Long Beach is a vibrant city filled with thousands of opportunities and exciting places to visit. From locally owned coffee shops to lively art museums, Long Beach has something for everyone.
For me, the most enticing aspect of Long Beach has always been the close-knit, diverse and accepting community. Local advocacy groups spend every weekend cleaning the beach while loved ones work together in their family-owned bakery providing fresh goods to customers. That strong sense of community is the essence of Long Beach to me and one of the main reasons I enrolled at CSULB three years ago.
In this edition of the Daily Forty-Niner, CSULB students voted on their favorite places in Long Beach within a variety of categories, including the best place to gatekeep, the best place for a caffeine fix and the best place to forget your ex. Students eagerly expressed their love for local businesses, with many winning in a landslide.
All of the locations highlighted in this issue are highly deserving of recognition and praise, but there are many other places in and around Long Beach you should also explore. I highly encourage you all to spend time getting to know the city and the many hidden gems it holds.
Personally, my favorite location near Long Beach is the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Located in the nearby city of Huntington Beach, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve offers visitors a breathtaking view of local wildlife. This is a free experience and offers students a much-needed respite from their daily lives.
A few of my other go-to spots in Long Beach are Songbird, Commodity coffee and Foliage LB, all of which are locally owned businesses that provide high-quality products for their customers in an inclusive, welcoming environment.
This edition of the Daily Forty-Niner details the 20 winning locations in Long Beach students voted on, along with the runners-up for each category. So, the next time you’re in need of a local plant shop or tattoo parlor, look no further!
Congratulations to each business and thank you for continuing to provide a safe haven for CSULB students. We appreciate you and your dedication to serving this community!