{"id":490302,"date":"2026-10-09T11:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/490302\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T11:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:40:14","slug":"how-to-have-the-best-sunday-in-l-a-according-to-charles-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/490302\/","title":{"rendered":"How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Charles Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"la-sf-Charles-Phoenix-drop-cap-orange-M.png\" <\/p>\n

Midcentury pop culture expert Charles Phoenix<\/a> thinks Long Beach gets a bad rap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very underrated in the grand scheme of all of Southern California, but there is a lot to see and do there,\u201d says the Ontario native, who uses the word \u201ctime-honored\u201d repeatedly when describing his favorite attractions in the seaside community. \u201cI often refer to it \u2014 under my breath \u2014 as the New Jersey of Los Angeles. It doesn\u2019t get much respect, yet it\u2019s loaded with attractions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sunday <\/a> <\/p>\n

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.<\/p>\n

When he isn\u2019t gushing over Long Beach, the humorist and author hosts nostalgic slideshows and double-decker open-air bus tours of Midcentury architecture during Modernism Week in Palm Springs. His next event, \u201cLosAngelesland,\u201d<\/a> is a lively retro slideshow featuring vintage Kodachrome slides taken by Los Angeles locals and tourists in the 1950s and \u201960s. The show is scheduled for Oct. 17 during Modernism Week\u2019s October festival<\/a> in Palm Springs and a Halloween-themed version on Oct. 24 at the Anaheim Fall Festival<\/a>. Phoenix will also present \u201cDisneyland: Live Retro Slide Show Celebrating the Original Magic Kingdom in the 1950s & \u201960s!\u201d at the Hilbert Museum in Orange<\/a> on Oct. 18. <\/p>\n

Phoenix lives in a Midcentury Modern home in Claremont, but he\u2019s always happy to spend a day in Long Beach. His ideal Sunday includes eating clam chowder-topped biscuits at a floating restaurant, shopping for vintage treasures along 4th Street Retro Row<\/a>, cruising around Naples in an electric Duffy boat and ending the day at a classic diner from 1939.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more to do in Long Beach,\u201d he says. \u201cI could keep going, but there\u2019s only so much space in this column.\u201d<\/p>\n

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

8 a.m.: Wake up early and say thanks<\/p>\n

When I wake up, I usually have nonfat yogurt, chopped walnuts and one or two types of fresh fruit. Then I walk through my house, and whatever room I walk in first \u2014 either the living room or the den and say, \u201cI love you, house.\u201d Those are the first words I speak out loud.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

10 a.m.: Drive to the coast for lunch on a floating restaurant<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to start at the only floating restaurant I know of in the Western United States, the Chowder Barge<\/a>. It stands out on its own, although it\u2019s a bit tricky to find, so it\u2019s a good thing we have GPS or we might never get there. It\u2019s a little bit tiki, a little bit pirate and a little bit seafarer. There\u2019s always an old wizard-like man sitting in the corner with a long beard that reaches the floor. When you\u2019re on the barge and a boat passes by, you can feel it. The best thing there is their fried clams and clam chowder, which you can eat in a bowl or use the chowder as gravy. For breakfast, you could have biscuits topped with clam chowder instead of gravy. It\u2019s the best clam chowder ever. If you want fried clams on top of the biscuits, that\u2019s incredibly delicious. They also have an open-faced hamburger covered with clam chowder and fried clams or just clam chowder.<\/p>\n

The place has a deep soul, and everything there is unique and time-honored.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

1 p.m.: Go vintage shopping on Retro Row<\/p>\n

Next I would go shopping on 4th Street, a.k.a. Retro Row<\/a>, which is absolutely, in no uncertain terms, the best vintage shopping street in the Western United States \u2014 probably the Eastern and Midwestern as well. There are three stores there that I concentrate heavily on. The first is Sneaky Tiki Boutique<\/a>, which is the destination of all destinations for what I wear all spring and summer and fall \u2014 vintage Hawaiian shirts from the \u201950s and \u201960s. They\u2019re not Hawaiian shirts unless they\u2019re made in Hawaii. Nobody has a better supply than Sneaky Tiki. I mean nobody.<\/p>\n

A couple of doors down is another world-class vintage store, Meow<\/a>. Meow is an institution in the world of vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. And it\u2019s absolutely a spectacular themed environmental extravaganza, as is Sneaky Tiki. There are all kinds of vintage in there. So it is a feast for the senses and your wardrobe and accessory needs.<\/p>\n

And then for your Midcentury home decor<\/a> needs, there\u2019s Xcape Modern<\/a>. They\u2019ve been there for probably 30 years, and it\u2019s a little mumbo jumbo as far as the way it\u2019s all laid out. It\u2019s a little messy, but they have incredible Midcentury furniture and home decor, including patio items. It\u2019s a spectacular, well-curated collection. <\/p>\n

3 p.m.: Explore Rancho Los Alamitos<\/p>\n

After that, I\u2019d take a quick late-afternoon scamper around Rancho Los Alamitos<\/a>. It\u2019s really special, and it\u2019s free, F-R-E-E, free. It\u2019s this gorgeous, time-honored place; basically, you\u2019re walking back into time. The family started building it in 1790 and finished in 1834. I love to look around and walk through the layers of time. The house is beautiful. The barn is beautiful. There are animals there too. It reminds me a little bit of old-timey Knott\u2019s Berry Berry Farm<\/a>. Chickens walk around, and it just has, again, this deep soul, layers of time, mature garden. And it\u2019s impeccably kept, impeccably groomed. You can spend 20 minutes walking around there or you could spend four hours. And of course, the garden is absolutely out of this world.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s its own little world. It doesn\u2019t know the rest of the world exists, which is the kind of place that I really, really love \u2014 a place that\u2019s true to itself, time-honored and lost in its own wonderland. You know, it\u2019s just so special to be able to escape to such a rarefied environment.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

5 p.m.: Go for a ride on a Duffy Boat in Naples<\/p>\n

From there, get ready for my favorite thing to do in Southern California: taking a Duffy Boat ride<\/a> around Naples. I always rent from Anchors Away<\/a>. The boats remind me of the Jungle Cruise<\/a> at Disneyland<\/a>. Most are white and blue, but a couple of years ago, around the time of the Barbie movie, they added some bright pink ones. You can pay a little extra for the pink boats, but the blue and white ones are just as fun. The boats seat about eight to 10 people, and you rent them for two hours and just cruise around. The canals are much bigger than those in Venice. They give you a map and two hours to enjoy the water. I usually drive the boat while my friends bring drinks, cookies, snacks and whatever they want to drink. I had no experience before my first time, but it\u2019s easy and relaxing. It\u2019s never crowded, the homes are beautiful, and of course, I always wear a captain\u2019s hat.<\/p>\n

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8 p.m.: Late-night snack at a 1939 diner<\/p>\n

After that, even if we\u2019ve already had plenty to eat and drink, we usually end up at one of my favorite diners, Harbor House Cafe<\/a>, on Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach. It\u2019s been open since 1939. So we drive a couple of miles down PCH, pile into the Harbor House and finish the day with whatever we want \u2014 dessert, more dessert, onion rings or a milkshake. It\u2019s our spot to unwind. The onion rings are especially good. It\u2019s an easy, time-honored place, just like everywhere I love to go. I like to soak in the history. After we leave, everyone heads home, and I drive back up the 605 Freeway to Claremont.<\/p>\n