Long Beach Convention Center

Long Beach Convention Center

There is a drawing type image of the convention center on the page. To the right is the promenade that extends south to Bird Cage and Shoreline drive; crosses Ocean Blvd. to the north towards the new "outdoor mall".

When I first arrived in Long Beach there was a little train or open trolley that took visitors from one end of the promenade to the other. That was soon gone. The old fountain arena or mini-park is gone. The bike station moved and improved. The mural in front of the old indoor mall still stands. Luxury condos have replaced parking lots and open space.

I liked the old promenade much better. Many of the new stores have not been filled. There are people living in some of the new condos. Homeless that called the fountain their home most likely moved to Lincoln Park.

Pre-street living days I skated along the promendade shown in picture past convention center. Walked it many times also. Seldom took the trolley. That was just for fun; a boon for senior citizen tourists.

Street-living days walked that same path almost on a daily basis.

I had a short stint working through a temp agency at the Long Beach Convention center in 1994. That is how I happened to get a tour and learned that the round Whale building is part of the center.