The Pike is Long Beach's waterfront retail and entertainment district, built on the site of the original Pike amusement park that operated from 1902 to 1979 — a ramshackle pleasure ground with roller coasters, games, and carnival attractions that was a Southern California institution for most of the twentieth century. The current development is more polished: outlet stores, restaurants, a carousel (the only surviving element from the original pike), and an IMAX cinema facing the harbour.
The location is excellent — right at the base of Pine Avenue with views to the harbour and the Queen Mary. As a shopping destination it is ordinary, but the carousel and the harbour views make it a reasonable stop on a waterfront walk. The Rainbow Harbor, which the Pike faces, is the most active stretch of the Long Beach waterfront.
95 S Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802.