 7 am to 10 pm Parking is available, although the lot is very small and compact.

Brigitte and I got our food and headed five minutes away to Marina Vista Park to eat. Marina Vista is a waterfront park that has benches and grassy fields for picnics. I wiped the bench down with Clorox wipes and enjoyed our lunch with a scenic view.

Marina Vista Park is located at 5355 E Eliot St. There is a free parking lot with plenty of space as well as clean and open bathrooms.

Barnes & Noble:

After lunch, we decided to go to Barnes & Noble. It was only a few minutes away and who doesn’t love roaming bookstore aisles? The store was quiet and empty. We spent a good hour walking around talking about different books. I will say that this specific location is on the smaller side compared to other Barnes & Noble I’ve been to. Regardless, it was a great way to spend time with a friend.

This Barnes & Noble is located at 6326 E Pacific Coast Hwy and is open from 10 am to 7 pm Monday-Saturday and 11 am to 7 pm on Sundays.

Long Beach Antique Mall II:

Now to what I think was the highlight of the day: antiquing! This store is located only 10 minutes away from Barnes & Noble and is currently open, so we had to check it out.

Antiquing is one of Brigitte and I’s favorite pastimes to do together. Even if we don’t buy anything, we love to look at all of the relics, and that’s exactly what did. This place is pretty big and every inch is crammed with antiques.

We walked around for quite a while and look through every aisle of this place. There’s records, art, old cans, bottles, and so much more.

Brigitte did end up getting a few things so it was a pretty successful trip! I even took a mirror selfie.

The Long Beach Antique Mall II is located on a secluded street in Signal Hill at 1851 Freeman Ave. They are open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Street parking is available and plentiful!

Belmont Shore:
To finish off the day, Brigitte and I drove to Belmont Shore for some refreshments. We went to Frosted Cupcakery and Pressed Juicery. This was only a pit stop before we headed back to the South Bay but it’s definitely worth it. I devoured the strawberry cupcake after dinner so I give this place a 10/10. Also, you can never go wrong with a pressed juice on a hot summer day!
Frosted is located at 4817 2nd St and is open from 11 am to 7 pm. You can find Pressed Juicery at 4923 2nd St. They are only a few doors down from Frosted and they are open from 8 am to 10 pm.
As you can see, Brigitte and I had a pretty eventful day! Everything was relaxed and it felt good to be back in Long Beach for the day. The cover photo for this post was taken as I was driving to Belmont Shore and made me a little sentimental.
That’s all I have for you guys this week. I highly recommend you check these places out next time you’re around the LBC! Thanks for reading and I will see you back here next time with another post on The Leslie Life.
XOXO
-Leslie V

Hi!

Aug 3 How to Spend a Chill Saturday in the LBC

Greetings friends! This past weekend, I decided to head to a city that is very near and dear to my heart; Long Beach! As you might know, I went to college at CSULB and my workplace (before COVID) was also based in Long Beach.

Although in LA county, Long Beach is a place that has its own identity. It’s a casual, retro, and accepting city that is like a second home to me. It had been awhile since I had stepped foot there and so, I decided to plan a fun day with my friend Brigitte.

Here is what we did in the LBC that you can also (safely) do!

Lunch:

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Long Beach is to try out Plant Power, a vegan fast food restaurant. Like many other things I have mentioned on my blog, I discovered Plant Power through TikTok.

I am not vegan, but I do love trying vegan options! The food here was very good and very affordable. I got a cheeseburger (pictured below), fries, and a coke for less than $13. No, it’s not as cheap as Mcdonalds, but if you want to try plant-based food on a budget, this is the spot to go to!

Plant Power is located at 5095 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, and is open every day from 7 am to 10 pm Parking is available, although the lot is very small and compact.

Brigitte and I got our food and headed five minutes away to Marina Vista Park to eat. Marina Vista is a waterfront park that has benches and grassy fields for picnics. I wiped the bench down with Clorox wipes and enjoyed our lunch with a scenic view.

Marina Vista Park is located at 5355 E Eliot St. There is a free parking lot with plenty of space as well as clean and open bathrooms.

Barnes & Noble:

This Barnes & Noble is located at 6326 E Pacific Coast Hwy and is open from 10 am to 7 pm Monday-Saturday and 11 am to 7 pm on Sundays.

Long Beach Antique Mall II:

Now to what I think was the highlight of the day: antiquing! This store is located only 10 minutes away from Barnes & Noble and is currently open, so we had to check it out.

Antiquing is one of Brigitte and I’s favorite pastimes to do together. Even if we don’t buy anything, we love to look at all of the relics, and that’s exactly what did. This place is pretty big and every inch is crammed with antiques.

We walked around for quite a while and look through every aisle of this place. There’s records, art, old cans, bottles, and so much more.

Brigitte did end up getting a few things so it was a pretty successful trip! I even took a mirror selfie.

The Long Beach Antique Mall II is located on a secluded street in Signal Hill at 1851 Freeman Ave. They are open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Street parking is available and plentiful!

Belmont Shore:

Frosted is located at 4817 2nd St and is open from 11 am to 7 pm. You can find Pressed Juicery at 4923 2nd St. They are only a few doors down from Frosted and they are open from 8 am to 10 pm.

As you can see, Brigitte and I had a pretty eventful day! Everything was relaxed and it felt good to be back in Long Beach for the day. The cover photo for this post was taken as I was driving to Belmont Shore and made me a little sentimental.

That’s all I have for you guys this week. I highly recommend you check these places out next time you’re around the LBC! Thanks for reading and I will see you back here next time with another post on The Leslie Life.

XOXO

-Leslie V

Most Recent Post

Instagram

Hi!

Aug 3 How to Spend a Chill Saturday in the LBC

Greetings friends! This past weekend, I decided to head to a city that is very near and dear to my heart; Long Beach! As you might know, I went to college at CSULB and my workplace (before COVID) was also based in Long Beach.

Although in LA county, Long Beach is a place that has its own identity. It’s a casual, retro, and accepting city that is like a second home to me. It had been awhile since I had stepped foot there and so, I decided to plan a fun day with my friend Brigitte.

Here is what we did in the LBC that you can also (safely) do!

Lunch:

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Long Beach is to try out Plant Power, a vegan fast food restaurant. Like many other things I have mentioned on my blog, I discovered Plant Power through TikTok.

I am not vegan, but I do love trying vegan options! The food here was very good and very affordable. I got a cheeseburger (pictured below), fries, and a coke for less than $13. No, it’s not as cheap as Mcdonalds, but if you want to try plant-based food on a budget, this is the spot to go to!

Plant Power is located at 5095 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, and is open every day from 7 am to 10 pm Parking is available, although the lot is very small and compact.

Brigitte and I got our food and headed five minutes away to Marina Vista Park to eat. Marina Vista is a waterfront park that has benches and grassy fields for picnics. I wiped the bench down with Clorox wipes and enjoyed our lunch with a scenic view.

Marina Vista Park is located at 5355 E Eliot St. There is a free parking lot with plenty of space as well as clean and open bathrooms.

Barnes & Noble:

This Barnes & Noble is located at 6326 E Pacific Coast Hwy and is open from 10 am to 7 pm Monday-Saturday and 11 am to 7 pm on Sundays.

Long Beach Antique Mall II:

Now to what I think was the highlight of the day: antiquing! This store is located only 10 minutes away from Barnes & Noble and is currently open, so we had to check it out.

Antiquing is one of Brigitte and I’s favorite pastimes to do together. Even if we don’t buy anything, we love to look at all of the relics, and that’s exactly what did. This place is pretty big and every inch is crammed with antiques.

We walked around for quite a while and look through every aisle of this place. There’s records, art, old cans, bottles, and so much more.

Brigitte did end up getting a few things so it was a pretty successful trip! I even took a mirror selfie.

The Long Beach Antique Mall II is located on a secluded street in Signal Hill at 1851 Freeman Ave. They are open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Street parking is available and plentiful!

Belmont Shore:

Frosted is located at 4817 2nd St and is open from 11 am to 7 pm. You can find Pressed Juicery at 4923 2nd St. They are only a few doors down from Frosted and they are open from 8 am to 10 pm.

As you can see, Brigitte and I had a pretty eventful day! Everything was relaxed and it felt good to be back in Long Beach for the day. The cover photo for this post was taken as I was driving to Belmont Shore and made me a little sentimental.

That’s all I have for you guys this week. I highly recommend you check these places out next time you’re around the LBC! Thanks for reading and I will see you back here next time with another post on The Leslie Life.

XOXO

-Leslie V

Aug 10 A Very Small Five Below Haul & Review

Jul 27 Visiting the Huntington Library and Gardens

Related Posts