California, here we come, episode 3. In which we do not visit Sheldon's cousin.

At the time that all the trip planning was taking place this past summer, the only thing I knew about Long Beach was that Sheldon's concocted cousin Leo lived there and, of course, that I watch too much television.  After doing my due diligence, I came to realize that the Long Beach Antique Market was no ordinary flea market (there's actually no such thing as an "ordinary" flea market), but a memorabilia mecca for collectors of unique and vintage (if not technically "antique") what-have-you and ephemera.

Here I am with my newest blog fan, Ephemera.

Phemy's a little shy, but a great listener.

The LBAM is located in the parking lot of Veteran's Memorial Stadium on the campus of Long Beach City College.  Once you get off the 105, 405, 605, 710, or whatever local non-numbered shortcut you've managed to create for yourself, you'll spot a sign or two pointing you in the right direction.  There is even a (free) parking garage should street parking be full by the time you arrive (opening time is 6:30 AM).  This place was MADE for a fleamarket!

Actually, it was made for football,

but not on the third Sunday of the month!

Needless to say, Mari and I were impressed (overwhelmed) when we stepped through the entrance after paying our ($5 with coupon) admission fee.  I know.  I hate paying to enter a fleamarket, too, but the size and organization and ease of parking here made it worth every online-coupon-discounted penny.

I caught Mari at left in an early morning predatory pose, her favorite (momentarily empty) market bag draping easily over her shoulder, awaiting a first catch.

This was our first visit to a new and overwhelmingly expansive fleamarket, so aside from following our usual game plan of starting in a corner and walking and looking in just one direction (no boy band members were sighted or harmed in the process) at a time, I don't have any earth-shatteringly brilliant advice for you.  

The Long Beach market is laid out meticulously in colorfully curated rows with vendors also purposefully positioned around the seemingly endless periphery.  Booths vary in size and states of organization, but most are comfortably browsable and affordably inviting.  The variety of collectibles and household goods (don't forget the ephemera!) is a fleamarketer's dream.  Every once in a while true vintage goods and antiques leapt out longingly and tantalizingly at us and a few easily-packable (and bubble-wrappable) goodies snuggled their way into Mari's eventually not-so-roomy market bag.

Visit the well-organized site for visitor info aplenty along with that $1 discount coupon.

longbeachantiquemarket.com

True confession time.  Mari and I barely managed to browse a third of the vendors on the tropically balmy Sunday of September 18th.  It had nothing to do with the colorful Nobu blends from the prior evening, but more to do with the exhaustive breadth of the surprisingly shipshape but unfortunately shade-deprived parking lot. We prudently embraced the vendors closest to the shade-laden stadium and that was plenty for this pair of fleamarket first-timers.

Since the Long Beach Antique Market is definitely a flea worth a revisit, we will each share with you a formerly-fleamarketed find. Next time.

And no, I didn't forget about that California Chicago dog, either.