Long Beach's British Invasion

Okay, I get that Long Beach has the Queen Mary, so we're bound to attract tourism from the UK to our sunny Southern California destination.  And the Princess Diana exhibit that is currently showing at the Queen Mary is no doubt a big draw.  But my ears have noticed a rather large uptick in the King's English being spoken in Downtown LB.  Not sure exactly what gives....any reader insights?  Any Brits want to clue me in as to why my town is such a popular choice for UK tourism?  Any other specific spots in town that you've come to see?  The curiosity is beginning to get to me.

Did Anyone Else Notice?

Right under our noses and with no fanfare, justification, or marketing spin, something in Long Beach has changed.  A quick check at LBTrainsit's website leaves no clues as to how long this change has been in place, and the observant indivudual in me sure hopes it's only about a week, or so, old.

As can be found HERE, the Passport bus system in Long Beach has drastically changed.  There used to be an A,B,C, and D bus that connected downtown to some of the more frequented destinations in Long Beach like Belmont Shore, Alamitos Bay Marina, Long Beach State, the Los Altos neighborhood, Retro Row, and various other stops in between.

However, now only the "C" route, the one which serves the downtown core and tourist destinations (free of charge), is now the only remaining route and maintains the legacy name.  But yes, this route is still free, and is a great way to shuttle between Long Beach's most popular destinations in the downtown and waterfront areas.  Both the Aqualink and Aquabus are still mainstays, but run only during the peak months, from Memorial Day through Sept 30.  Those lines will be back up in May 2013.

Did Autumn Just Pull a Punxsutawney Phil?

It was getting crisp and cool at night.  There were morning thunderstorms last week.  We watched football broadcasts across the country talk about how Fall was in the brisk air.

And then yesterday happened.  It cracked 100 in parts of Long Beach for a few minutes in the middle of the day, and it's doing so again today.  Tomorrow's going to be almost as hot, and Wednesday is supposed to be even hotter before we get some reprieve in the LA basin.  Where the heck did Autumn go?

Actually, remember this time last year?  This exact week, even?  It was just as hot, and I remember the gauge in my dash reading 107 as I came down Bellflower Blvd.  So, while you may cry foul on global warming, just remember that this heat streak happened at exactly the same time last year....and then the real Fall finally started and we had a Windpocalypse.

Begin securing your trees...