Long Beach, California

Legends, Long Beach’s most famous sports bar, is celebrating Super Bowl XLIII by giving away stuff to everyone who shows up. Giveaway prizes are valued between $100 and $500, and everyone’s guaranteed to win something. The only catch is a $35 cover charge at the door.

Prizes include a plasma TV, portable DVD players, hotel stays, dining gift certificates, sports memorabilia and equipment, gift baskets and more. Legends opens at 1pm on Super Bowl Sunday and the party will continue raging on until late. Legends is located at 5236 E 2nd Street. For more information, see www.legendssportsbar.com .

If you can’t make it to Tampa to watch Super Bowl XLIII in person, Legends Sports Bar is your next best option. Super Bowl XLIII will air at 3pm PST on Sunday, February 1, 2009.

El Dorado Audubon Society of Long Beach invites bird watchers of all skill levels to participate in the 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) between February 13 and February 16; to join in the fun, just spend at least 15 minutes bird watching and count the number of bird species you see together at one time. Then, visit www.birdcount.org to report your findings.

El Dorado Audubon is dedicated to the conservation of native birds and their habitats. The Society organizes a variety of free activities in the Greater Long Beach area, including monthly bird walks at El Dorado Nature Center and field trips to other sites in the city. Nature lovers and bird watchers of all ages (and skill levels) are encouraged to participate. No membership is required.

You can learn more about the El Dorado Audubon at the Society’s web site here .

The Long Beach Convention Center is more properly known as the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. The complex includes the Long Beach Arena, the Center Theater, the Terrace Theater and the Convention Center itself. Sports and big-name entertainers regularly appear at the Long Beach Arena, while the Center and Terrace theaters host plays, Broadway shows, symphonies and concerts.

Since September, the complex has been undergoing a multimillion dollar overhaul. The work has concentrated on the Arena and the two theaters; restrooms have been replaced, finishes have been updated, lighting has been revamped and other maintenance items have been addressed. Eco-friendly features such as low-flow toilets and efficient lighting have also been incorporated.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of this month–why not make plans to see a show, and take in the new decor at the same time?

According to the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Arena and the two theaters receive about 750,000 visitors each year. The Arena was originally built in 1962, and the theaters were constructed ten years later.

For more information about the Long Beach Convention Center, please visit www.longbeachcc.com , or to view the complex’s location on an interactive map, please click here .

The Queen Mary is bringing a little New Year fun to California residents by offering free admission aboard the classic ocean liner for the rest of January. General admission includes a self-guided tour of the ship plus access to the Ghosts & Legends show. The ship has 12 decks open for exploration; you can wander at your leisure, perhaps enjoying the retro decor, searching for spots you saw on The Love Boat, or looking for signs of ghosts and spirits.

The Queen Mary has a long-standing reputation for being haunted; back in World War II, she was nicknamed the Grey Ghost. Nearly 50 people have died on her decks and some of them are rumored to wandering the Queen’s halls even today.

The Ghosts & Legends Show will give you a taste of what the ghosts have been up to. The show recreates some of the events that have been reported at the ship’s first-class swimming pool: the appearance of wet footprints and ladies sitting poolside are two examples. The first-class pool has been closed for more than three decades, but visitors and workers still report incidents that aren’t easily explained.

If you’re a California resident, visit the Queen Mary this month free of charge. Just bring proof of residency with you.

The Queen Mary is located at 1126 Queens Highway. Click here to see the location on a map.

Jesse James, Long Beach’s favorite grungy business owner, can be seen taking orders from Donald Trump on the next season of Celebrity Apprentice. James is no stranger to “reality” TV; he was the subject of Discovery Channel’s documentary Motorcycle Mania and star of the series Monster Garage. His motorcycle shop, West Coast Choppers, and his burger stand, Cisco Burger, are both located in Long Beach on Anaheim Street near the 710 freeway.

James has decided to endure the punishment of Trump to raise money for the Long Beach Education Foundation, which is the fundraising entity for the Long Beach Unified School District. In the previous season of Celebrity Apprentice, competing celebrities managed to raise more than $1 million for their selected charities.

James’ fellow celebrity competitors include Clint Black, Andrew Dice Clay, Annie Duke, Tom Green, Natalie Gulbis, Scott Hamilton, Claudia Jordan, Khloe Kardashian, Brian McKnight, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Brande Roderick, Dennis Rodman, Herschel Walker and Tionne Watkins—a cast that sounds like it was drafted from Celebrity Death Match production notes (Dennis Rodman vs. Joan Rivers, anyone?).

For more information, see the Celebrity Apprentice website.

LEGO engineers: The Pike at Rainbow Harbor wants you to try your hand at building Downtown Long Beach. Are you up for the challenge? You can give it your best shot on Saturday or Sunday between 1:30 and 5:30 pm, on the second level of The Pike complex. The festivities will be set up near the movie theatre; just take the stairs near the Gameworks entrance and you’ll find your way. The proceeds from the LEGO fun will be donated to Miller’s Children’s Hospital, a child-focused health care center within Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

The Pike is located in Downtown near the intersection of Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive, just across the street from the Long Beach Convention Center. Click here to locate The Pike on an interactive map of the city.

If you remember back in the day, Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach used to host a themed New Year’s Eve Party that drew some big crowds. Several blocks of the street were closed down to make room for the rowdiness. Sometimes little old Long Beach even procured remotely famous entertainment—Little Richard was the headliner the last I rang in the New Year on Pine.

So far in this century, Pine Avenue has figuratively gone silent on New Year’s; while the restaurants and clubs provided their own celebrations, no coordinated party appeared.

Well folks, the Pine Avenue Party is back and, drumroll please, it’s FREE. (Why they aren’t marketing it as the Troubled Wallet Relief Party, or Pine’s Official Oldschool Rave, I’m not sure.) Just show up and enjoy free live music, fireworks, an LED light show and a countdown to midnight. How cool is that? Scheduled entertainers are:

• DJ Abe at 8pm
• Dusty Rhodes and the River Band at 9pm
• Delta Nove at 10:30pm
• DJ Abe at 12:15am

Visit the Pine Avenue Party page here for more information.

Restaurants and bars throughout Downtown Long Beach will be open in case you get hungry and/or thirsty. Several have additional entertainment planned for the evening, such as Shannon on Pine’s midnight bikini contest and Sgt. Pepper’s prime rib/free drink special. For more information about the establishments in Downtown Long Beach, click here.

Don’t wait until 5pm on Christmas Eve to do your holiday shopping. Target may be your favorite store, but you don’t want to be there on Christmas Eve. Trust me. If you have no imagination for gift-buying, try these local retailers for unique and fun gifts:

Lei of Love. Give the gift of the tropics this year with help from Lei of Love. This Seal Beach retailer carries fun Hawaiian-themed gifts and flowers. Located at 220 Main Street in Seal Beach or online at www.leioflove.com .

Bogart’s Coffee House. Bogart’s will make a custom gift basket for as little as $9.99. Just tell them your budget and they’ll compile a custom combination of coffee, holiday mugs, chocolate covered espresso beans, loose leaf teas, biscotti, chocolates, chai, cocoa and more. Bogart’s is on the corner of Main Street and Ocean in Seal Beach, or online at www.bogartscoffee.com .

Nutri-tech. Surely someone special in your life could benefit from better health. Nutri-tech carries a complete line of health supplements, and the staff is ready to answer all of your questions. Oh, and if that someone special also needs a darker tan, Nutri-tech can help with that also! You’ll find Nutri-tech in CityPlace at 100 E 4th Street, Long Beach or at www.fullertan.com .

Pirate’s Cove. Shop for pirate-themed memorabilia including clothes, shirts, hats, bandanas and, of course, the old skull and crossbones at Pirates Cove. The store is located in Shoreline Village at 419 Shoreline Village Drive, or online at www.piratescoveonline.com .

Buffalo Exchange. Get that special someone a “new” look at Buffalo Exchange. Buffalo Exchange buys quality items from consumer for resale, giving the store one of the most diverse collections of accessory and apparel in all of Long Beach. Visit Buffalo Exchange at 4608 East 2nd Street or online at www.buffaloexchange.com .

Clearly, my list isn’t complete. Long Beach and Seal Beach both are peppered with independent shops that cater to buyers who want something a little different. Anybody care to share their favorite stops?

The locals know him as Artist Norm, but you might recognize him as the guy who will your paint portrait on the boardwalk at Shoreline Village. Artist Norm can transform a photograph into a timeless oil painting or charcoal drawing (now there’s a holiday gift idea); he’s also an accomplished photographer and produces his own original artwork.

Artist Norm currently has a collection of original pastels on display in the Lobby Level Gallery of Long Beach’s Main Library. The collection, entitled Long Beach Scenes, represents the sights and scenes of Long Beach. The pieces have a relaxed tone to them, playing up the beach-casual aspect of the city.

Long Beach Scenes will be on display through December 31, 2008. The Main Library is located at 101 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Long Beach. To learn more about Artist Norm, visit his website at ArtistNorm.net or ShorelineVillage.com .

Thanksgiving may be over, but the festivities have just begun. Pull out that Santa hat, call up your friends, and pencil in these Greater Long Beach holiday celebrations:

Belmont Shore Christmas Parade—26th Anniversary
December 6, 2008, 6-9pm
This year’s theme is “A Winter Water Wonderland” in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Aquarium of the Pacific. The parade begins at the corner of 2nd Street and Claremont, but arrive early. More than 50,000 people will pack the sidewalks of 2nd Street to watch the marching bands and floats bring on the holiday cheer. For more information about the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade, click here.

Naples Christmas Boat Parade—Long Beach
December 13, 2008, 6pm
The small boats begin their tour at 6pm from the 2nd Street Bridge; larger boats will launch at 6:30pm near the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. You can watch the big boats go by from the bridges that separate Naples from the mainland, or you can find a spot along the canals to see the small boats. You might want to arrive early and explore the holiday lights on the homes in Naples; they’re usually pretty spectacular. For more information about the Naples Boat Parade, click here .

Seal Beach Holiday Parade—28th Anniversary
December 5, 2008, 7pm
The Seal Beach Holiday Parade is expecting the participation of many community groups, local businesses and known personalities…including Mr. California, Santa Claus and Grand Marshall Bill Ayres. The parade is held on Seal Beach’s Main Street , south of Pacific Coast Highway. For more information about the parade, visit the Seal Beach Chamber website.