{"id":72992,"date":"2023-04-05T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/not-into-the-grand-prix-heres-how-you-can-avoid-it"},"modified":"2023-04-05T15:24:36","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T22:24:36","slug":"not-into-the-grand-prix-heres-how-you-can-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/not-into-the-grand-prix-heres-how-you-can-avoid-it","title":{"rendered":"Not into the Grand Prix? Here’s how you can avoid it"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are two types of people who live in Long Beach\u2014those who love the Grand Prix and those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

All right, that might be an exaggeration, but whether you\u2019ve lived in Long Beach for a handful of years or a handful of decades, you’ve likely formed some opinion of the annual race weekend.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve driven by the shoreline and through Downtown over the past few months and witnessed the gradual construction of 14 grandstands, or the assembly of 2,400 concrete blocks to enclose a 1.97-mile, 11-turn race track. During the April 14-16 weekend, some 180,000 race fans are expected to file into Long Beach for the ear-splitting 48th year of the Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

If this incoming experience doesn\u2019t sound like an ideal way to spend a spring weekend, we might be able to help. Below, you\u2019ll find a list of ways to escape without skipping town.<\/p>\n

From Belmont Shore to the Westside, there\u2019s a chance you might hear even distant rumblings of the race weekend. But if you\u2019re a Downtown resident and you aren\u2019t keen on the Grand Prix, you may desperately need this list.<\/p>\n

For those who do<\/i> enjoy speedy vehicle activities, please read our thorough coverage<\/a> of such. For those who don\u2019t, keep reading.<\/p>\n

Tour the long-shuttered Queen Mary<\/b><\/h5>\n
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Queen Mary Commodore Everette Hoard gives a tour of the historic ocean liner to the first guests aboard in two and a half years Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. Photo by Brandon Richardson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two weeks ahead of the race weekend, the city of Long Beach did you a solid<\/a> and reopened tours on April 1. Three different $10 one-hour tours became available to book: Glory Days Historical<\/a>, Haunted Encounters<\/a> and Steam & Steal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t guarantee that the sounds of revving engines across the water won\u2019t reach your ears, but we can hope that the escapism of boarding the long-darkened 93-year-old ship will be enough.<\/p>\n

Try LB\u2019s only fixed escape room\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n

If tours of the Queen Mary are sold out by the time you read this, there is an escape room in Long Beach that provides something of a simulation of the ship, but you\u2019ll have to do some work. (FYI, an escape room is a place where you pay money to be locked inside until you can solve a series of puzzles to get out.)<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Queen\u201d, within Escape Long Beach, on 3926 E. Broadway, you will become a paranormal investigator tasked with unraveling the mystery behind strange disappearances and a tip from a local psychic who believes the ghost of Queen Mary is collecting souls to sail her ship again.<\/p>\n

If this one doesn\u2019t sound appealing, you can become an FBI agent in \u201cThe Lab\u201d escape room to break into the lab of an environmental science student who is planning on deploying a bioweapon that would wipe out California.<\/p>\n

Each puzzle takes about 55 minutes, and ticket prices go by group size, from $118 total for two to $35 per person for groups of four. More information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other than a newer mobile escape room at Shoreline Village<\/a>, Escape Long Beach, which opened in 2019, happens to be the only brick-and-mortar offering such puzzles in the city.<\/p>\n

Pro-tip: There\u2019s a fantastic bar (and restaurant) across the street, Panxa<\/a>. They have happy-hour on Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ride the city\u2019s boozy water taxi\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n

Have you ever taken a ride on Long Beach Transit\u2019s AquaLink? While many might want to ride the water taxi from Alamitos Bay and be dropped off near the race front, you can also hop on the boat to get out of dodge.<\/p>\n

For $5, you can hop on the water taxi in Shoreline Village at Aquarium Dock 4, soak up a 40-minute scenic ocean voyage (which has a bar) and get dropped off at Alamitos Bay Landing Berth 3, which happens to be right in front of Ballast Point Brewing<\/a>. Nearby, there\u2019s also Malainey\u2019s Grill & One Hell of an Irish Bar (that\u2019s actually its name) and Boathouse on the Bay.<\/p>\n

Book a boat to Catalina<\/b><\/h5>\n
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People chat on the beach on Catalina Island, Friday, May 7, 2021. Photo by Brandon Richardson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

OK, I know this list was only supposed to suggest activities you could do without leaving town, but if there was ever going to be an exception, it was going to be one that wouldn\u2019t include contending with congested weekend freeways.<\/p>\n

Depending on what time you leave, you may have to wade through some of the Grand Prix madness to get to Catalina Landing in Downtown, but once you\u2019re on that boat, you\u2019ll be one hour closer to immersing yourself in Catalina\u2019s mountainous topography, sandy beaches and bison-filled backcountry.<\/p>\n

You can hop over to the island for $77, round-trip, for adults and $61.50 for children 2 to 11 years old. Those under 2 can ride for free. More information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cut a rug, catch a show<\/b><\/h5>\n
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Closed for nearly eight months, Alex’s Bar reopened for outdoor dining with a soft opening Friday, Oct. 23 and their grand opening Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Swaths of Grand Prix heads will attend Fiesta Friday, where DJ Boombox Cartel<\/a> is headlining; and the Saturday night stage, where Kings of Chaos<\/a> will draw a huge crowd. But there are plenty of other shows and DJ nights you can attend in Long Beach that weekend.<\/p>\n

Here is a list of some musical goings-on from April 14-16 in Long Beach:<\/p>\n