Long Beach, California

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, do you have any plans? Some people will be away from home, and some may prefer to avoid their family members—particularly this year, given that any family political discussions could potentially be lively, and not in a good way. At any rate, if find yourself in Long Beach on Thanksgiving with nothing to do, here are some options for food and fun:

The Queen Mary Restaurants. The Queen Mary will be serving up “an elegant Thanksgiving Champagne Brunch” in its Grand Salon between 9am and 4pm. You can load up on more than 50 entrees served at various themed food stations while you sip your champagne. Also, Sir Winston’s, Chelsea Restaurant and the Promenade Cafe are all serving Thanksgiving dinners. For more information, such as pricing, menus and hours, click here .

Sgt. Pepper’s Dueling Pianos. Sgt. Pepper’s is one of the latest additions to the Long Beach nightlife scene. The venue combines great food with lively entertainment and a full bar. What could be better? The restaurant is open on Thanksgiving Day and the show begins at 8pm. Sgt. Pepper’s is located in The Pike, near the big Ferris wheel. For more information about Sgt. Pepper’s, visit the website here .

Buster’s Beach House and Longboard Bar. Buster’s Beach House will be serving a traditional roasted turkey meal between 11am and 8pm on Thanksgiving Day. This is a waterfront restaurant located in the Los Alamitos Bay area near the Seal Beach border. Click here for further information.

If you stumble upon this post because you’re planning a trip to Long Beach, have I got a deal for you. A local Long Beach travel agency is offering two free Aquarium of the Pacific tickets to everyone who books a one-night hotel stay in Long Beach at www.BookCheapandGo.com. This is a “while supplies last” kind of thing, so you might want to shoot an email to cb@bookcheapandgo.com to verify the tickets are still available before you make your hotel reservation. Also, you have to book and take your trip before March 31, 2009. Each ticket is good for one unrestricted adult admission to the Aquarium, which is one of the best known tourist attractions in the city…maybe second only to the big cruise liner that never leaves. Normally these Aquarium tickets would cost you $20.95 each.

To learn more about what’s happening at the Aquarium, see the website here .

Several years ago, the California lottery ran a television commercial in which the camera panned across a glorious display of cheese. All kinds of cheese. And the narrator of the commercial says something like, “and then it hit me…I can totally afford all this cheese.”

You’ll remember that commercial when you walk into Venissimo in Belmont Shore. The shop, located at 195 Claremont Avenue, carries cheese and lots of it. Venissimo has two other stores in San Diego County, which have enjoyed success by way of an excellent selection of product combined with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. You’re welcome to drop in and pose some hard-hitting questions to the Venissimo folks, such as: How do I pronounce this? What country is this from? How do I serve this? Can you help me pair this cheese with wine? And if you aren’t satisfied with the answers you get, just ask to sample some cheese. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, well, maybe nothing will.

Venissimo is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. For more information, see www.venissimo.com.

Every year, Shoreline Village, the Pike, the Aquarium and the Downtown Long Beach Associates get together and organize a series of holiday events called Rainbow Harbor Holidays. This year, the festivities kick off on Sunday, November 16 at 6:00 pm with a tree lighting ceremony at the corner of Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive. The headlining guest is a 30-foot tree decorated with 3000 lights and 600 ornaments. Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal will “flip the switch” on the tree; she’ll also recognize the Menorah and Kwanzaa displays. Strolling carolers will be on hand to add some musical spirit to the scene. This is a free event.

Parking is available throughout Downtown Long Beach. Click here to view a parking map .

If you’re bored and looking for something to do, one resource to check out is the calendar page at LongBeachThingsToDo.com (www.calendar.longbeachthingstodo.com). The calendar lists various Long Beach and Seal Beach events, classes, live music, shows and more. It doesn’t list every last event in the area, but it does offer a reasonable snapshot of the types of activities available in and around Long Beach. Examples include live music by Flyer at Buster’s Beach House, which has been a hugely popular act for many years, and Socrates Café, a small gathering of intellectuals, at Bogart’s Coffee House in Seal Beach. A drop-down menu allows you to sort the calendar entries by category, so you can quickly just the information you want.

Users can also upload their own events, subject to administrator approval, for free. So if your band is playing at Di Piazza this weekend, this might be an easy way to let the world (or the folks of Long Beach at least) know.