Forget the birthday cake, get me Poundstone

Yes, that dread day is approaching when I have to admit to friends and family (and myself) that I'm a year older. What better way to ease to pain than have a good laugh and who better to deliver the yucks than Paula Poundstone? She'll be appearing at the Art Theatre on December 16 at 9 pm. The performance is sponsored by the Artful Thinking Organization as a benefit to breast cancer organizations. In addition, Poundstone will donate part of the proceeds from sales of her books and CDs to Long Beach Public Library. Tickets go for $40, but what the heck, it's my birthday.

Dutch Bike Flick Redux

A charming movie called Riding Bikes with the Dutch , which premiered during the Long Beach Bike Festival on May 9 will be shown again at the Art Theatre on this Thursday, June 10, at 7 pm. Tickets are only $5. Speaking of charming, my son Drew conducted an interview with the director for Streetsblog a while back. Check it out

Visions of Hope

Art Theater will host the Hope and Freedom Film Festival this Saturday, May 22, from 1 pm until midnight. The free event, sponsored in part by the NAACP, features films by young people addressing alternatives to hatred and discrimination.

Sorry I missed it

So many things were going on last weekend while I was tied up with a yard sale. The sale went well by the way and all the neighbors on my block who got involved made a few bucks by the end of Sunday.

But, for the record, if I could have cloned myself, I would also have made the scene at:
Adopt a Wetland Clean Up at Golden Shore Marine Reserve July 18

Home Garden and Green Expo July 18 and 19 (although the name includes "Green" it looked more home and garden-y from the website info)

Tour de France conclusion on the big screen at the Art Theater on July 19 (with valet bike parking)

Wrigley Area Neighborhood Aliance LA River Walk along the Willow Estuary at Deforest Avenue south of Willow Street at the bike path on July 19 (it cost $10 but it was part of the Friends of the Los Angeles River project)

Bird Walk in Gum Grove Park at 8 am on July 19 off PCH near Orange County Line (another piece in the Los Cerritos Wetlands puzzle)

Talk by Russ Roca, the eco friendly bicycling photographer, on planning a bicycle touring adventure at {open} bookstore on July 18

Acoustic Tidal Artwalk at Colorado Lagoon from 5 to 10 pm with music, artists, food and those irrepressible bike valets (actually, I would have gone to this if I had heard about it in time)

Bike Redux

Great photo by Briebanofsky, n'est-ce pas?

It’s been a little over a week since the Bike Festival and bike news just keeps rolling in. Unfortunately, even though I’m pedaling as fast as I can, I just can’t seem to keep up with it all. Last Sunday April 5th, for instance, the CSULB Cyclists held a Sustainability Bike Ride from Colorado Lagoon, past Sims Pond and around the Los Cerritos Wetland. The event was co-sponsored by LB Cyclists and Friends of Colorado Lagoon and sounds like a good ride for a good cause. The blog highlights a monthly event as well as many other regularly scheduled opportunities to “ride your ass off,” so grab your helmet and go!

Meanwhile, over at the Art Theater, a Bike-In Movie Night was sponsored by LB Cyclists on April 11, where valet bike parking was available. Missed it! The good news is that there will be at least two more—Saturday May 2nd and Saturday June 6. With any luck, I’ll get a bike light for Mother’s Day and I’ll be all set.

I am a little bit ahead of the curve with this last item. Bike Long Beach is going to sponsor a video contest on the theme “Grab Life by the Handlebars—Bike Long Beach.” The contest begins on April 15 for 4 minutes (or shorter) videos. More details will be posted on the website soon.

Long Beach Rides into Sunset

Well, folks, I learned an important lesson last week—read the entire magazine before you decide to post about it. Yesterday, I was so thrilled to see Long Beach blogger Adriana Martinez featured in the March issue of Sunset Magazine, that I dropped the magazine and ran to my laptop to blog about it. Turns out that the big news is that this issue is black and white and Long Beach all over the place.

There’s a nice little feature about Retro Row, the shops along 4th and Junipero on page 22. That old warhorse the Art Theatre is mentioned. Don’t get me wrong, the renovation is tasteful and comfy, but I’ll never give up my memories of those old lumpy seats and the incredible films I got so wrapped up in that I forgot the discomfort.

Then on page 81, there’s an interview with Russ Roca, who calls himself the “Eco-Friendly Bicycling Photographer.” The photo only shows half of his 6-foot-long cargo bike. It’s red with a big carrying case in the front and his logo on the crossbar. You can bet I’ll be on the lookout for it around town. He also blogs at Bike Commuters, so maybe I’ll suss out his favorite hangouts from there.

Anyway, I'm still feeling the glow of recognition from all the media attention. Long Beach deserves no less.