Street * Historic * Slalom *

From the Long Beach Freeway (Interstate 710) heading south, follow the signs to downtown. After you cross the Los Angeles River, proceed to Shoreline Drive. Make note of Pine Avenue where the divided highway terminates. You will skate on Pine Avenue past the convention center to get to downtown. Look for free parking in the Aquatic Park area.

The city of Long Beach has a gorgeous metropolitan center close to one of the most beautiful harbors in the state. Highlights include a unique convention center and exciting urban terrain. The waterfront area provides access to the Long Beach Shoreline Bicycle and Pedestrian Path (see Long Beach Shoreline Trail, page 335), which connects the San Gabriel River Bike Trail with the nearby Los Angeles River bikeway (LARIO). If you can't resist the stunning whale mural that adorns the out-side of the cylindrical building at the convention center, skate from Aquatic Park back to Shoreline Drive and turn right up Pine Avenue. A bike lane on the street takes you past the entrance to the grounds of the convention center. From here, it's just another block or two up Pine until you reach Ocean Boulevard and can explore downtown Long Beach. Palm fronds fluttering in the breeze in the median divider give Ocean Boulevard that refreshing seaside touch as it passes the library and city hall, the courthouse, and the World Trade Center, all offering wonderful skating and sight-seeing opportunities. Map out your own route amid the high-rises lining the wide sidewalks on both sides of the boulevard, which has been refurbished with fresh-looking brickwork, promenades, and plazas. There are slopes throughout downtown, so watch your speed and be aware of the pedestrians and traffic around you. Closer to the harbor, less street-oriented skaters might enjoy a flat roll and the chance to window-shop at Shoreline Village near the west end of the Downtown Shoreline Marina. Or, to get the most spectacular view of the harbor and of the Queen Mary, which is docked across the channel, skate out to the end of the marina's breakwater. That geodesic dome near the Queen Mary is the hangar where Howard Hughes used to store his Spruce Goose airplane years ago. Local park rangers say that there is no speed limit here and that the "No Roller Skating" message painted on the sidewalk is not enforced due to public request.