By Monique Garcia Photos by Craig Van Sickle “This is our neighborhood. This is your neighborhood… join us,” invites Cascia Lutz, volunteer lead with Clean Streets United, a volunteer-led community group. We love to think of Long Beach as a big city with small-town vibes, and in many ways, that’s true. But with all its charm and energy, Long Beach is still a big city and sometimes needs a helping hand keeping it clean. That’s where our amazing volunteer neighborhood and beach

By Kathleen Mest Photos by Monique Kuhlman Last year’s *LB908 March Madness: Sweet Tooth Edition brought a sweet victory to Simone’s Donuts. A favorite of ours for many years and obviously for many others in the community. How many of us have brought a box of donuts to work, grabbed a ham & cheese croissant or a midnight treat? Raise your hand! But to find out what the most popular sweet treats are, I asked each of our LB908 March Madness “Sweet Sixteen” top finalists, “What’

By Gina Valencia Photo by Monique Kuhlman About Dr. Roizenblatt Dr. Roberto Roizenblatt’s journey to Long Beach began far from the California coast. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, he completed medical school at the University of São Paulo’s School of Medicine in 1997. During his second ophthalmology residency at UC Irvine (completed in 2011), Dr. Roizenblatt’s specialized training at the Doheny Eye Institute exposed him to the exce

By John Grossi Photo by Monique Kuhlman Oh *$%! Our party’s next week! What do we do? If you live in Long Beach and need last-minute tables, chairs, linens—or maybe even an entire party planned with food, music, location-design and coordination—you call TEAM THOMPSON RENTALS! Run by long-time locals Nick and Lexi Thompson, Team Thompson Rentals is here to make planning your party as easy as possible. They pride themselves on being available 24/7 and SPECIALIZING in last-minut

Through all kinds of music, Alexa and Justin Haynes-Pilon are side by side onstage and off If music be the food of love, Alexa and Justin Haynes-Pilon play on.   The couple will be featured in Musica Angelica’s concerts in the First Congregational Church of Long Beach on Jan. 31 (repeated in the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles on Feb. 1), and the title of the concert seems to refer directly to them: "Valentine to the Viola da Gamba"   They’ll be playing the viola d

By Kathryn Wells If you walk into Elyse Gordon’s home, the first thing you notice are the photos—dozens of children from every background lining the walls. In one hallway, each picture is labeled with a first name and dates, a record that represents about half of the 143 children she fostered from 1983 through her retirement. As a former foster child, I know how much it means to see proof that someone chose to show up. That’s why I wanted to tell Elyse’s story.  She chose fos

Story and Photos by  Brittany Hart Scholten Not every street in Long Beach can brag of a centenarian, but Rosebay Street sure can! This September, Mia Lipski, who moved onto the street in 1958 with her late husband, Alexander, celebrated her 100th birthday at her home of nearly seven decades, surrounded by friends, family, and neighbors. “The neighborhood party meant a lot to her because she has made so many friends there over the years, and she believes that, ‘You shall love

Photo of Jim Trout by Monique Kuhlman Parade photos submitted by the Daisy Lane Parade By Brittany Hart Scholten If you’ve driven down Daisy Avenue around the holidays, you’ve surely seen adorable Christmas scenes lit up on the grassy center divider. Daisy Avenue Christmas Tree Lane and Parade is put on by a group of committed community volunteers each year and has been a community effort for over 70 years.  Jim Trout, Community Hero Jim Trout is one of those volunteers who h

By John Grossi | Photos submitted by Port City Tavern Port City Tavern has become one of the most popular neighborhood bars in Long Beach since it opened in 2020, thanks in part to their cocktail program, events, and overall creativity when it comes to curating local fun. But owner, Dylan Davis, and his young group of energetic and talented staff, especially show-off during the holidays. Sticking true to their year-round Long Beach “Port City” pride, “Nauti or Nice” is a naut

By Gina Valencia For Eloisa Nuñez, Christmas doesn’t begin with gift lists and shopping. It begins with laughter, the sound of family singing villancicos navideños (traditional festive Mexican Christmas carols), and the sweet aromas of cinnamon, fruit, chocolate, and holiday dishes simmering slowly on the stove.  For many Mexican families like Eloisa’s, Christmas isn’t a single day but a season that begins on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the patroness of M

By Kathleen Mest With distant memories of large Christmas Eve parties and midnight mass, I wanted to reacquaint myself with some of the Filipino holiday traditions that I grew up with. What I found were traditions based on food (lots of it), the parol and a reawakening of cultural identity. The Feast The big celebration including food, games, singing, and extended family occurs on Noche Buena  (Christmas Eve), prior to midnight mass. This is the last mass of Simbang Gabi , th

By John Grossi | Photo by Monique Kuhlman Innovation.  nnovation sounds great, but when it comes to taking the leap, it can be downright scary. Especially when you’re talking about your own home. Your own money. Your own life. Everyone has an idea of their “dream home.” But how do you know whether it’s the right time to completely transform the home you’re “comfortable in” to the home you’ve always wanted? According to General Contractor Takis Bilios, it’s not just knowing th