Stretch of Alamitos Beach looking east from Downtown Long Beach, Calif. on February 15, 2010. The brick building on the left with the white top is 1000 E. Ocean Blvd. See more Then and Now photos>>
THEN AND NOW: Alamitos Beach
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About
This blog is a journal of Southern California, through the lens of Jeff Gritchen. It's updated frequently with pictures, photo tips and musings from the various assignments he covers as a staff photographer for the Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze.
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003 and Best News Photo from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2010. In 2011, the photo staffs of the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze merged. Now he covers all of Southern Los Angeles County. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003 and Best News Photo from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2010. In 2011, the photo staffs of the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze merged. Now he covers all of Southern Los Angeles County. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
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i grew up in long beach, my dad used to work at the top of the villa rivera, it was a beautiful club, with a private beach in the back, and in the basement there was a ice skating rink where i took lessons for about 3 yrs, i know that home ice co had it, and had to stop, to expensive to keep the ice cold, i went to my graduation at the municipal auditorium, with the last of the big bands until the next day, i also remember the plunge at the pike, my mom & dad would take me there to go swimming, they made a lot of movies there, the villa also had the miss america, miss long beach, etc all stay at the villa. my first job was at the West coast theatre, there on ocean blvd . also remember the pike, and linden beach and walks around the pier.
Thank you for doing the before/after expose. As much as I love...love...love to see the old photo's, it breaks my heart to see what "PROGRESS" has done to Long Beach. It looks like it was a very beautiful place to live, with a great beach and wonderful architecture abound. All I can say now, THEY HAVE RUINED IT!!
I remember how much fun this beach was. We hauled everything down to the sand and parked our umbrella, spread or blanket out and had a wonderful time. It was glorious to play in the water and feel safe. It almost made me cry to see what it looks like now. Developed disaster, lacking character and appeal. So sad.