Belmont Shore, also known as 2nd Street, is Long Beach's most active shopping and dining strip.

The great bistros and cool boutiques have made this strip a destination for years.

Legends Sports Bar is the epicenter of Belmont Shore. Almost every night you can see crowds pouring out of the door.

There's upscale: Bono's Restaurant, created by Christy Bono, features a combination of classic and contemporary cuisine.

The Shore also does ethnic: La Creperie Cafe for French food, Open Sesame for Lebanese, Lucille's Smokehouse for BBQ and Buona Gente for Italian.

But there's more to do in life than eat. Belmont Shore has great clothing stores like the Gap, Banana Republic and Buffalo Exchange.

Fingerprints is one of the great, last independent record stores while Billings Paint and Hardware is one of the great, last small hardware stores.

There are hundreds of shops in Belmont Shore and there are several great annual events to get residents and visitors out and about. Check out the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade, Stroll and Savor and the 2nd Street Art Walk.