When Water Settles, Nearby Venues Await

For years, the sight of Passport used to make us all shake our heads and utter a running commentary on its slow-running merits.

This was about a fear of falling behind one of the red shuttle buses, named Passport, often clogging the streets of Long Beach, particularly along Ocean Boulevard.

But Passport just may be the best tool to get you to the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, which start Wednesday in downtown Long Beach at the temporary aquatic complex.

If you have tickets to see the likes of Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin and Gary Hall Jr. and want to have money left for a late-night dinner, there are ways to cut costs.

There is the option of parking and riding. To avoid the $8 parking charges in the structures around Long Beach Arena, one choice is the Passport, all of 90 cents one way. It runs past midnight and serves the waterfront area, Belmont Shore, Long Beach State and Los Altos Market Center.

A test run, from Pine Avenue and 1st Street to Ocean and Temple, took about 14 minutes, and that was on a busy holiday Sunday afternoon, when the search for open parking spots turned into a sport on Ocean.

Information is available by phone at (562) 591-2301 or online at www.lbtransit.com. A tip: Neither drivers nor machines offer change for a dollar bill in the world of Passport.

Once you’ve settled on transportation, another question may be what to do during those long breaks between sessions. After all, discussions of split times and predicting Phelps’ next world record can provide only so much sustenance. So here’s a brief guide to a few spots in Long Beach.

Food

Two complexes are within walking distance and offer a decent variety of choices, the Pike redevelopment and Shoreline Village. Pine Avenue has more international offerings, L’Opera Ristorante (Italian) and Alegria Cocina Latina (tapas), to name two. Alegria serves food as late as midnight on weekends and Thursdays, and until 10:30 or 11 on other weeknights.

With the Athens Games looming, Greek fare may be in order. George’s Greek Deli (318 Pine Ave.) is within walking distance of the pool and serves lunch and dinner. It is open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Another Greek restaurant worth trying is about a 10-minute drive from the aquatic complex: Cafe Ambrosia (1923 East Broadway). Try the retsina wine, an acquired taste. The crowded dining area had slowed dinner service on a couple of recent trips, but that shouldn’t be a problem because the starting time for the swimming finals is 5 p.m.

Coffee Houses

Within walking distance is Passport Coffee House (449 E. Broadway), and no, you can’t catch the Passport shuttle bus there. A short drive away is the Library Coffee House (3418 East Broadway), blessed with late hours, Wi-Fi, and a relatively new newsstand next door.

Culture Club

Two museums and a highly regarded aquarium are nearby.

Newcomers to Long Beach might be a little thrown when they see Long Beach Arena and its beauty-is-in-the-eye-of the-beholder decor that includes a mural of life-sized whales and dolphins on the outer surface.

That’s not the aquarium.

The Aquarium of the Pacific (100 Aquarium Way) is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For tickets and information, call (562) 590-3100.

The museums are within a short drive: The Long Beach Art Museum (2300 East Ocean Blvd.) and the Museum of Latin American Art (628 Alamitos Ave.).

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U.S. Swim Trials

* What: U.S. Olympic swim team trials.

* When: Wednesday-July 14.

* Where: Long Beach.

SCHEDULE

Preliminaries are scheduled for 9 a.m.; finals for 5 p.m. (*semifinals; finals in ALL CAPS)

WEDNESDAY

* 400-meter men’s individual medley

* 400-METER MEN’S INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

* 100-meter women’s butterfly

* 100-meter women’s butterfly*

* 400-meter men’s freestyle

* 400-METER MEN’S FREESTYLE

* 400-meter women’s individual medley

* 400-METER WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

* 100-meter men’s breaststroke

* 100-meter men’s breaststroke*

THURSDAY

* 100-meter women’s backstroke

* 100-meter women’s backstroke*

* 200-meter men’s freestyle

* 200-meter men’s freestyle*

* 100-meter women’s breaststroke

* 100-METER WOMEN’S BUTTERFLY

* 100-meter men’s backstroke

* 100-METER MEN’S BREASTSTROKE

* 400-meter women’s freestyle

* 100-meter women’s breaststroke*

* 100-meter men’s backstroke*

* 400-METER WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

FRIDAY

* 200-meter women’s freestyle

* 200-meter women’s freestyle*

* 200-meter men’s butterfly

* 200-METER MEN’S FREESTYLE

* 200-meter women’s individual medley

* 100-METER WOMEN’S BACKSTROKE

* 100-METER MEN’S BACKSTROKE

* 100-METER WOMEN’S BREASTSTROKE

* 200-meter men’s butterfly*

* 200-meter women’s individual medley*

SATURDAY

* 100-meter men’s freestyle

* 100-meter men’s freestyle*

* 200-meter women’s butterfly

* 200-METER WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

* 200-meter men’s breaststroke

* 200-METER MEN’S BUTTERFLY

* 200-meter women’s butterfly*

* 200-meter men’s breaststroke*

* 200-METER WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

SUNDAY

* 100-meter women’s freestyle

* 200-METER MEN’S BREASTSTROKE

* 200-meter men’s backstroke

* 100-meter women’s freestyle*

* 200-meter women’s breaststroke

* 200-meter men’s backstroke*

* 200-meter men’s individual medley

* 200-METER WOMEN’S BUTTERFLY

* 100-METER MEN’S FREESTYLE

* 200-meter women’s breaststroke*

* 200-meter men’s individual medley*

JULY 12

* 50-meter men’s freestyle

* 50-meter men’s freestyle*

* 800-meter women’s freestyle

* 200-METER WOMEN’S BREASTSTROKE

* 100-meter men’s butterfly

* 200-METER MEN’S BACKSTROKE

* 200-meter women’s backstroke

* 200-meter women’s backstroke*

* 200-METER MEN’S INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

* 100-METER WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

* 100-meter men’s butterfly*

JULY 13

* 50-meter women’s freestyle

* 200-METER WOMEN’S BACKSTROKE

* 1,500-meter men’s freestyle

* 100-METER MEN’S BUTTERFLY

* 800-METER WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

* 50-METER MEN’S FREESTYLE

* 50-meter women’s freestyle*

JULY 14

* 50-METER WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

* 1,500-METER MEN’S FREESTYLE