GO to the Beach by Union Weekly

Intro

Issue 79.1

Intro

Alejandro Ramos, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@lbunion.com Bailey Mount, Managing Editor manager@lbunion.com Nathan Zankich, Web Manager web@lbunion.com Alexis Cruz, Social Media Manager Andrew Linde, Multimedia Manager Allison Meyer, Multimedia Assistant

ART & DESIGN Sam Orihuela, Art Director artdirector@lbunion.com John Mueller, Graphics Illustrator illustration@lbunion.com

EDITORIAL Amanda Del Cid, News Editor news@lbunion.com Peter R. Clark, Entertainment Editor entertainment@lbunion.com Jordan Daniels, Opinions Editor opinions@lbunion.com Sylvana Uribe, Community Editor community@lbunion.com Matthew Gozzip, Athletics Editor athletics@lbunion.com Amanda Dominguez-Chio, Culture Editor amanda@lbunion.com Madison Gallegos, Culture Editor madison@lbunion.com Kaila-Marie Hardaway, Music Editor music@lbunion.com Elliott Gatica, Music Editor music@lbunion.com Mario Lopez, Travel Editor travel@lbunion.com

STAFF WRITERS Martha Quijano, martha@lbunion.com Karrie Comfort, karrie@lbunion.com

CONTRIBUTORS Ali Cuevas, Emily Ayers

COVER DESIGN BY: Sam Orihuela

Graphic by John Mueller Graphics Iullstrator

It’s 11 pm the Saturday night before the start of the semester and I’m sitting in the office thinking, “ Why am I still here?” Well, it’s quite a story, so let me backtrack to the beginning and give you a quick recap. The last time I talked to you guys was at the end of the spring semester. I’d just finished my first semester at here, got the job as editor-in-chief, and introduced myself in the end of the year issue. I was riding a wave of positivity and nothing could ruin that for me. I came crashing down once I came back to the office in June to get to work. I quickly realized I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t know the first thing about running a newspaper at this level. This isn’t my community college paper; to me, this is the big leagues. As stressed as I was over the summer, it was really the past week that wore me down. We had meeting after meeting to discuss new company policies and plan out dates for the semester. On top of that, I had to send all these emails to get everything ready for the printing of this issue you’re holding in your hands. Basically, office life is kicking my ass. I wasn’t expecting it to be this mentally and emotionally taxing. Being an in charge is all fun and games until your supervisor tells you that you’re in charge of deciding how a budget of tens of thousands of dollars gets handled. This is heavy stuff, man. Luckily, I have a couple of amazing friends and coworkers to thank. They stepped up and helped me deal with all this and get everything set up so we could hit the ground running for this issue. And so, it’s time for some quick shout outs. First, shout out to my distribution manager Chris for taking the time to come out and help me even when he didn’t have to. He was a huge help with reorganizing the office and going over some of the ideas I had brewing in my head. We came up with a lot of good plans and hopefully some of them come to fruition. Shout out to my managing editor Bailey for doing everything she could possibly do from her remote location out in the middle

of the sand. I know it probably wasn’t easy for her to keep up with all the office developments but she did a lot and we wouldn’t be this ready without her. Shout out to all of my staff, from the editors to the staff writers and beyond. I appreciate them for being patient and understanding with me as I get adjusted to my new role. If you all read this, I promise I’m going to get better at this and help you all be successful here. And finally, shout out to Danny Lemos, our fearless and wise student media coordinator. He bridged the gap between the Union Weekly and the rest of the ASI. His work made getting started as easy and stress-free as it could possibly be. So, let me answer the questioned I posed earlier. What am I still here? Because I want to be so all this incredible content can get to you. To start off, we have a couple of hot takes spread throughout several pages. On Opinions, we have a piece that equates “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” to bad fan fiction. On Entertainment, we get a scathing review of “Suicide Squad”, aka the Michael Bay film of the DC Universe. Finally on Music, I share my dislike for the way Frank Ocean jerked us around. Not all of the staff is salty though. Some had great summers and shared their experiences on the Travel page. If you wanna read about something a bit more local, we sure to check out Community! And for our feature, we decided to ease into things with a light hearted topic. We went out and visited a couple of local beaches to find out the pros cons of each. We rated each based on the crowds, cleanliness, accessibility, and general appeal. There’s a twist though! We also took into account the latest craze that’s getting most, if not all, of us outdoors: Pokemon GO. We took into account the variety of Pokemon, the number of Pokestops, and our overall experiences playing the game at the beach. That’s basically it. Or that’s all I’m willing to share for now. We have a lot of other stuff planned for this semester and

beyond. If you want in on the fun then come join us! We meet every Monday at 5 pm in USU 116. Shameless plug aside, I hope you guys enjoy this issue! Talk to you next week!

kidalecks P.S: This is not as easy as it seems.

FEATURE DESIGN BY: Sam Orihuela CONTACT US Snail Mail: 1212 Bellflower Blvd. Suite 116 Long Beach, CA 90815 Phone: 562.985.4867 E-mail: lbunion.info@gmail.com Classifieds: classifieds.lbunion@gmail.com

@UnionWeekly

Disclaimer and Publication Information: The Union Weekly is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the Union Weekly, ASI nor CSULB. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the Union Weekly staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, CSULB students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. The Union Weekly will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. The Union Weekly assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.

Opinions

Harry Potter and a Cursed Sequel Why this is the Sequel-ThatMust-Not-Be-Read By Alexis Cruz Social Media Manager Spoiler alert, if you don’t want to know anything about the latest Harry Potter book go away: As a self-confessed Potterhead I have strong feelings about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was a mediocre fanfiction with a bunch of backwards character development for the characters we already knew from the original series. The basic plot of the play has the children of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, Albus and Scorpius, respectively, ditching Hogwarts during their fourth year in order to steal a time-turner, which means that they briefly changed the canon timeline that the books established. So let’s start at the beginning; in the epilogue scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it was a given that Albus would end up in Slytherin House. Since

the play-writers had this idea to play off of, his friendship with Scorpius was just as predictable. However, the subtle homosexual tension between the two was a bit of a surprise. The scene where Al was trying to tell Scorpius that they couldn’t see each other anymore paralleled the typical forbidden love story. I embraced that idea since the play was published in 2015 — a progressive time — and set in the year 2020. But to have that subplot be thrown away with Scorpius wanting to ask Ron Weasley’s daughter out on a date was disappointing. However, picturing Ron’s reaction to his daughter dating Malfoy’s kid is pretty entertaining. Nonetheless, the Al/Scorpius relationship pales to the changes of Generation 1 characters (as a result of altering of the timeline). Cedric Diggory becoming a Death Eater and Hermione

Granger becoming a bitter Hogwarts professor was outrageous. Although saving Cedric didn’t turn out as planned, the teasing and bullying that followed, turning a sweet Hufflepuff into a murderer, was completely out of character. As for Hermione: why does preventing her date with Krum affect her character so drastically? Did she really date Krum to make Ron jealous? She has had other opportunities to make him jealous, which

worked, but what happened to the strong woman that we saw her become in The Deathly Hallows? Finally, having the demon spawn of Voldemort as the antagonist of the play was a dumb plot point. I can’t imagine Voldemort having children, or having sex for that matter, with how obsessed he was with killing Harry and taking over the Wizarding World. His agenda seemed too full to even consider Bellatrix a potential host for his child. #NotTodayVoldy. Overall, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was full of plot points that seemed to be more for fan service than plot service. The playwrights should’ve tried to stay within the universe instead of trying to make it their own separate entity.

“The playwrights should’ve tried to stay within the universe instead of trying to make their own separate entity.”

Dear Chatty Cathy Cinema Companions, I need you to sit down and shut up As the price of movie tickets increase and the quality of the actual films decline, it’s hard to enjoy a trip to the theaters anymore. As a financially strapped 20-something with a selective taste in movies, I find it even harder. A film has to make me obsess over its trailers, casting, and overall presentation of tone for me to even consider seeing it nowadays. Given my proclivity for horror, most of my theater trips consist of my boyfriend and I seeing the newest slasher/supernatural/ suspense flick to see if it can really rustle our jimmies. But for some reason, whenever I go out, I run into all of you. Now, I suppose I’m meant to see you as my fellow moviegoers. We’re all there to have a good time and – in the case of my favorite genre – we’re there to get scared together. But how is that supposed to happen when every time the movie starts getting tense, you all start running your mouths?

I get it, you’re scared. But horror movies depend on their tense atmosphere. They do well in the theaters because people see them in mobs, one person gets scared, it

every decision the character makes is met with choruses of, “Oh, that’s so stupid!” and “She’s totally gonna die!” I see you. I see what you’re about. You

your opinion of this film while we’re all trying to watch it is not important. Hush up and let the movie do what it’s supposed to do to you – scare the hell out of you. My already lowered opinion of you will not change, I promise you. Basically, in this world of seldom good cinema and rare trips out, movie theaters are one of the only places nowadays where human beings actually can sit in comfortable silence. It won’t kill you to be quiet for two to three hours. You might actually find that hearing the sound of your own voice over and over again is pretty annoying. I know I do. Sincerely,

spreads to the entire cinema and by the time the jumpscare rolls around, we all writhe in communal fear and ride that adrenaline rush that follows. We can’t really do that if

don’t want other people to think you’re scared. But we paid good money to see this film and you are not the main attraction, so stop acting like it. Unless you’re Roger Ebert,

Bailey “Maybe Movies are Made for Watching” Mount Managing Editor

Sad-icide Squad

Entertainment

The decline of superhero movies By Bailey Mount Managing Editor

“How much longer?” asks Deadshot about halfway through “Suicide Squad.” As a fellow sufferer through the most anticipated failure of the summer, I can safely say that I sympathize. This film is every disappointment I expected it to be, from both a comic and filmmaking standpoint. Whether it was a result of its flimsy storytelling or imbalanced cast, I’m not sure. I surmise that it was a combination of both. The film begins with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) wanting to assemble a team of “the baddest of the bad” for a precautionary measure. In case Superman decides to go rogue. Or in case Gotham receives a competent workforce because they’ve realized Batman does more harm than good. I don’t know, just in case. More likely it happens because three Marvel ensemble films are already out. One of the prospective team members becomes the villain and thus, the Suicide Squad is formed. Members are introduced through time-consuming, neon flashbacks that differ in length depending on their importance in the film. Meaning that most of the screentime is focused on its most recognizable and marketable members: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith). The rest of the team – El Diablo, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang,

Enchantress, and Flagg – earn a casting credit from the sheer force of their heavy-handed, rushed backstories and brooding stares. Another team member is introduced with the words, “Look! Here comes Slipknot, the man who can climb anything.” His brief stint ends with him dying to further the plot. With little to no casting balance, the film tries to pull a “Guardians of the Galaxy.” It instead supplements plot with music. Narrative lulls are propped up by easily recognizable, gimmicky tunes, almost as if to pump the audience up with enough endorphins to ignore the stumbling plot. Using songs like “Seven Nation Army,” “Fortunate Son,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Spirit in the Sky,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a sure of example of either its delusion of grandeur or lack of faith in its cast and storytelling to carry the narrative. Unfortunately, it happens to be the latter. This film is the Transformers’ sequels of the DC universe, a term I shudder to use

because it is synonymous with underdeveloped female characters and explosions for exposition. There is no heart: only meaningless action and lackluster dialogue that shows rather than tells. What “Suicide Squad” deserved was a later release date and an R rating. What it got was a rushed, pandering plot and a story that reeks of a larger, better film that we will never see. Like its characters, it spends most of the running time trying to find itself.

It is a college student’s first attempt at filmmaking: choppy, rough, and juvenile. If anything, it serves as a cautionary tale warning us of the eventual suicide of comic book films.

Illustration by Alison Meyer Multimedia Assistant

Pokémon NO The new hype is just not the same By Andrew Linde Multimedia Manager super into video games for awhile, In the months leading up to Pokémon GO’s release, I found myself not excited. I figured it’d be a flash in the pan, a one-off app that doesn’t last any longer than any other app tied to a franchise. Then the pictures and gameplay reports came out. Then all of my friends had it. So I downloaded it in the first week of release. And now I’ve discovered the dirty truth about Pokémon GO: it isn’t a very good Pokémon game. I mean that exactly as I say it. Pokémon GO is not the experience that I have come to expect from a Pokémon game. I’ve been playing Pokémon from the beginning and remember eagerly anticipating each game starting with Red and Blue, all the way up through re-releases HeartGold and SoulSilver. Then I fell off the wagon. I wasn’t

but I never let go of Pokémon. When I first heard of Pokémon GO, I saw it as being equal to Pokémon Trozei or Pokémon Rumble. It wouldn’t be a fullfledged “Gotta Catchem-all!” experience. But that’s simply not true. The gameplay aspects of Pokémon GO are catching wild Pokémon and training to “be the best.” Yet, it fails to mimic the game it once was. Catching Pokémon in the classic games was always about using another Pokémon the player has caught to

weaken the target, then using a Pokéball to catch the wild Pokémon. Pokémon GO just asks trainers to throw Pokéballs at wild Pokémon, in a version of the carnival classic Ring Toss, and hope that one of them provides a catch.

As for battling, a huge part of the originals,

it’s only used for gym domination. Battles were the only way to level up Pokémon (besides Rare Candy). In Pokémon GO, Pidgeys and Magikarps gain no experience after facing off against others at gyms. This makes no sense to me. In fact, the “grinding” aspect of the game is more apparent than ever since the only way to level up Pokémon is to catch large numbers of them and “trade” them into Professor Willow for “candy.” What Pokémon GO gives players is an opportunity to explore the world around them. Pokémon may be hiding behind your local Rite-Aid or at the shores of your local beach. But these aren’t the same Pokémon from the games. If you’ve never played a proper Pokémon game, I’d advise you pick that up and give it a try.

6 Athletics Marathon Draw for Women’s Soccer in Debut 1-1 LBSU battles against UK in two overtimes By Matthew Gozzip Athletics Editor After over a hundred minutes of play in two overtimes, the 49ers battled the Kentucky Wildcats to a 1-1 draw on Friday night at George Allen Field. What initially appeared to be a dominating debut for the defending champion 49ers ended up becoming the purgatory of celebration. The 49ers peppered the Wildcats with several corner kicks for the first 20 minutes of the first half. After quelling the early pressure, Kentucky scored in the 30th minute off a well-timed pass. The 49ers pushed back, applying strong responsive pressure. Junior forward Ashley Gonzales scored the first goal of the season in the 37th minute with a sliding kick that slipped to the far post past the keeper. Senior midfielder and preseason accolade darling Mimi Rangel assisted on the goal, the 16th season of her career. With the spark of Gonzales, the 49ers continued their momentum into the second half, controlling possession and winning the shot battle for the rest of the game, 7-3. Freshman forward/defender Kaitlin Fregulia tailed three attempts to add to the pressure along with a couple attempts from junior forward Tori Bolden. Gonzalez nearly ended the goal on sudden death in the 98th minute after she launched a ball from right outside the box. The shot grazed the crossbar, leading to an uneventful second overtime. It was not a favorable result for the 49ers but not a terrible one either. The defense held strong led by Chloe Froment, the freshman defender from Lyon, France who is also a member of the French youth national team. Senior goalkeeper Ashton McKeown played in the net for the entire game, totaling six saves in the game. The result is a minor hiccup for the 49ers, who are predicted to repeat as Big West champions by several preseason polls. The defense stood their ground for the remaining 80 minutes after being scored on early and the offense consistently created chances after scoring. Seeing this amount of resilience early in the season can only help the 49ers, especially when there will be many more challenges in the coming months to regain the title and potentially a position in the NCAA championship rounds.

Long Beach Athletes Demonstrate Mettle at Olympics Resilience and pride fuel local contingent in Brazil

By Matthew Gozzip Athletics Editor

The Port of Long Beach is one of the largest shipping bays in the world, responsible for transporting billions of dollars worth of cargo around the globe. Over the past month, Long Beach has become known for more than just moving storage containers. The city also recently began a trading partnership with the port of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to export a unique kind of freight: Olympic athletes. Over a dozen coaches and athletes with connections to Long Beach competed in the XXXI Olympiad this summer across several sports. “Team Long Beach” achieved a resounding amount of success while representing their city with character and class. The U.S. women’s water polo team captured gold with the help of several athletes who have roots in Long Beach. Attacker Courtney Mathewson, a former assistant coach at LBCC, tallied four goals in the tourney and is reportedly is interested in returning to the Vikings staff. The head coach of the aforementioned Vikings, Chris Oeding, took a leave from his position as dynasty foreman (six state titles in 14 years at LBCC) to be an assistant coach for the women’s national team. There was a lot of hype surrounding the U.S. men’s water polo team, a squad ranked in the top five in the world. Tony Azevedo, a global water polo legend who grew up in Long Beach, captained the U.S. to a 2-3 record in the competition, scoring five goals at the helm of the team. Though it was not a favorable outcome for the U.S., Azevedo led his team to a win in their final game despite being eliminated from advancing to the next round. Azevedo,

who was born in Brazil, became the first five-time Olympian for the US in the sport, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest water polo players of all time. Tony was not the only Azevedo who participated in the festivities. Ricardo Azevedo, Tony’s father, coached China’s women’s water polo team to a 1-4 record in the Olympics. The elder Azevedo is regarded as a premier coach around the world having coached the U.S. men’s national team at one point and for our very own LBSU men’s team.

volleyball after serving as coach for the beach duo of Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson. Gibb and Patterson went 0-2 and were eliminated early in the competition. Hildebrand, a former all-American for the 49ers, returns to Long Beach without a win but gained coaching acumen that can be utilized to assist head coach Alan Knipe. Alexis Crimes hasn’t had the same amount of success as these other Olympians. In fact, she has never qualified for an Olympic team. Crimes was cut from the national team four years ago only weeks from the 2012 Olympics. In a turn of luck, she was inversely called up to team a couple weeks before the start of the 2016 Olympics. Crime stayed resilient and has been rewarded with an opportunity to represent the United States. She is now an alternate for the U.S. women’s volleyball team at middle blocker. Even though she is not a guaranteed rotational player, Crimes has taken the experience in stride and proved that opportunities will be given if you work hard enough, no matter how rare they are. Long Beach is much more than a shipyard, city streets or a strip of sand. It is a complex society of individuals from around the world, pieces of culture and people delicately constructed into a mosaic that reflects magnificence and beauty when the occasional light is shined upon it. The motto of Long Beach is “the International City” and the athletes competing in the 2016 Olympics have been able to share this with people around the world.

“The motto of Long Beach is “The International City” and the athletes competing...have been able to share this with people around the world.” Ricardo is also an alumnus of The Beach who arrived at the university in the late 1970s as part of a student exchange program. The LBSU coaching ties are intricate all across the field and across many sports, including track and field. LaTanya Sheffield, the track coach for the LBSU sprints and relays teams, helped the U.S. women’s hurdles team swept the medal podium in the 100m hurdles. On top of that, Sheffield was a main component in pushing the women’s 4x100 relay team to gold in a tightly contested race. Sheffield will be returning to her position for The Beach for the next track season. Tyler Hildebrand will also be returning to his position as associate head coach for LBSU

GO Beach to the

Summer used to be about heading down to the beach, digging your feet in the sand, building a sandcastle, or hiding under your rainbow umbrella and synchronizing your breathing to the waves’ swinging crashes. With the advent of the new Pokémon GO mobile game, it still is about that, but with the addition of having nostalgic zealots rising from under their rocks, chasing old dreams of becoming Pokémon masters, impressionable kids getting into the hype, and clueless casuals just curious to see what all the commotion is about, to go out and catch ‘em all. This new mobile game allows players, at the moment, to capture the original Pokémon merely with the flick

of their fingers. You also have a chance to choose a team: between Mystic, Valor, and Instinct, and fight for control of territories called gyms that allow you to place your own Pokémon to defend it from the rival teams. In order to obtain the tools you need to achieve your Pokégoals, it is essential that you find Pokéstops, marked by notable landmarks in the real world, that gift you virtual items that are essential to playing the game. In the pursuit of a short respite, many of these local spots have been saturated with people plastered to their phones looking for the rarest monster, or the cutest of them all amongst the clueless shoobies that already flock to the coasts. Though the summer break has

finally unhooked itself from our lives, the summer heat is still going strong. That is why we sent a few of our Union Weekly friends to Huntington Beach, Shoreline Aquatic Park, and Bolsa Chica State Beach. They traveled to find out whether these locations are teeming with life, or desolate and calming, and whether these spots are clean enough for your immaculate feet, and how good they are for Pokémon hunting. They tried to find you the ideal space for those one-off days in which one of your classes are cancelled, the boss lets you off early, or maybe the professor is a bit lenient in attendance and you decided to play hooky, searching for a pleasant, fleeting respite.

FEATURE

HUNTINGTON BEACH Some places invoke certain images when visited. Small towns have their sleepy, homey vibes while bustling cities like Long Beach come across as hectic and chaotic. The Huntington Beach area, however, gives off a strange mixture of both. Small, independent restaurants sit across upscale clothing shops. Quaint local monuments are dwarfed by sleek modern buildings. Being so close to the ocean, the area strikes a surprising juxtaposition with the long stretches of sand at both the city and state beaches. In essence, the area is nice to look and eat at, but hard on the wallet. Between its two beaches, the cheaper and more spacious of the two is Huntington State Beach, with most of the area being vacant during the afternoon and truly only coming to life at night. Being the state beach, there is considerably less to do. For nature lovers, the lack of crowds makes the emptiness feel more peaceful. The area becomes a place to reflect and hear nothing but the ocean and the

occasional screams of the children who find its water too cold. For couples, it provides a perhaps much needed solitude. For a family or college students a little short on cash, the fire pits and almost endless beach creates the perfect, intimate outings devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of the world. Unfortunately, the area attracts less Pokémon due to the lack of people and is pretty much useless to Pokémon GO players. Pokéstops are nearly nonexistent, with the closest ones being enough of a distance away to make the trip for three Pokéballs obsolete. Players are more likely to find the common Pokémon than anything rare. It’s more of a beach for the experience of community than for playing an augmented reality game. The emptiness of the beach also makes it difficult to find things to do. The sand is coarse and irritating and it gets everywhere, blown on lounging beachgoers

By Bailey Mount by wind with no buildings around to streamline it. A large oil refinery looms in the background as the only monument, and even then, it gives off more of a haunted castle on the hill vibe if anything. If you like trash, you’ll be able to find your fair shares of bottle caps, straws, and various paper waste in the sand. Larger pieces of trash get picked up by the local beach management, but the remnants of countless family outings still remained buried there, harmful little garbage treasures that wait to be dug up. At the end of the day, the Huntington State Beach is an area more suited for college students who need somewhere to relax and escape the surrounding city for a little while. The lack of crowds make it serene during the day. The lack of buildings can make it pretty miserable on a windy day. If you plan on heading down, bring a sweater and a portable phone charger. Phones die pretty fast with nothing but sand around.

BOLSA CHICA STATE BEACH If there is one word that can be used to describe Bolsa Chica State Beach, it’s serene. Located between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, it doesn’t boast a pier or lots of stores and might only ring a bell with those who are longtime locals, but it has some charms. The best part about Bolsa Chica State Beach is how quiet it is. It lies parallel to PCH but –unlike Huntington – it doesn’t have loud Main Street crowds running back and forth. Instead, it has the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, a protected natural landscape filled with all sorts of birds and lizards that aren’t prevalent in many other places in Southern California. Early in the morning, runners can be seen early in the morning on the trail, and in the afternoon, moms with strollers frequent it. If you are interested in environmental science or just enjoy nature, the wetlands are definitely a must-see.

A definite positive attribute of this lesser known beach is its level of crowdedness. There are some days when the beach is full of people, but it is also a very real possibility that you could have a large stretch of the beach all to yourself. On average, there seems to be a wide variety of people at this beach. It seems like there are less junior high or high school age kids, probably due in fact to the high parking costs. For some people who like to enjoy a rare moment of peace and quiet, this is definitely a blessing. Lastly, this state beach is best known for its bonfires. Similar to the Huntington State Beach, there are quite a few pits at your disposal, but Bolsa Chica is the first pick for Cal State Long Beach students because of its closer proximity to the school. Bonfires are a staple of the college experience and

By Karrie Comfort

nearly every club you’re in will, at one point or another, hold a bondfire, whether as a bonding experience or just as an icebreaker for new members. However, there are a few negative points that are worth mentioning, most notably, the sand - or rather, the lack thereof. The shore is much like any other beach, with fine particles of sand. However, as soon as you step into the water, there are a good number of places where the sand swiftly turns into rocky pebbles, which aren’t as comfortable to step on. In the end, Bolsa Chica is one of the many hidden wonders of Long Beach. You won’t know what you think until you try it, so go check out what is sure to be a very calm beach.

SHORELINE AQUATIC PARK

FEATURE

By Andrew Linde When I first started playing Pokémon GO, I wasn’t that competitive about it. But I realized pretty quickly that I’d have to get up and go somewhere to actually catch anything. There are a few parks near where I live, but I decided to go to Shoreline Aquatic Park for one particular reason. Pokémon GO attempts to follow some sort of logic by spawning more water-type Pokémon near beaches and lakes. Since I don’t live near a body of water, I knew that Shoreline Aquatic Park would provide me with Pokémon I can’t normally catch. “Well, at least I’ll get to catch some water-type

Pokémon,” I thought to myself. Imagine my surprise when I caught my first Goldeen, Horsea, and Poliwag, not to mention a rather rare Squirtle - and I’ve been playing the game since it first came out! I was also impressed to see a Dratini and a Butterfree. Maybe the rumors of rare Pokémon spawning near the lighthouse were true. I’d certainly heard from friends that the area was a good place to walk around and catch some Pokémon. When I visited there were groups of trainers huddled around Pokéstops which, to passersby, looked like typical millennials engrossed in their phones. But I knew that they were gathering Pokéballs and

Potions for the journey ahead. The Pokéstops varied from informational signs to statues to memorial benches. I had to wonder if George Calderon’s family would appreciate that players of an augmented reality cell phone game were stopping by his memorial bench to get virtual items. I also wondered if anyone stopped to read the informational signs or if, like me, they were passing them by quickly to go after another Pokémon. The lighthouse itself serves as a gym where trainers can test their Pokémon’s strength in battle. It was a rather fruitless exercise. While I did take down a few Pokémon, in the end I couldn’t hold the gym long enough to consider it a victory. Shoreline Aquatic Park was already seeing some changes due to the Pokémon GO crowd. A bait and snack shop advertised that they had portable phone chargers for sale. A kiosk on the path by the water was selling various Pokémon toys and accessories. Another was selling shirts with logos from Pokémon GO specifically. “When we first got the shirts, my boss had to go back to her supplier on the same day,” Christine Carrillo, an employee at the kiosk, said. They started stocking the shirts about a month ago, when her employer no doubt saw the upcoming need for merchandise earlier on. While there were still children running about and enjoying the sun and gentle breeze, most people at the park were there to catch Pokémon. So if you’re planning to take a romantic evening stroll, be aware that you’ll be surrounded by a sea of blue lights and faces staring intently downwards. Pokéstops: Over 20 Commonly encountered Pokémon: Shellder (2), Pidgey (2), Magnemite, Psyduck(2), Machop, Rattata, Vulpix (2), Voltorb (2), Goldeen (2), Squirtle, Horsea, Caterpie, Krabby, Staryu, Butterfree, Poliwag, Dratini, Magikarp, Ponyta, Rhyhorn.

has taken over this summer, a sign up in the window let potential buyers - obviously players - know that they were now selling portable chargers and USB cables. The park was extremely spacious, granted it was a Tuesday afternoon and not many people were there. However, the possibility of it ever being crowded seemed slim even as the sun went down. The area’s cleanliness gets a near perfect score. For the most part, it’s very well maintained but every now and then you’ll probably see a half finished cup of something laying around a park bench or a wrapper by a tree. The location has a very chill, beach side vibe to it that makes it even more enjoyable for families and locals to hang out. It is also bike and skateboard friendly except for areas such as the pier, for obvious reasons. Many people choose the area as their running course because

of its wide expanse. There’s also tons of fishing space by the docks at the park. There’s lots of restaurants to eat at such as Chili’s, Bubba Gump, and Hooters, just to name a few. If you want a boat adventure, they have Alfredo’s Boat Rental, complete with a Gondola Getaway across the street from the pier or the Grand Romance Riverboat across from the aquarium. If you’re looking to splurge a little, there are plenty of shopping options such as the Pike Outlets across the street from the park or the boutique shops at Shoreline Village across from the famous lighthouse. Overall, if you’re looking for the perfect place to find a Psyduck or Squirtle or just want a nice, clean, and spacious place to hang out with friends and family, Shoreline Aquatic Park is the ideal spot.

By Martha Quijano Sun’s out, phone’s out at downtown Long Beach’s Shoreline Aquatic Park. Everywhere you turned, there was someone on their phone - but not because they were texting someone or posting a picture of the view on Snapchat. They were out there on a Pokémon GO hunt. The Pine Avenue Pier before the park is surrounded by restaurants such as Famous Dave’s, Tokyo Wako, Gladstones, and P.F. Changs, but only the occasional dog walkers or parents out with their children could be seen. The park itself was the real attraction. It’s a goldmine for Pokémon trainers and the crowd that gathered in and around it was proof of that. At the park is Pierpoint Landing, where most people hung out in the shaded areas. Pierpoint Landing mainly sells fishing supplies and snacks but since Pokémon GO

Culture

Portrait of a Young Artist Former CSULB alumna Ali Cuevas discusses her work as a makeup artist By Amanda Dominguez-Chio Culture Editor

Photos by Alejandra “Ali” Cuevas Contributor

Whether you’ve developed an interest in make-up at an early age or always liked to experiment with different looks, makeup artists alter and intensify a person’s appearance. My grand first experience occurred when my good friend Ali did my make–up one Halloween night. I met Ali a few years ago while I was living in the dorms my sophomore year. I soon learned that my new friend had an artistic talent when she agreed to do my make-up for Halloween. That night not only did she pluck and beautifully shape my eyebrows (something I haven’t been able to replicate and perfect), but she transformed me into a roaring 20s flapper girl. Although I no longer have photos of my makeover, I still remember that night fondly because Ali dramatically changed my look. I was unrecognizable to all of my friends. While I was not accustomed to wearing darker shades of eyeshadow and lip, it was fun experimenting with these different shades. On multiple occasions, Ali would post on Instagram pictures from her work at MAC, so I decided to ask her a few questions about her work.

it’s all about perspective. There are some makeup artists who generally do want to make their client look better and it kind of ends there. And there are other artists who take it a little more serious as not just a hobby or job but a passion for what they do. When you see yourself more as an artist I think you tend to push yourself to try new things and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Union Weekly: When did your interest in makeup start? Ali Cuevas: When I was in middle school I used to practice every day after school putting on a full face of makeup before my mom would get home from work. I then started renting out books from the public library about makeup. I tried to soak up about as much knowledge about make up artistry as I could, and I became obsessed. The book that had made the biggest influence on me was

Kevin Aucoin’s “Making Faces.” He provided timeless techniques that I still utilize today.

UW: Can you elaborate on how Aucoin’s book influenced you?

AC: When I would rent his books I would try to recreate some of his work. Every look in that book is effortless and I really wanted to capture that in my work as well. I also would take notice on how he handled different ethnicities and what features he likes to highlight through his work. Studying really pushed me to become better and figure out my own style.

UW: Have you ever dabbled as a theatrical and film makeup artist?

AC: Yes, I’ve done both theatrical and film. They consist of long days a lot of coffee, patience and a power brush by your side at all times. I dabbled in theater a little bit when I was going to school. I enjoyed the experience of working with others as well as getting the opportunity make design decisions on some of the character looks. As far as film, I have done a couple of short films. They’re a good learning experience as far as what to expect when you are getting into film or photoshoots. In all of these avenues of make– up I feel like most of it you will learn on the job and some situations are sink or swim. I choose to swim.

UW: What are the common misconceptions about makeup artists?

AC: I think there are many people that don’t take makeup artistry seriously but I do think

UW: Can you tell me about the biggest challenges makeup artist face? AC: I think steering clients in the direction that best works with their face shape, skin type and eye shape. Not every makeup style is flattering or fit for every single person. I think it’s important as a makeup artist to take control of an appointment because you are the professional and we want the best for our clients, while also maintaining a sense of artistic freedom.

makeup artists?

AC: Coming from an art background has taught me to see faces and colors differently than most makeup artists. Being an Arts student has been the biggest asset for me. I think the greatest lesson I have learned as a student was being open to learn from my peers and take criticism as a positive thing. The ability to look back at your work and question what you’re doing only makes your work stronger. Also, I approach makeup as another medium for practicing art. It has helped me confront challenges by embracing the unpredictable and made me become easily adaptable to any issue that may come my way. The artist in me creates a sense of fearlessness to innovate new techniques or mediums to create a variety of different looks.

UW: Where do you hope your career or job as a makeup artist takes you?

UW: Can you tell me what has been some of your favorite looks? Any least favorite?

AC: I love the “No Makeup, Makeup look.” For me it is all about the ability to achieve flawless skin and accentuating the best features of your client’s face. My least favorite is heavy and overly contoured face. I think because of social media there’s a huge trend to have full coverage makeup with extreme highlight and contour. There are ways to achieve that look without that much amount of product on the face. I also believe it tends to age the face when too much face makeup is applied.

UW: What sets you apart from the rest of

AC: Ideally I would like to be able to support myself solely as a makeup artist. Being a professional artist in general is a hard career to not only maintain but also to make a living from. I really have to love what I do and it has to be challenging enough to keep my passion alive as a makeup artist. Being a makeup artist has maintained its challenges for eight years now and I can’t ever see myself walking away from it in any capacity.

(From Left to Right): “Schizophrenia,” “Girls Night Out,” “Murder was the Case.”

Culture

An American in Paris

Exploring the famous and historic artwork of the Louvre Story and Photos by Maddi Gallegos Culture Editor

This summer I had the privilege of seeing one of the art world’s most prized possessions: the Louvre. Well —let me correct myself — I had the privilege of seeing a small fraction of one of the art world’s most prized possessions. Believe me, this was the farthest from my intent. Despite my dad’s warnings that there was no way I could see the whole museum in one day — he had spent his teens and early 20s living in Europe — I was determined to see it all. That is, until I saw it. You’re driving through the streets of Paris when you see the enormous, magnificent building that stretches on for miles and miles. Then when it finally ends, you turn the corner and it keeps going. It’s seemingly never-ending. You really can’t comprehend what it means to be truly overwhelmed until you first walk into the Louvre. I thought it was gigantic on the outside, little did I know that the inside was actually four floors, two hidden underground, filled with more than 70,000 pieces of art. While most people in my group headed straight for the Mona Lisa (I guess some people are just more cliché than others), a few others and I headed to the top floor which held different European art from the 13-19th centuries, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Neoclassical period, and Greek ceramics, just to name a few. A good majority of these were paintings that, while beautiful, were centered around creepy (and often hilarious) babies with angry man faces. Many others had royal or religious themes. Never before have I seen more beautiful ceilings. They were intricate and stunning to a point that it became dangerous – I spent so much time looking up that I almost ran into someone every couple seconds. Often I couldn’t even tell how high or even what shape the ceiling was because they were so elaborate. There was one room that had every single square inch filled with art, so

much that I didn’t even know where to look. The sheer volume of works must have also prevented me from completing the museum —I must have been in that room for at least an hour soaking it all in. The natural path of the museum then led us to the “Mona Lisa,” and let me tell you, we really should have gone there first with the rest of the group. After all of the amazing pieces I had just seen, I have to say she was the most significant disappointment of my life. While so many of the other pieces left my jaw dropped, the “Mona Lisa” left me saying, “that’s it?” Not only is it the only piece of art in the museum that you can’t walk directly up to (there’s a rope that keeps you at least 5 feet back), but it’s also behind a piece of glass so you can’t even get the full effect. As you can imagine, it is also the only piece of art in the museum where you have to wait in a line/maneuver through a crowd just to barely see it. And it’s not even worth it! I cannot for the life of me understand why, out of all of the tens of thousands of pieces of art in that museum, the “Mona Lisa” is the most famous and most hyped-up. I’m honestly really pissed at America’s education system for setting me up my entire life just to be dissatisfied. Please, use this as a warning and completely abandon all expectations of the “Mona Lisa” so that when you finally see it you don’t feel cheated by the system. So once the “Mona Lisa” killed our spirits, we started to realize our feet were killing us, too. And we hadn’t even gone a quarter of the way through. We quickly abandoned all direction and decided we needed to sit down and prioritize what we absolutely had to see. So we headed for the Greek Antiquities which contained all of the famous statues, such as Aphrodite (aka “Venus de Milo”), “the Winged Victory of Samothrace,” Zeus and Hercules, and so much more.

(Clockwise from top): Venus de Milo, symphx, portrait depicting Queen Victoria’s coronation, Maddi observing the local culture.

Music

Going HARD ‘16 An EDM enthusiast takes on another HARD Summer festival

The opening sequence for Ice Cube

Words and photos by Kaila-Marie HARDaway Co-Music Editor As a regular attendee of HARD events, I was excited for HARD Summer 2016 as soon as it was officially announced. Between another awesome lineup, a new venue, and a great group of friends who were interested in going, I was practically counting down the days until the electronic music festival. On July 30 and July 31, HARD Summer made its debut at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. with quite a few ups and downs. To be honest, the layout wasn’t that great. With a completely new venue, bottlenecked entrances and exits, and vague maps, it was very confusing overall to navigate around the oversized venue. The stages were so far apart from each other and paired with the heat, it was hardly worth walking from stage to stage just to see a few performances I was looking forward to prior to the event. Therefore, a majority of the attendees, including my group of friends and I, hovered around the main stage in order to see a few of the bigger performances and stay cool. In addition, it felt like the festival put in hardly any effort to ensure the well being of the attendees. Although there was easily accessible and free water, it was at room temperature at best and hardly sufficed in the 100+ degree weather. With ice-cold bottled water pricing at $4, many suffered from dehydration and/or overheating and weren’t able to enjoy the festival in its entirety. Unfortunately, issues arising from the overpriced water, the complicated layout left most attendees feeling unsatisfied overall. For me, it was much more than that; despite the bad aspects of this event, the one very good thing about this festival was quite possibly the most important thing—the music. One of the best performances of the weekend was by Ice Cube. On Saturday night, he performed an array of music, both new and old, while mixing in a number of brutal videos displaying police violence and shootings in the background. Ice Cube performed each song with not only high intensity, but with sheer passion for his music. About halfway through his set, N.W.A members DJ Yella and MC Ren joined Ice Cube for a highly anticipated mini-reunion

featuring famous songs such as “Fuck Tha Police” and “Straight Outta Compton.” There was no clear reason why Dr. Dre didn’t participate in the reunion, however the trio paid tribute to late rapper and ex-group member Eazy-E by playing his recorded pieces and continuously pointing to the sky. Despite Ice Cube’s mainstream fame through acting in movies such as “Are We There Yet?,” “Barber Shop,” and more recently, co-producing the Oscar-nominated film, “Straight Outta Compton,” he managed to stay to his Westcoast roots and give the middle finger to the haters who have called him a sellout by displaying a great performance. Despite the big-name artists who were in attendance, my favorite performance of the entire festival was by electro-duo AlunaGeorge. Best known for songs such as “You Know You Like It” and “I’m in Control,” AlunaGeorge gave a strong, inventive performance that was more than just singing along to a track. Throughout their set, George Reid, accompanied by a stage drummer and dancers, DJ’d live while Aluna Francis alternated between singing and DJing as well. They didn’t merely stick to their songs as they are recorded on their albums; they altered them in an innovative way to engage the crowd and make their performance memorable. Other performances such as Tchami, Kill the Noise, and headliners Major Lazer and Flosstradamus definitely made a positive mark on the festival as well. With that being said, the festival wasn’t all bad. I am slightly disappointed with the disorganization of the event; although it was in a brand new venue, a festival that is approaching its ten year anniversary should not have had as many problems as it did. However, if you look purely at the stellar performances that occurred, HARD Summer wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be.

AlunaGeorge performing on the HARDer stage

The ending of Destructo’s set on the HARD stage

Fans waiting for the next performance on the HARDer stage early in the day

AlunaGeorge performing on the HARDer stage

Music

Experiencing Dependence Post-hardcore band create an album that goes beyond its genre By Peter R. Clark Entertainment Editor Coming off the heels of the stellar “Hold On When Moving On” is a no less emotional post-hardcore treat from Fresno-based band Dependence. “Remembering Everything” extends their already deep roots in their unique genre with 11 heart-wrenching songs about love, relationships, death, life, and loneliness. With and without are the strong themes on this album. Either you have something, or don’t. The lyrics on this album are generally better written and conceived than their previous take on this style. Musically, they have evolved too. Using a lot of higher strung guitars, and an emphasis on the bass in a lot of songs. The drums shine on a lot of tracks too. The songs like to take their time, often going on a break for brief reprieve with no lyrics to allow the listener to take in the incredibly emotional words spoken, sung, and screamed by the vocalist, Tyler Isch. Dependence classifies themselves as post-hardcore. While that is a great way to label, they really don’t fall into a genre. They are Dependence, and that’s their genre. They combine many different styles, from melodic hardcore to indie to emo. They are their own unique style, and it really shines through on their rollercoaster ride of an album they have made. “Those Three Words” sets the tone of album lyrically, but not musically. It’s fast-

paced, in your face, and unrelenting. As the song plays on, it starts to inject other sounds. When it finally gets melodic, it stops and goes back to being fast-paced. It’s a perfect introductory album, as it does not necessarily prepare you for what comes next. It’s a way to ease you into their genre if you’re used to other post-hardcore or melodic hardcore bands. “It Wasn’t Meant to Be” is a perfect example of how complex Dependence can be. Zachariah Sierra and Levi Benson provide an interesting take on their guitar work. The song starts almost like a light-hearted foray into a song about happiness, but quickly turns south with the line “I’m afraid that the worst things I said / Weren’t half as bad as the one’s that I didn’t.” That line sets up the song into a depressing take on relationships and what they can never be.

The drum work provided Skyler Llewellyn on “You Are Everything; You Are The Only Thing” is impeccable. They are heavily accentuated by Patrick O’Brien’s bass grooves. The two work very well with one another. This song is about not being able to face someone you love, but still cherishing them. It’s a sad tale of being so nervous about the outcome that you can’t handle the act. It’s relatable on many levels, as with the entire album. “A Place to Die” is probably the best on the already near perfect album. It has everything: great lyrics, and great music. It’s very relatable and is well-paced. The line: “I’m just a little hollow / So send me a sign that I can follow / That will lead me to my love,” is a perfect line that reflects the mood of the album.

The last song that I feel should be covered is “That Was The First Day It Rained, And It Never Rains Here.” It contains something really unique for the genre. At the apex of the song, a half-hearted somber solo can sort of be heard. However calling it a solo is the wrong word to use. It has the same sort of progression as one, but sounds nothing like one. It’s an interesting take to convey emotion, especially with the incredibly sad lyrics Isch is half-speaking and half-singing. It’s a great approach to give the album yet another unique sounding song. Dependence has taken a muddled genre of similar sound artists and set themselves apart from them. Their first release was the road that took to them to this destination, however I hope they decide to take it even further. This is a great album; every song conveys the right amount of emotion both in vocals and music. It ends right where it needs to, and doesn’t try to hard to be something it isn’t. I’m very excited for Depedence’s next release. I hope that one day I can see them live. “Remembering Everything” is album that deserves to be experienced and no review can do it justice. Each complex song needs to be analyzed, and taken in as a unique entity that can only be experienced in a dark, cold room alone.

Boys Don’t Cry, They’re Kept Waiting A Frank Ocean fan vents his frustration on waiting for his next banger By Alejandro Ramos Editor-in-Chief I’m mad. Frank Ocean did us dirty and expects us to just accept his album after stringing us along for over a year. Well, he’s right to expect that because we probably will listen to and enjoy every minute of Frank singing over smooth instrumentals. I’m still mad though. The question is whether I’m mad at Frank for making us wait, myself for getting this invested in his music, or both. Here is the thing: Frank is good. He always has been. He still is, from what I’ve heard of “Endless” and “Blonde.” It’s probably a safe bet to say that he always will be cause that’s just the kind of talented man he is. Nothing I say about him or his album with take that away. That said, I think it’s safe to say it hasn’t been fun keeping up with the developments and rumors leading up to the release of “Endless” and “Blonde.” It was easily one of the most exasperating and

confusing journeys to have gone through. I wonder if Frank meant for his album to take this long to come out. He didn’t exactly try to calm down his fans. He let the rumor mills run wild while he did who knows what. For a while people speculated that he had gone missing or been kidnapped. People went so far as to say he had gone to medical school to begin a new career saving lives. All this time, and not a single peep or tweet from him. It’s 2016. He could’ve said something. While it was shady that he was out street racing with Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky just days before his album dropped, that doesn’t mean the release was his fault. Every dedicated fan of any musical artist knows and understands the evils of music labels. They tend to take an artist’s work and delay it for who knows what reason. This can end up ruining the reception when the piece of work finally sees the light of day. The last time I went through this as a fan

Illustration by Allison Meyer Podcast Assistant was for Lupe Fiasco’s third album, “Lasers.” I remember being hyped up for it only to be disappointed by the end result. It failed to live up to my expectations, which had gone up to ridiculous levels. To be honest, I feel the same way now about “Endless” and “Blonde”. I let myself get swept up by the hype. Now I think Frank’s albums are just okay. I obviously don’t know how or why any of this ended up happening. What I do know is that the wait is finally over and maybe in time I’ll come to enjoy Frank’s work as much as I should. Until then, I’m going to be salty over the fact that it took this long for this mess to end.

Travel

Cruising Down the Coast A family trip from Catalina to Ensenada Words and photos by Jordan Daniels Opinions Editor

Family vacations a r e somewhat a necessity in my family. Since I’ve grown up, my parents and I have always had one big trip to take a year. I use the term big very loosely because it can be as little as going to the Bay for a week or as big as going to Europe, which I did with my mom and aunt in 2014. However, as my father is disabled, it isn’t as easy to travel anymore. How do we remedy this? A cruise! The last time I went on a cruise, I was about 12, my parents were able-bodied and we went from Canada to Alaska. It was not very summer-y so the thought of a quick trip to Mexico and back this time around sounded like a ball. It would be beautiful weather, we could get my dad around the ship fairly easily and I could maintain a healthy level of intoxication on the trip since I’m 21. We embarked from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on the Carnival Imagination. From the moment we left port, the vacation begun. Our first stop was in Santa Catalina Island, a beautiful place I’ve always wanted to visit but ballin-on-a-budget does not exactly give leeway to spending $70 for a day

just to get there and back. However, getting there via cruise ship was free and since my parents wanted to save their strength for Mexico, I decided t o

take a little solo trip throughout the island. As the ferry from the ship docked, and I got off, I was surrounded by people, which flared up my social anxiety quite a bit. But, I also told myself I don’t do this often so I might as well make the best of it and deal. I ventured out into the town, which had scandinavian-ish style in terms of looks. It’s boardwalk stretched about a mile right along the “beach” it had, which was littered with families splashing themselves in the water. The street were filled with shops, restaurants and cafes, each adding its own flair to the beauty of the main road. Down the side roads were more shops, a bit more

Parisian-styled in cobblestones and french nooks that smelled of roasted coffee beans and dripped with elegance. Up some streets were lines of colorful homes and down others were squads of very beachy, shack-looking homes. Over yonder (in the distance) were big homes that remind me a bit of Hollywood in terms of houses covering the mountain tops. Most of my time there consisted of me sitting in the coffee shop, CC Gallaghers, because they had wifi and outlets for me to work on a project I’ve been doing all summer. Speaking of which, i f

As we docked by a Plaza, the Mexican Flag waved high, standing as tall as a New York City building, signaling that we arrived. We wheeled my dad all around through a mix of dirt, cobblestone, multi-colored bricks and concrete sidewalks, all in a square mile. Among the streets were children offering candies and gum, adult vendors selling names on grains of rice and many accessory stores offering you “the best deal” on any product you were looking for - The hustle was real. The architecture was a pleasant mix of modern and traditional. There were some very elegant shops with black and white interiors, selling mounds of jewels and then there were candy-colored stores, booths and even hotels that took pride in offering everyday items. There’s a certain beauty at the intersection of modern and traditional that I can just help but appreciate. All in all, my trip was a perfect blend of relaxation, adventure and fun. What did I bring home with me? The best bottle of Almond Tequila.

y o u go there, their fruit bowl with granola is a bowl of yass!w Alas, my time in Santa Catalina was winding down and I had to go back. The fruit of my excursion was the perfect picture of the reef of the Island. Mexico, here I come!

Friendship Bell Traveling in your own backyard As a young traveler I often dreamed about faraway places I hope to visit. I envisioned flying across oceans to places like Spain and Germany. However, it wasn’t until recently that I began to reevaluate how I view traveling and start to embrace all the beauty, adventure, and culture that surround me. One of those places I rediscovered was the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro. I visited it multiple times before in my travels, but I never viewed it with quite as much excitement as I did during my visit this summer. On a warm day with a bright blue sky, I decided to take a drive over to South Bay. Heading over Terminal Island on the Vincent Thomas Bridge was both thrilling and terrifying. It is the fourth largest suspension bridge in California, which is awesome, but it still took some guts for me to not jump at the big-rig trucks that whirled past me. The

anticipation of the beautiful San Pedro and Palos Verdes cliffs kept me going. In my rearview mirror, I could see the silhouette of downtown Long Beach and the smokestacks of the Queen Mary. When I arrived on the other side, it felt like an accomplishment. I made the left turn onto Gaffey Street and from there it was a straight shot through the city and up the huge San Francisco-like hills to the Friendship Bell. The view from the top is extensive. Depending on the weather-- or amount of smog-- you can see Catalina Island and the beautiful California coastline. A vast green field serves as the perfect setting for this landmark whose appeal grows even when you learn the meaning behind it. Dozens of families peppered the lawn, parents lying on blankets while their children ran freely. A group of young men

Words and photo by Emily Ayers Contributor played basketball on the single court and a playground just to the left of the bell entertained children whose attention span only allowed them to take it in for a short amount of time. I learned from the plaque at the mouth of the walkway that the bell was given as a gift from the Republic of Korea to the people of Los Angeles in 1976 as a peace offering. It was also a way to celebrate a lasting friendship between the two nations, and to honor the veterans from the Korean War. Once I was closer to the Bell Pavilion I saw what great craftsmanship went into creating the Bell. The twelve columns are painted a deep burgundy color and the top of the structure is intricately painted in vibrant green, black, blue, red, and peach colors. I was blown away by how calming it was to stand at the Bell Pavilion, taking in the

great architecture while truly understanding the actual purpose behind it - a monumental representation of peace. Getting to see this cultural gem with new eyes and an open mind made the experience even more enjoyable. What I felt up there surprised me that day. Driving over the bridge, I didn’t expect to develop a new appreciation for a place I hadfbeen to before. For so long I fixated on leaving. So much so that I missed the excitement of what is already around me. That is not to say that my dreams of international travel are over, but I recognize that until that day comes, my adventures do not have to be put on hold. This summer reinforced the fact that there are wonderful cities all around me just waiting for me to visit, create memories and share them--all of which I plan to do.

Love in Milan Falling head over designer heels When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with Lizzie McGuire. I low-key still consider The Lizzie McGuire Movie one of my favorite movies of all time (let’s be real, it is one of Disney’s finer masterpieces). I always dreamed that when I grew up I would get to live out a similar fantasy – travel to Italy with my friends, disguise myself as an international superstar, and fall in love in a day with some handsome stranger. Well this summer my dreams actually came true … minus the whole international superstar part. I was lucky enough to be a part of CSULB’s

study abroad program this summer, spending two weeks in Paris studying French Couture fashion. We had the weekends to ourselves, so most of us took that free time to travel to other places in Europe. As an Italian descendent, I figured I had to spend my first weekend in Milan. A few friends tagged along and we were on our way. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you and say that I came on this trip with every intent, or more so hope, that I would get picked up by some attractive, foreign man. When the first week in Paris went by with no bites I was willing to reel it in. It started to feel pretty unlikely, though I figured since we were entering a new country, new opportunities were bound to come along.

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“I d o per n’t kno son aga w if I w in, a i ll I c ll ever se an c ont e Cam rol i i s th llo in e no w .” The next morning, I awaited his call. I really had no idea what to expect, but I figured, if anything, I was at least being shown around Milan by a true Italian. He met me at the canals. There is a series of them that flow throughout the city, lined with cute little villas, shops, bars, and cafes. We walked up and down these beautiful rivers, talking as though we were old friends. He wined and dined me like a true gentleman, taking me to all of his favorite places. It was amazing how much we had in common living in different continents. We mainly bonded over our deep and unwavering love for “House of Cards” and all things Kevin Spacey (one of the main ways he learned English) and our love for health and fitness. There was no awkwardness, no lulls in conversation. He was interesting, smart, funny, the sweetest man I have ever met in my life. Did I mention how hot he was?? It really felt like a dream. What was even more crazy was that he felt the exact same way. He would do things like in movies. He’d stop talking because he would just get lost staring at me, or tell me he couldn’t believe I was there with him,. That I was like a dream. I asked him what had made him come up to me in the first place and I shit you not, he said, “love at first sight.” My melted heart is still lying on the floor of that restaurant. I don’t know if I will ever see Camillo in person again, all I can control is the now. We continue to message almost every day and we skype often. He is amazing. We talk about him visiting me in LA or me going back to Italy, but who knows what will really happen.This is not the end of our story, but I’ll leave it at this: Lizzie McGuire ain’t got nothin’ on me. If anything, I got to live out a fairytale in a foreign land. A perfect day I will never forget.

Milan was absolutely gorgeous and we had a first perfect day of designer shopping, fancy cocktails, homemade pasta, complete with a night out. We had originally planned on going to a club, but misinformation led us down an impromptu path. We ended up stumbling upon an outdoor bar where we had a few drinks, met some people, had a great time, although it never progressed further than a few laughs. The bar started to close down, so we called an Uber. None of the Uber drivers in Europe speak any English, and apparently none of them know how to follow a map either, because we were standing there for what had to be a half hour trying to get back to our AirBnB. My friend was on the phone with the driver, unsuccessfully trying

to find some sort of bridge between Spanish and Italian, when these two men come up to us and start speaking in Italian. We make it clear that we are American, prompting one of them to introduce himself, “Camillo.” We begin to flirt. a little here, a little there. Meanwhile, his friend gets on the phone with our Uber driver and starts bringing him in the right direction, saving our asses big time. Their timing was so perfect I figured this had to be some sort of sign, so when the man asked me if he could take me out for food and drinks the next day, I accepted. He said he wanted me to help him practice his English, and with that adorable accent and gorgeous smile, how could I say no?

16 Community

Not Your Average Sand Castle Local competition celebrates 84 years of sandy masterpieces

Words and Photos by Emily Ayers Contributor

Promising summer fun and thrills, not just for myself but for the family, the 84th Annual Grand Sand Sculpture Contest in Long Beach was a memorable one. Unlike typical art that is placed up against stark white backdrops, sculptors utilized the natural environment and surfaces in a way that highlighted their artwork while utilizing all of the elements. Granada Beach hosted a proper beach party spanning over the entire weekend that welcomed people of all ages. The beach was packed with people on bikes or walking, some of whom came for the fun while others were simply passing through. Reggae music blasted from speakers and vendors boasted things from clothing to handmade jewelry. The numerous food tents served fresh corn on the cob, Competitors incorporated trends like Pokémon Go into their artwork and went beyond Mediterranean dishes, Southern BBQ, sculpting the average sand castle at the 84th Annual Sand Sculpture Contest in early August. kettle corn and more. as if to ward off anyone antsy to mess with the Potter-esque castle. Although it wasn’t as After navigating through the crowded big as the Queen Mary replica, I was drawn in path of vendors, the great sand sculptures sand transformations. The first row contained about seven by its height and details. began to appear. The first ones I laid eyes on The rows of artwork continued to grow paid homage to Pokémon Go, while the other completed sculptures for people to admire. was a large replica of the Queen Mary. The The most intricate of these first art pieces to and lead attendees closer to the ocean where yellow caution tape closed off the sculptures be completed would have to go to the Harry competitors were working hard on finishing

their pieces. Using tools you would use in housing projects like scalpels helped the artists hone and chisel out their designs. The buckets of water helped turn the dry sand into pliable material sturdy enough to serve as a casing for the sculptures. Long Beach which typically isn’t the busiest of beaches, came to life that day with plenty of children and families who came out for the fun. Everyone sat along the water, some watching the sculptors do their work and others creating small masterpieces of their own. The beautiful bright blue sky without a cloud in it was inviting for a day of beachy toes and sandy hair. The event as a whole held a lot of promise and character for an event that will hopefully continue to grow and draw in audiences. It did a good job of providing people with enough to do if they chose to make a day out of it, which I suggest. Considering how long it took the artists to create their work, the event was well worth a trip down to Belmont Shore and definitely an experience to add to a list of future summer to-do’s in Long Beach.

Buzzing for Honey Wine at Great Society Long Beach welcomes its first cider and mead bar

Great Society Cider and Mead’s gluten-free macaroni and cheese and other menu items were designed to compliment its unique drinks.

The quaint restaurant at the corner of Atlantic and Broadway has undergone some exciting changes to bring about the first cider and mead bar in Long Beach. Great Society Cider & Mead had their public soft opening on Aug. 4 and presented a wonderful alternative to the typical pub experience. The line to get in and order stretched out the door and was inhabited by people of all types. Young and old, punk and hipster alike were curious to see what mead could do for them. Several entrées and small dishes were also available out of the pub’s kitchen. For those not in the know, mead is an

Words and Photos by Andrew Linde Multimedia Manager alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water and spices. It is sometimes called honey wine for its sweet taste. Cider, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apples, is growing in acceptance and joining beers at taps around the country. Over 20 ciders and meads were on tap for the opening, ranging from semi-dry to tart. Great Society promises to feature a rotating tap of craft meads and ciders, so repeat visits are a must. I cannot recommend enough the mead from B. Nektar called Kill All the Golfers. It’s a take on the classic Arnold Palmer flavor with a heavy dose of sweetness. The menu was specially put together to complement the unique flavors of cider and mead. I enjoyed a small plate of gluten-free macaroni and cheese. While I don’t follow a gluten-free diet, I found the dish to be rather delectable and not lacking in taste. The Cider House Burger is also a real treat. The burger comes with bacon-onion jam, which is tastier than it sounds, and sundried tomato ketchup. For those who can’t handle cider or mead, there is a small selection of craft beers available in bottles and cans. The drink menu

is constantly changing and I wouldn’t be surprised if I had a new favorite every time I go. Great Society Cider & Mead is in a fantastic location, never more than a few blocks from free parking and within walking distance to other fun bars and restaurants, such as The Blind Donkey and Rebel Bite.

Great Society Cider & Mead is located at 601 E Broadway Long Beach, Calif. 90802. Hours of operation are available at www.greatsocietycider.com