Month: August 2023

Where to get a drink in Long Beach

Where to get a drink in Long Beach

Published by Sam Flores

After spending my childhood in Long Beach, I always knew I’d return one day as an adult. As the second-largest city in Los Angeles County, Long Beach boasts similar comforts to L.A. — often with fewer crowds and a lower price. It’s home to culturally rich neighborhoods like Cambodia Town and serves as a welcoming safe space for the deeply rooted LGBTQ+ community, signified by the rainbow-painted crosswalk at Junipero and Broadway, and Harvey Milk Promenade Park, the first in the country to be named after the activist. And in 2022, Long Beach elected its first Black mayor, Rex Richardson. Diversity isn’t just a buzzword here; it’s ingrained in the culture. That’s what led my husband and me back to Long Beach when the opportunity arose for us to purchase our home. Coming back to a place rooted in diversity and culture where our kids could thrive was a no-brainer. From North Long Beach to Bixby Knolls down to Belmont Shore and clear to Alamitos Beach, there are time-tested neighborhood joints like the Falcon, which …

10 must-try eats and drinks while visiting Singapore

10 must-try eats and drinks while visiting Singapore

Published by Sam Flores

This is the hawker center that was featured in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” so expect a crowd. It’s also one of the best places to sample carrot cake, a savory dish made from stir-fried radish cakes. Heng Carrot Cake serves both white and black carrot cake and you can order a plate of both. The chopped radish cake is chewy and mild, with the crunchy bits that crisp up around the edges being the best parts. I prefer the black cakes, which get a hit of sweet soy sauce in the pan, helping caramelize those crunchy bits. Alliance Seafood is a great place to try chili crab, a whole crab swimming in a tomato chile sauce that tastes a little like chile-spiked tomato soup with strands of cooked egg throughout. It’s sweeter than it is hot. Order the crab in a set with the fried cereal prawns (fried prawns coated in fried bread crumbs that do taste like breakfast cereal) and mantou fried buns. The more vessels you have for the sauce, the better. …

7 great indoor rock climbing gyms in L.A. and Orange County

7 great indoor rock climbing gyms in L.A. and Orange County

Published by Sam Flores

Attached to a rope 50 feet in the air, you hook your heel onto a tiny ledge above your waist and leverage your body up, your arm muscles quaking as you reach for the ultimate hold. “One more push, and I’ll finish this,” you tell yourself. As you stretch your body and finally reach the top, you exhale, reveling in a moment of sweet success before gliding down to the floor to do it all over again. In rock climbing, you perform feats you never thought you could, and the fun and feeling of achievement can be addictive. If you’re an old-school L.A. climber, you may remember a time when the city had no indoor climbing gyms. Luckily, that’s changed — climbing has grown steadily over the last five years at a rate of 4% per year, and there are now at least 486 climbing gyms in the U.S. Training indoors can help prepare you for the mighty challenge of climbing outdoors by strengthening the muscles you’ll need and honing your technique. But indoor climbing …

These 8 L.A. hiking trails are accessible to just about everyone

These 8 L.A. hiking trails are accessible to just about everyone

Published by Sam Flores

We’re blessed with a wealth of beautiful and ecologically diverse trails in Southern California, from those that hug the rugged coastline to others that twist through pine-canopied canyons and pastel desert landscapes. But most of these trails aren’t accessible to nature lovers with limited mobility, including people who use wheelchairs or other equipment to help them get around, folks who are older or have physical disabilities, and children who aren’t yet able to traverse rocky or steep inclines. This guide features eight hikes and nature walks within an hour’s drive of Los Angeles that can be enjoyed by just about everyone. We consulted with Ed Price, founder of the Trail Access Project, a nonprofit in Nevada that helps people with physical disabilities have safer and more meaningful outdoor experiences, to find out what makes a path accessible. “What’s accessible for one person won’t be accessible for another,” Price stressed. But trails that can be enjoyed by the widest range of abilities do have a few things in common: they’re either paved or made from firm …

The Best Dermatologist-Recommended Ingrown Hair Treatments

The Best Dermatologist-Recommended Ingrown Hair Treatments

Published by Sam Flores

Finding an ingrown hair a few days after shaving, waxing or epilating is frustrating. It’s caused by hair curling into and getting trapped underneath the skin, and it can be itchy and painful. Thankfully, ingrown hairs, also commonly called razor bumps, are treatable at home, similar to razor burn. But don’t expect them to go away overnight. Being patient while using ingrown hair treatments is key to preventing infection and scarring later on. I spoke with four dermatologists to learn more about how to treat and prevent ingrown hairs. Using their guidance, I rounded up ingrown hair treatments and preventatives, all of which are either recommended by dermatologists or tested by NBC Select staff. Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter. The best ingrown hair treatments To recommend the below ingrown hair treatments, I chose products that dermatologists recommend, we’ve used ourselves or are highly rated and meet expert guidance. Since ingrown hairs can occur in any hair-bearing area, I note whether each product is meant for …

Refill stations and zero-waste stores around Los Angeles

Refill stations and zero-waste stores around Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

In L.A., most of us have some experience purchasing things by weight. Nuts and dried fruit at Sprouts. Last-minute meals from the hot bar at Whole Foods. Weed at the weed store. At a growing number of places around Los Angeles, there’s a new category of bulk products: personal care and home cleaning items such as hand soap, moisturizer, toothpaste tabs, shampoo, laundry pods and all-purpose cleaner. They’re called refill stations. Almost all of them are woman-owned small businesses. And they all want you to rethink what a trip to the store looks like. Here’s how it works: You bring your own containers from home. Glass or plastic are OK, as long as they’re clean. If you forget them, stores offer a few options for sale. Many also have a basket of donated jars from other customers that you can use. An employee will weigh your container and mark that number, known as the tare. Fill up with as much or as little of a product as you want, then bring it back to be …

Best ice cream places in Los Angeles and Orange County

Best ice cream places in Los Angeles and Orange County

Published by Sam Flores

Who can forget the sweet reward of an ice cream sundae or root beer float after patiently running weekend errands with a parent? Or maybe it’s a scene of you arriving at an ice cream truck, out of breath, to slap down a fistful of coins and order a chocolate-covered Drumstick. Your ears might still perk up when you hear the telltale clang of an ice cream cart’s bell. No matter your background, ice cream is the nostalgic treat that unites us all. Sweet, creamy and flavored in more ways than Baskin-Robbins can count, ice cream is a snack that demands your full enjoyment. Look away for too long and you’ll find it pooled in the bottom of your cup or melting stickily all over your hand. On furnace-hot summer days, it offers the perfect counterbalance, sending an almost pleasant lightning bolt of brain freeze as we race to finish before the sun turns its velvety spheres into sugary, milky goop. Cool off this season with our ongoing guide to the best frozen treats in …

Iconic New York restaurants to try in Los Angeles

Iconic New York restaurants to try in Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

New York can’t seem to stay away from L.A. Its presence as part of the Los Angeles dining scene has perhaps never been greater. There have been plenty of milestones over the last decade: Shake Shack’s landmark entry into L.A., Smorgasburg’s expansion to the Row DTLA and chefs like David Chang setting up L.A. outposts. Now, the Yankees are heading to Dodgers Stadium to kick off a historic 2024 World Series matchup between the longtime coastal rivals. In addition to New York-founded staples such as Levain Bakery and Roberta’s, more NYC-inspired concepts have migrated to L.A., including New York’s Chopped Cheese from a Harlem native (now with two locations) and Donna’s, an Echo Park red-sauce Italian spot offering a heaping dose of ‘60s East Coast nostalgia with eggplant-strewn wallpaper, checkered floors, and giant meatballs. Nearby, Bodega Park draws inspiration from the Big Apple’s corner-store sandwiches to create a unique, all-day concept. The 2024 World Series inspired a slew of Dodgers-themed food and drink specials around town, but you might also find yourself craving some classic …

12 family-friendly things to do on a Portland vacation

12 family-friendly things to do on a Portland vacation

Published by Sam Flores

In deciding where to take a family vacation this summer, I had a few criteria. I wanted to be in nature, preferably among trees. I also craved some city charms — cool restaurants, quirky shops, interesting art and fun spots to entertain my two kids, ages 4 and 10. And due to my husband’s work schedule and some timing constraints, I preferred for us to stay on the West Coast, or someplace within a three-hour-flight radius from L.A. This checklist led us to Portland, Ore., and we’re so happy it did. My only encounter with the city had been decades ago when my college friends and I made a quick stop after a road trip up the Oregon coast. I remember eating at a veggie-focused restaurant and not much else. This time around, with the Subaru Crosstrek that our Portland friend let us borrow for the week, I was able to really explore the different neighborhoods, from quirky Hawthorne and sophisticated Nob Hill to vibrant Mississippi. (The constant observation from this family of coastal Angelenos: …

Where to go on a first date in Los Angeles that’s not dinner

Where to go on a first date in Los Angeles that’s not dinner

Published by Sam Flores

First dates can feel like a tactical sport, especially if you’ve been out of the game for a while. From deciding what to wear — are heels too formal or should you opt for sandals just in case your Hinge date really isn’t 5-foot-10? — to agreeing on a place to meet, you want to make a good impression. For many people, dinner and/or drinks is a go-to for a first date, but it may be time to stand out from your crush’s other matches. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to get creative with our dating lives: Zoom or FaceTime calls became the new first — or screener — date, and instead of meeting for cocktails at a packed bar, we opted for sunset hikes, long walks on the beach and park hangouts. Then we went back to our old ways — yelling to hear each other talk about our hobbies and what we do for work in a noisy bar. In the spirit of bringing back something good that came out of the pandemic, …