The charm of the leisure era lives on at the Fairmont Breakers Long Beach Hotel, which draws from the area’s rich history
Big waves stopped hitting the shores of Long Beach soon after World War II, when the breakwater that made the city a friendly port for Navy ships diminished its reputation as a seaside resort. L.A. County’s second-largest city has been reimagined as a place for conventions, an industrial hub and home to one of the largest shipping ports in America.
However, the charm of the leisure era lives on at the Fairmont Breakers Long Beach hotel, a beacon of Jazz Age sophistication surrounded by the glass and steel that transformed the city in the 1970s and 80s.
The lobby at Fairmont Breakers Long Beach Credit: Brandon Barré Photography
In the top floor Sky Room, the windows are in the same place, but the view has profoundly changed. Where the Beaux Arts Municipal Auditorium once stood next door, the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center now stands. Developers also came for the lively Pike amusement park at the foot of the hotel. Today, that iconic location is an outlet mall. Two miles of open sea was filled in to create the marine infrastructure for the Port of Long Beach that now handles $300 billion a year in cargo.
Alter Ego Bar Credit: Courtesy Fairmont Breakers
Pieces of that lost seaside world linger around the city and make for a fun scavenger hunt. The art deco-era mosaic of fun-loving beachgoers at Harvey Milk Park came from the demolished Municipal Auditorium where Elvis first played L.A. and amusements from the Pike are on display at the Historical Society of Long Beach. Terra cotta pillars from the nearby Jergins building, the one with the passageway made famous in Lana del Rey’s Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, now mark the entrance to Willmore Heritage Garden. And as for the subway itself? It’s still down there and there are rumors that it may be restored as a restaurant or nightclub.
Back at the Breakers, a muted buzz rises from conventioneers, couples on cruises extending their trip and locals excited that their famous venue is back as they queue up for dinner at the Sky Room. The penthouse is a grand mix of the new and the old, flooded with the warm amber light of memory and Sinatra crooning My Funny Valentine as we walk in. An amuse bouche arrives with a garnish of avant garde edible flowers and, after the meal, waitstaff flambé Bananas Foster tableside in the finest steakhouse tradition. Service is a standout at the hotel, where everyone from the cocktail waitress to the Gold Key concierge are all attentive problem solvers.
Flambé dessert in the Sky Room Credit: Courtesy Fairmont Breakers
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The night we visited, Broadway star Mandy Patinkin was playing at the nearby Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and we considered going, but dinner reservations kept us from leaving the hotel in time for a show. It seems inconceivable, but after the jazz ended at the hotel’s dark and moody Alter Ego club, we ran into Patinkin looking around the empty lobby and commiserated about how early the sidewalks roll up in L.A. He disappeared and we retreated to our room with milk and cookies from Nettuno and enjoyed clips from The Princess Bride.
In the morning, guests can enjoy Mr. Chow veteran chef Giuseppe Musso’s standout lemon ricotta pancakes with orange marmalade and crème fraiche at Nettuno, the all-day lobby restaurant, or start exploring the beach town early.
Around Town
Art Theatre on Retro Row Credit: Art Theatre of Long Beach
For those looking to explore Long Beach, there’s a line around the block for Zuzu’s Petals, an It’s a Wonderful Life-themed brunch spot in the East Village. Pancakes are baked in a cast-iron skillet and the coconut foam mint mocha is a standout.
Not far away is Retro Row along 4th Street, filled with vintage shops and wacky boutiques hawking everything from culinary books at Kitchen Lingo to roller skates at Pigeon’s. Vintage vinyl abounds at Third Eye Records, where you can listen to the album before taking it home and get those obscure stickers your laptop has been craving. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Meow, the epic vintage clothing shop which magically carries “dead stock” original unused apparel your great grandparents missed out on the first time around. ‘
The Long Beach Museum of Art is just over a mile from Fairmont Breakers. Credit: Chris Nichols
If you’re feeling up to an indie or art film, there’s nothing in town like the Art Theatre, a glamorous century-old movie house that shows new and classic films and anchors the entire district. Indulge in a Shirley Temple or a spritz. If you seek a can of craft beer, they’re stacked next to the Kit Kats.
Back on the sand that gave the town its name, you can have something more like a natural experience at surprisingly quiet Junipero Beach. The sand and surf there is complemented by a view of offshore oil tankers and rigs disguised as tropical islands complete with swaying palm trees.
The museum’s Robert Williams ExhibitCredit: Chris Nichols
That juxtaposition of the familiar with the absurd would be right at home in the pop surrealist art of Robert Williams. The Long Beach Museum of Art, built around a Craftsman house on a bluff overlooking the beach, is presenting 57 paintings and sculptures by the L.A.-based artist known for his underground comics and intricately detailed psychedelic oil paintings. Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions is a major exhibition of 21st century work from the Juxtapoz Magazine founder and runs through the end of this month.