Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
I can’t say too much about this smokin’ shot without totally giving it away. Damn. I’ve gone and done it.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: I have to say, Long Beach firehouses are some of the most stylin’ I’ve ever seen, and Station No. 17 is no exception. [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
This is what Long Beach is all about. No, literally, this is what put Long Beach on the map: great fonts and blue sky.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: Oh gosh, this is too easy. If you don’t recognize where this is located right off the bat, you [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
Long Beach is filled with great Spanish architectural details like this. Most of them are on a house that I secretly covet. This one, however, is on a public building, where I can covet right out in the open.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: The fabulous bit of [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
It’s a well-known fact that photographers are drawn to things that could give them tetanus. This wall has enough rust to keep me in the hospital for weeks.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: This fabulous tetanus wall can be found at Oil Patch Liquor on the corner of [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
I have two memories of trading stamps: the first is that they were green, not blue. The second is that the Brady Bunch bought a color TV with them (I think they should have gone for the rowboat instead).

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: Who knew you could [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
What’s up with today’s sign designers? Everything is so unimaginative, clunky and blah. This sign is a perfect example of a totally lost art form. You won’t find anything more stylish or clean than this—if you can find it, that is.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: This stylin’ [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
“He was a Cowboy’s Best FriendAnd a Damn Good Dog” Yeah, this may sound like a drunken eulogy, but could the same be said about you?

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: Doing this column allows me to find the best hidden treasures around Long Beach—and this one is [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
These brightly-colored tiles are a bit of Long Beach history, though maybe a bit obscure. Even so, people who get around a lot have probably seen them without knowing exactly what they were.

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
ANSWER: This fantastic ceramic floor mosaic was designed and hand-painted by [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
The rebel in me likes to think this mural is painted on some secret wall in the Long Beach Police Department, but lucky for us it’s in a more public place (and one that you can visit without being arrested). It’s pretty hard not to notice [...]

Our weekly microscopic look at Long Beach

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
Any kid would notice these right away: they’re colorful, they’re at kid’s-eye level, and you’re not supposed to touch them. That gives you no excuse for not noticing them, however, as I’m pretty sure they’ve been a part of Long Beach since dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

PHOTO [...]