Peninsula, Long Beach, CA

The Peninsula is the thin sandspit at the southeast tip of Long Beach, between the open Pacific and the sheltered water of Alamitos Bay. Ocean Boulevard runs down its spine, and numbered places branch off toward each shore, so almost no home is more than a short walk from sand. Homes here are beach houses packed onto small lots, from older cottages to tall modern rebuilds. Bay-facing houses often look across the channel at Naples, while ocean-side homes face a wide, flat beach. Garages are small and street parking is scarce. The beach is the daily outdoors. The ocean side is broad and gently sloped, and the breakwater offshore keeps the surf low. Alamitos Park at 72nd Place and Ocean Boulevard sits near the tip, where the bay opens toward Seal Beach. On the bay side, calm water makes launching a kayak or paddleboard easy. For food, Vibes Beach Cafe on 62nd Place is the quick coffee or breakfast stop on the Peninsula itself. For more, residents walk or bike to Belmont Shore, where Second Street has dozens of restaurants, or cross the bridge to Naples for Carmen's Coffee and Marlena. Daily errands happen off the sandspit. Vons on Ocean Boulevard in Belmont Shore is the nearest full grocery, and the bigger Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are near Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway. With only one road in and out, the Peninsula has no through traffic. Summer weekends bring beachgoers and parking gets tight, and erosion is a constant topic. Living on the Peninsula means choosing between an ocean sunset and a bay full of moored boats, and many locals get both from a single second-floor deck.