The Post prides itself on being Long Beach’s main source for well-written stories all about this great, big diverse city. And with another year of Long Beach tales nearly in the bag, it is with great pride that we reflect on some of the most-read pieces of this year.
On this top-ten list for 2012 are stories about everything from rocks to Olympic medalists to cyclists and gay bars–a swath of subjects as varied as the city of Long Beach itself. Some are human interest stories about struggle, competition or success while others are opinion pieces, interviews and even a photo gallery. They come from all sections of our site: Sports, Life, Food, Business and LGBT–proving that no portion of our coverage goes unnoticed by you, dear readers.
Tomorrow, we will put up the Top 10 Most-Read News Stories of 2012, but today, we bring you the Top 10 Most-Read Feature Stories of 2012, pieces that show our community from a perspective that goes beyond the objective.
****
10. Club Ripples Unveils Major Renovation
Built upon too much anticipation and expectation, TV network Bravo! sent in their makeover guru, Tabatha Coffey, to remake Long Beach LGBT staple Ripples after a successful redesign of The Loft… And it failed. Miserably. The lackluster “renovation” was always in quotes—and it took a local to take Coffey’s design and turn it around. Do you think he succeeded?
****
9. Long Beach Teen Will Rep USA at Junior World Track Cycling Championship
Young and lacking any sense of fatigue, 17 year-old Tara McCormick (who also showed up for our Person of the Year photoshoot) represents Long Beach’s self-named moniker—the nation’s most bike friendly city—and takes it to professional heights by actually making us, along with Tony Cruz, a city of award-winning bicyclists. After this story ran, she became a world champion and simultaneously won the hearts and pride of Long Beach itself.
****
8. Gordon Ramsay Films At Nino’s Tonight: Reserve Your Table Now
Okay, so this one was technically not a feature story, but it was the most-read food story of the year and it sparked a vibrant discussion more than any feature could have. After all, it’s not often a TV chef superstar comes here to fix a Long Beach restaurant. Read, Facebooked, Tweeted and re-read, this story lived on well after reservations closed for the event. Now we can only hope it brought the same voracious audience to the restaurant itself.
****
7. Why Latino Pride Is Not Just a Redux of Gay Pride
In its inaugural year, the Festival Gay Latino was a success. But many—including our own readers—felt that it was strangely redundant and exclusive. However, this piece gave organizers a chance to explain the stigma that still lies within the Latino community towards its LGBTQ members and exactly why the event was anything but redundant or exclusive.
****
6. Long Beach Water Polo Could Bring Gold for Team USA
Long Beach won more gold medals than most countries during this past summer’s Olympics, but it was the clout of the USA water polo teams—which boasted the most local members of any Olympic sport—drew the attention of our readers. If there is one thing you can’t take away from Long Beach, it’s the aquatic love instilled by the beach.
****
5. Ian Anderson’s Thick as a Brick 2
Spanning a career of five decades, the musical contribution of Ian Anderson’s career is unquestionable—after all, the man helmed Jethro Tull. Written from an exclusive interview before a local performance, this introspective look into Anderson’s life bounces between the iconic creation of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick and Anderson’s solo sequel.
****
4. Photos From Today’s Bixby Knolls Rock Party
Somehow this past March, we all became fascinated by a giant rock and not for the reason that its artist intended. Not only did hundreds come to see the 340-ton boulder drive by (literally) on its way to become a permanent installation at LACMA, but Bixby Knolls hosted an entire brouhaha of rock-themed activities and festivities. If only the actual presentation of artist’s Michael Heizer’s piece—intended to alter one’s perception of space as one dips below the massive mass—was so… thematic.
****
3. Training May-Treanor: Armando Hart Overcomes Hurdles, Helps Misty Go for Gold
One can always respect a tale of individual perseverance—but it is hard to beat two humans who use each other’s strengths and weaknesses to benefit one another. This tale of athletic superstars—Armando Hart and Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor—displays not only the physical prowess of human bodies, but the empowering dedication of the human spirit. Writer Matt Cohn captured the essence of both athletes in this beautiful and well-read Olympics feature.
****
2. Marines Involved in Possible Hate Crime
Following a small quip by a local blog, the strange and confusing tale of a group marines attacking bar patrons lit up the national media’s attention. As to whether or not it was a hate crime is still to be determined, but this saddening case of our nation’s protectors attacking citizens remains both disturbing and disheartening.
****
1. The Sipology Saga, Part I & Part II
The word “saga” is not put lightly. The Post‘s senior contributor Greggory Moore had to break this bad boy into two pieces—and for good reason. The tale of inept financial strength, unethical business decisions, unpaid employees and myriad details unable to fit a single sentence easily made Sipology into one of Long Beach’s most mythical businesses (and by mythical we mean Hades, not Hercules). Originally published in January, these pieces remain the most-read features of the year.