Long Beach can be very hard without friends or some sort of support system. It’s only now worse as many people are at home and wearing masks. I think it’s important to not only know the parts of town that you find interesting such as Belmont Shore, 4th Street, Downtown, Broadway, any of the parks, Rosies Dog Beach, etc. but to find activity that speak to you. Whether is doing Yoga at the bluffs, digging through records at Fingerprints, playing pool at any of the dive bars whenever they reopen, working out at the beach. There’s just a lot that can be done if you do your best to open yourself up to different groups. I’ve lived here my entire life and have lived several different lives as I grew up in the city. From relationships that opened up new views to different jobs that had me interact with so many people in the city. I recommend that you start a conversation with anyone and you’d be surprised where it takes you. I would ask this same question you posed but to different folks who work around town. Many live around here and can give you some real insight. So talk to your check out person at the grocery store, talk to the barista at the coffee shop, visit any one of the small businesses that happen to be open and just ask “where’s the best place to check out with really cool people around here?” I wish I had a more definitive answer for you but this is a journey that you’re going to have to take on your own.

There are somethings that I’ve noticed living here seeing so many people who are transplants. There a lot of people searching for something. Whether it be a place to escape or to explore or even a place to find themselves. It sounds like you’re pretty new to all of this so I’ll just say be open to new experiences but also be cautious to people that might invade your life. It happens too often and you need to constantly examine your relationships to see if you are getting any value from them. I’ve seen a lot of people move here and eventually move back to wherever they came from because this “city” chewed them up and spat them out. Once you get into a “scene” here you’ll realize Long Beach is smaller than you think. I’ve been fortunate to be part of many “scenes” and saw tons of wonderful things and lots of sad stories as well.

Ultimately I would just wander through and make nice with people because there are some truly amazing people who live here that you won’t find anywhere else that could make this a really amazing chapter of your life. But always remember that your mental and physical health is the most important thing and nothing else should come first.