48 Hours in Long Beach, California

Dubbed "the LBC" by locals, Long Beach flies well below the L.A. and Hollywood paparazzi radar, and that's just the way this blue-collar coastal city likes it. Songs by natives Snoop Dogg and ska/punk band Sublime have earned the town a rough-and-tumble rep. But its mélange of ethnicities, sub-cultures and eclectic neighborhoods make it a fun, interesting destination in the shadow of its glamorous neighbors to the north.

The Art Deco ocean liner Queen Mary cuts a striking, Titanic-esque profile on the outer edge of Long Beach Harbor. Nearby, longshoremen working the busy Port of Long Beach unload freighters carrying Toyotas, Samsungs, iPads and made-in-China everything. Cyclists and rollerbladers cruise paths running alongside miles of sunny Southern California shoreline.