San Pedro from a San Pedran

[Bruin Steve]

We arrive in San Pedro on a Wednesday. I'm familiar with the World Cruise Center (Carnival) but this time we are supposed to dock about 2 miles south of it at Pier #46. Friends who live in Long Beach are picking us up for lunch and I have no idea where to tell them to meet us. I'm assuming foot & vehicle traffic into the port itself will be restricted. Any place we could walk to that would be a good meeting spot?

thanks!

Molly

Molly, You sound just a bit confused...

Carnival does NOT dock at the "World Cruise Center"...The World Cruise Center is in San Pedro...Carnival docks on the other side of the harbor in Long Beach...

 

Berth 46 IS in San Pedro...at the end of Miner Street in the Marina--across the Marina from the Doubletree Hotel...

I doubt that the access will be necessarily closed...but, it is a short walking distance to the 22nd Street Landing Restaurant...

 

If you leave the ship and turn right,the first cross street you will hit is 22nd Street...Turn left and the restaurant will be almost immediately on your left within a couple hundred feet of the intersection......

[Cruisin' Chick]

We are arriving in LA (San Pedro) on the Coral Princess April 20. WE will have our luggage to deal with! We can't use the Express luggage feature on the ship as we are Canadian. We will not be renting a car.

Questions-

Is there somewhere we can store luggage nearby? Does it cost anything?

Hotel nearby that will store for the day?

Interested in going to Catalina Island maybe- How do we get there from the cruise ship dock?

How long will it take to get to the ferry?

How long is the ferry ride?

Are the ferries frequent on a Saturday?

How far is it to LAX? I understand that it can be up to an hour's trip with traffic.

We have a 9:40pm flight so have to be at the airport 3 hours early(approx 6:30pm) Would we have enough time to explore Catalina Island between 11am and 5pm?

 

Any other suggestions for our day in San Pedro?

 

Is there a public bus that would get us to LAX from San Pedro port?

Are there transfer services available at the port rather than prebooking a service? (I know the ship offers transfers for $24/pp but we don't want to sit in LAX for 10 hours!)

Sorry I am asking so many questions but we leave Toronto on Saturday and I don't have a lot of time to do research-only booked the trip Monday!!

 

I think the majority of the Angelenos here (with a few exceptions) would strongly advise you not to take the public bus with your luggage. If you have a long wait until your flight (and don't forget you'll have to be at the airport a few hours before your flight), look into taking a tour of the city (one that will stow your luggage in a luggage compartment for you).

 

The public transit here is basically used by locals to get to work or school. If you climb on board a crowded bus with a bunch of luggage, you'll be getting a lot of dirty looks. Plus, you'll undoubtedly have to transfer (not sure about this, but there's a website that will give the routes).

 

Sane people will grab a taxi or shuttle at the port. There will be plenty of both that you won't even have to reserve ahead of time.

[Wineaux]

We arrive in San Pedro on a Wednesday. I'm familiar with the World Cruise Center (Carnival) but this time we are supposed to dock about 2 miles south of it at Pier #46. Friends who live in Long Beach are picking us up for lunch and I have no idea where to tell them to meet us. I'm assuming foot & vehicle traffic into the port itself will be restricted. Any place we could walk to that would be a good meeting spot?

 

thanks!

Molly

 

Have your friends pick you up at the Lane Victory which is docked at Berth 46. Your friends will take Harbor Blvd which turns into Miner St until it dead ends at the Lane Victory.

[critterchick]

We are arriving in LA (San Pedro) on the Coral Princess April 20. WE will have our luggage to deal with! We can't use the Express luggage feature on the ship as we are Canadian. We will not be renting a car.

Questions-

Is there somewhere we can store luggage nearby? Does it cost anything?

Hotel nearby that will store for the day?

Interested in going to Catalina Island maybe- How do we get there from the cruise ship dock?

How long will it take to get to the ferry?

How long is the ferry ride?

Are the ferries frequent on a Saturday?

How far is it to LAX? I understand that it can be up to an hour's trip with traffic.

We have a 9:40pm flight so have to be at the airport 3 hours early(approx 6:30pm) Would we have enough time to explore Catalina Island between 11am and 5pm?

 

Any other suggestions for our day in San Pedro?

 

Is there a public bus that would get us to LAX from San Pedro port?

Are there transfer services available at the port rather than prebooking a service? (I know the ship offers transfers for $24/pp but we don't want to sit in LAX for 10 hours!)

Sorry I am asking so many questions but we leave Toronto on Saturday and I don't have a lot of time to do research-only booked the trip Monday!!

 

If you are reading this from onboard, you can pick up Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle without a reservation. But with luggage, your options for touring are really limited if you won't have a rental car - most places won't store luggage if you didn't stay there (hotels) or won't do it at all for security concerns. The Boston bombing will only reinforce those concerns.

 

I don't think you will be able to do Catalina in a day (pity; it's a really nice place to visit). The only morning boat over on Wednesdays departs at 9:00 am, and I doubt that you'll be able to clear immigration in time even if you're first off the ship.

 

You could see about visiting Battleship Iowa, which is permanently docked right in the cruise ship terminal complex (if you're interested in US military history, admittedly not everybody's cup of tea). I know that Princess has been in discussions with them to make it a shore excursion-with-airport-dropoff, but I don't think it's on the schedule yet.

 

Molly, You sound just a bit confused...

Carnival does NOT dock at the "World Cruise Center"...The World Cruise Center is in San Pedro...Carnival docks on the other side of the harbor in Long Beach

 

They used to dock in San Pedro, though, and still do on occasion, so perhaps she drew one of those times.:)

[terrific_surprise]

Have your friends pick you up at the Lane Victory which is docked at Berth 46. Your friends will take Harbor Blvd which turns into Miner St until it dead ends at the Lane Victory.

 

Recently there has been a road block south of 22nd St. on Miner St. with signs which seem to indicate that going to the end of the street is no longer allowed. Is it ok to proceed past these signs? (When I saw the signs I turned around, assuming that we should not proceed.)

[KCcruisin07]

I think the majority of the Angelenos here (with a few exceptions) would strongly advise you not to take the public bus with your luggage. If you have a long wait until your flight (and don't forget you'll have to be at the airport a few hours before your flight)' date=' look into taking a tour of the city (one that will stow your luggage in a luggage compartment for you).

 

The public transit here is basically used by locals to get to work or school. If you climb on board a crowded bus with a bunch of luggage, you'll be getting a lot of dirty looks. Plus, you'll undoubtedly have to transfer (not sure about this, but there's a website that will give the routes).

 

Sane people will grab a taxi or shuttle at the port. There will be plenty of both that you won't even have to reserve ahead of time.[/quote']

I don't know if the Princess cruises dock in LB or San Pedro.

You could go to the Aquarium in Long Beach (I think they have luggage storage there.) The Queen Mary is another option near there.

Or you could check Sunseekers half or all day tours, which will let you take your luggage and drop you at the airport after the tour. I haven't taken this tour, but it seems to fit your needs!

Edited April 17, 2013 by KCcruisin07

[skyline]

Will be sailing on the Golden on the 24th. Know the new drill on that ship (1 750ml bottle per person, other bottles $15.00 corkage fee) , but still want to get some champagne and wine. Where are some places close to the Crowne Plaza where we can shop? Thanks for your help. Also super thanks to Patty (Crusin' Chick) for your holiday cruise review. It was a tremendous helping for us.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I don't know if the Princess cruises dock in LB or San Pedro.

You could go to the Aquarium in Long Beach (I think they have luggage storage there.) The Queen Mary is another option near there.

Or you could check Sunseekers half or all day tours, which will let you take your luggage and drop you at the airport after the tour. I haven't taken this tour, but it seems to fit your needs!

 

About 99 per cent of the time Carnival uses the Port of LB and the other ships the Port of LA (San Pedro).

 

Will be sailing on the Golden on the 24th. Know the new drill on that ship (1 750ml bottle per person, other bottles $15.00 corkage fee) , but still want to get some champagne and wine. Where are some places close to the Crowne Plaza where we can shop? Thanks for your help. Also super thanks to Patty (Crusin' Chick) for your holiday cruise review. It was a tremendous helping for us.

 

You're welcome, Skyline. I know I tend to write on the detailed side, but I like it when others give those little details too.

[Bruin Steve]

Will be sailing on the Golden on the 24th. Know the new drill on that ship (1 750ml bottle per person, other bottles $15.00 corkage fee) , but still want to get some champagne and wine. Where are some places close to the Crowne Plaza where we can shop? Thanks for your help. Also super thanks to Patty (Crusin' Chick) for your holiday cruise review. It was a tremendous helping for us.

 

"Off the Vine"

491 W 6th St #103, San Pedro

(310) 831-1551

 

Just a couple of blocks west of he Crowne Plaza...best wine shop in the area...

[hula dancer]

Molly, You sound just a bit confused...

Carnival does NOT dock at the "World Cruise Center"...The World Cruise Center is in San Pedro...Carnival docks on the other side of the harbor in Long Beach...

 

Berth 46 IS in San Pedro...at the end of Miner Street in the Marina--across the Marina from the Doubletree Hotel...

I doubt that the access will be necessarily closed...but, it is a short walking distance to the 22nd Street Landing Restaurant...

 

If you leave the ship and turn right,the first cross street you will hit is 22nd Street...Turn left and the restaurant will be almost immediately on your left within a couple hundred feet of the intersection......

 

 

 

Thanks to both you (Bruin Steve) and Wineaux for your suggestions. Very helpful. I will give your suggestions to our friends and let them decide where they want to pick us up. (Celebrity shows us docking in "Los Angeles" but in actuality it is Pier 46 in San Pedro.)

Thanks again, Molly

[Bruin Steve]

(Celebrity shows us docking in "Los Angeles" but in actuality it is Pier 46 in San Pedro.)

"San Pedro" is actually part of the City of Los Angeles...and is the section where part of the harbor is located...

 

When you see what appears to be separate towns or cities in the Los Angeles area, you will find that many of them are actually within the city limits of the City of Los Angeles while others--though often completely surrounded by the city--are actually separately incorporated cities...

 

Very few areas within the City of Los Angeles have postal addresses that say "Los Angeles"...You will often see addresses with names like Encino, Tarzana, Reseda, Hollywood, Northridge, Venice, Pacific Palisades and many, many others...these are all, politically speaking, just parts of the City of Los Angeles...Other places that appear to be solidly within the middle of Los Angeles--often surrounded on all sides by Los Angeles--are actually separately incorporated cities--places like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood etc.

 

There's a little history to it...

 

Los Angeles, originally, was an inland, landlocked city centered around what is now Downtown Los Angeles...Unlike most major cities, it was not located due to transportation reasons--a harbor a river mouth, a major transportation crossroads...

 

Los Angeles was founded originally as a compromise site by the Spanish because they did not feel the area was all that important...

 

Early Spanish towns in Los Angeles were settled, originally by the missionaries...Their mission was to convert the local Native Americans to Catholicism...So, Missions were usually located near the coast where they found the largest native populations...and they generally plotted out the missions approximately one day's travel (in those days by horse and wagon) apart...So, there was a string of missions going up the coast.

 

But, in the LA area, the largest concentrations of Native Americans were not along the coast...problem: No dependable fresh drinking water supply.

The native population was largely along the foothills of the mountain ranges--where there was water run-off from the mountains...So, the Spanish built their missions in the inland valleys--at San Gabriel and San Fernando...

 

Now, at most missions, the Spanish brought in the military--to support and protect the missions...and built a Presidio--or Fort--near the mission...

But the Spanish didn't deem either San Gabriel nor San Fernando to be that important...so, rather than one Presidio for each, they built just one to cover both--and put it approximately halfway between...and they chose the spot at now-Downtown Los Angeles--around Olvera Street--near the present Amtrak Union Station...because of the local water source--the Los Angeles River...which went underground in those days through the Glendale Narrows and resurfaced just north of this location...

 

The Spanish also then settled the area by giving out very large "land grants"--large acreages for farming or ranching--to favored individuals (often to just about anyone who was willing to take them as the Spanish thought of most of California to be too remote and too undesirable)...

 

So, as the years passed, especially in the 1870s as the railroads started bringing large numbers of people to the Los Angeles area, many individual land grant owners would start subdividing sections of their ranches and founding cities...all initially spread apart as they were all just sections of individual separate land grants...

 

Over the years, many of these cities, growing individually, started just running into each other...

 

BUT, two very important things happened in the early part of the 20th Century:

1) The City of Los Angeles decided it, being landlocked, was being restricted in its growth--that they needed a harbor...So, they decided to annex the CITY of San Pedro...Yep, San Pedro WAS a completely separate city...It wasn't even adjacent to Los Angeles...State law required all cities to be contiguous. So, Los Angeles not only annexed San Pedro to gain control of its harbor, but they also annexed an very long, extremely narrow strip of land going clear from Downtown Los Angeles to San Pedro to connect the two...

2) The City of Los Angeles "acquired" a great fresh water supply--the Owens Valley, located on the Eastern slope of the Southern Sierra Nevada...They didn't annex this remote area--just bought up all of the water rights...and built an aqueduct that took the water from the Owens Valley and "dumped" it in the San Fernando Valley--Northwest of Downtown LA...This plan was masterminded by the then head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, William Mulholland, a geologist by training...who knew that the San Fernando Valley was a large basin...that would collect the water underground and then it would flow through the Glendale Narrows--right into Downtown Los Angeles--where they could collect it and re-use it...(Ever see the movie Chinatown? All of the intrigue is sort of fictional, but the background stuff--the character "Mulray" rather than "Mulholland" the water department, the sudden buying up of land in the San Fernando Valley, etc.--all based on the truth...

When the city acquired this water supply--far too much for just the City of Los Angeles' use, they turned around and offered a deal to all of the surrounding small cities: Want to have a share of this water? Just agree to being annexed into Los Angeles...Many of these smaller cities--whose wealth and development depended on water--bought in and took the deal. Virtually none of the San Fernando Valley goes by the address "Los Angeles"...they all go be their original names...Yet all except for San Fernando and Burbank (and some smaller towns on the periphery) agreed to being annexed into Los Angeles...So did some former independent cities in the LA basin--like Venice and Sawtelle and others...But some cities, such as Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, had their own independent water supplies and opted to remain independent, hence the crazy-quilt map of Los Angeles...

 

Anyway, although San Pedro has a history of an independent city...and is still called San Pedro rather than "Los Angeles", for the past 100 years or so, it has actually just been a neighborhood of Los Angeles--They vote for Los Angeles Mayor, they are a part of one of the Los Angeles City Council districts, their Schools are within the Los Angeles School District and they pay taxes to Los Angeles...though many in San Pedro sometimes resent it. Several years back, they tried to secede from Los Angeles--which requires winning two votes--a majority of the citizens of San Pedro and a majority of the citizens of the rest of Los Angeles...The effort was doomed to failure...No way Los Angeles gives up its harbor...

 

Anyway, the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach is VERY BIG...It is by far, the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere--dwarfing every other commercial harbor in North America...

It spans the City of Long Beach AND the San Pedro and Wilmington sections (former separate cities) of Los Angeles (Long Beach IS separately incorporated and, on its own, is a city of over half a million in population.

 

So, while the port in San Pedro is correctly referred to as "The Port of Los Angeles", the mailing address for everything there, including the neighboring town, businesses, hotels, etc. all have the mailing address "San Pedro".

Edited April 19, 2013 by Bruin Steve

[karen_g]

Extremely interesting, thanks!

[Cruisin' Chick]

And some of "Chinatown" is set in the orange groves of the Valley, and there's still many of the original orange trees still around in this area. In fact, this week or next, people who have the orange trees lining their streets (San Fernando Mission Blvd. is one) are encouraged to pick some of their citrus to donate to food banks.

[Wineaux]

San Pedro resents the City of Los Angeles because they siphon money from San Pedro and spend it amongst those that are "landlocked." If San Pedro did break away from Los Angeles the Harbor would not be included in the plan and there is still talk of doing so. I doubt it will happen...the City of Los Angeles loves are tax dollars too much.

 

Take a look at this map of "Los Angeles." Shows you how the siphon works.

 

http://cityplanning.lacity.org/MapGallery/Image/Citywide/CityBoundary.pdf

 

You'll notice how the "beast" doesn't bother with any of the scraps of land between it's belly and fuel source. Nice little feeding tube up the Harbor Freeway. :mad:

[Cruisin' Chick]

San Pedro resents the City of Los Angeles because they siphon money from San Pedro and spend it amongst those that are "landlocked." If San Pedro did break away from Los Angeles the Harbor would not be included in the plan and there is still talk of doing so. I doubt it will happen...the City of Los Angeles loves are tax dollars too much.

 

Take a look at this map of "Los Angeles." Shows you how the siphon works.

 

http://cityplanning.lacity.org/MapGallery/Image/Citywide/CityBoundary.pdf

 

You'll notice how the "beast" doesn't bother with any of the scraps of land between it's belly and fuel source. Nice little feeding tube up the Harbor Freeway. :mad:

 

At the same time that SP was attempting to get its secession on the ballot, the San Fernando Valley was more successful, but that effort failed because many residents knew that a new Valley city would have to pay the COLA a major amount of money to pay for the infrastructure, even though much of the tax dollars that have paid for it was originally from Valley residents. Not to mention that not only Vals had to vote for the measure, but also the rest of the city.

[dakacz]

Thanks for the information. Very interesting.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for all the info ..

[ganny3]

We will be cruising on Princess next April to Hawaii out of the San Pedro port. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We would like to see the CA Fanfare the night before we cruise. Will we need to take a taxi there and is there a good place to eat in that area? Thanks in advance for any information.

Barbara

Edited May 8, 2013 by ganny3
needs a space in title

[elcydcruiser]

The Fanfare Fountain is about 1 mile from the Crown Plaza along a walking path. There is a restaurant in the Crown Plaza and within walking distance of the CP is the Acapulco Restaurant. Round trip from CP to Acapulco Restaurant to Fountain and back to CP is less than 3 miles.

There are several recommended restaurants near the CP...all within walking distance. Check thread #601 for WINEAUX's list of recommendations.

Edited May 9, 2013 by elcydcruiser

[ganny3]

The Fanfare Fountain is about 1 mile from the Crown Plaza along a walking path. There is a restaurant in the Crown Plaza and within walking distance of the CP is the Acapulco Restaurant. Round trip from CP to Acapulco Restaurant to Fountain and back to CP is less than 3 miles.

There are several recommended restaurants near the CP...all within walking distance. Check thread #601 for WINEAUX's list of recommendations.

 

Thanks elcydcruiser for the information. I was hoping we could see the fountains and get a good meal.

Barbara

[MauiLvrs]

... a Hawaiian Fast Food place and a donut shop...

At least it has a Hawaiian place ... and dounts :D

[MandD]

The Fanfare Fountain is about 1 mile from the Crown Plaza along a walking path. There is a restaurant in the Crown Plaza and within walking distance of the CP is the Acapulco Restaurant. Round trip from CP to Acapulco Restaurant to Fountain and back to CP is less than 3 miles.

There are several recommended restaurants near the CP...all within walking distance. Check thread #601 for WINEAUX's list of recommendations.

 

One other restaurant, about 1/2 block from the CP is Limani's Taverna, WINEAUX gave it a high recommendation although he left it off of his list on post 601, but you can read his comments on this restaurant on post #434.

Our roll call went there the night before our cruise last December and all liked it, including a 2 yr. old!:)

[Wineaux]

We will be cruising on Princess next April to Hawaii out of the San Pedro port. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We would like to see the CA Fanfare the night before we cruise. Will we need to take a taxi there and is there a good place to eat in that area? Thanks in advance for any information.

Barbara

 

If you are going to be here on a Friday or Saturday night there is a great new restaurant called the Catalina Bistro inside the Catalina Express Terminal. They only do dinners on the weekend and the food is awesome. They have a Cordon Bleu trained chef and are located right on the water. AND they are just a short walk from the fountains. It's a nice walk from the Crowne Plaza or you can hop on the Red Car at 6th street and take it to the fountains.

[Wineaux]

Here are my current recs for dining in Downtown San Pedro:

 

 

Catalina Bistro (California Cuisine)

http://catalinabistro.com/

 

 

7th Street Chophouse (steakhouse)

http://www.7thstreetchophouse.com/live/

 

 

Beach City Grill (eclectic)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/beach-city-grill-san-pedro

 

 

Raffaello's (Italian)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/raffaello-ristorante-san-pedro

 

 

San Pedro Brewing Company (eclectic)

http://sanpedrobrewing.com/

 

 

Neil's (Italian)

http://www.neilspasta.com/Info.html

 

 

Think Cafe (eclectic)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/think-cafe-san-pedro

 

 

Baramee (Thai)

http://www.barameethairestaurant.com/online/

 

 

Alcapulco's (Mexican)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/acapulco-mex...tina-san-pedro

 

 

Whale and Ale (English Pub)

http://www.whaleandale.com/

 

 

Mishi's Strudel

http://www.mishisstrudel.com/

 

 

Happy Diner - Small Diner

http://happydinersp.com/

 

 

Limani's Taverna (Greek Cuisine)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/limani-taverna-san-pedro

[isujim]

Wineaux

 

Staying at Doubletree and going in 2 days early for our cruise. Is there a liqour store near the hotel we can restock our wine before sailing?:D

 

thanks

 

Jim