Celebrating Super Bowl 50 Long Beach Style

It is Super Sunday and the matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos should be a great game. Not to mention the commercials and the ½ time show. If you are looking for a place near your Long Beach apartment to watch Super Bowl 50, we have a list of some good spots.

If you are wondering why the NFL isn’t using Roman numerals this year, it is because L is the Roman numeral for 50 and the NFL decided that it would be confusing to most.

Any way …

Claim Jumper will have happy hour all day long with $2.00 for Bottomless Chips and Salsa, a $7.00 for the Widow Maker Burger and premium draft beers are $4.00 a pint, and a selection of cocktails and wines at $4.00.

Location: 6501 East Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA

The Tilted Kilt, you know the sports bar with the Scottish theme and scantily clad servers, will have a $10.00 cover charge, which includes a free domestic draft. They have prizes and great appetizers.

Location: 6575 East Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA

Legends opens at 9:00 am for breakfast and has a $10 cover charge for the big game.  They have specials and a large projection screen TV to enjoy the game.

Location: 5236 E 2nd St, Long Beach, CA

Malarkey’s annual Super Bowl Bash has an all-you-can-eat buffet, raffle prizes and specially priced beers.

Location: 168 N Marina Dr, Long Beach, CA

Where to Watch Super Bowl 50 in Sacramento

Maybe your favorite team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, but like millions you will want to catch the game, the commercials, and the half time show with Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars.

The game starts at 3:30 PST and will be aired on CBS.  You can watch the game at your Sacramento apartment or head out to watch the game at one of the local sports bars in the area.

Club Raven is a fun local sports bar with great specials, free popcorn, and friendly staff!

Location: 3246 J St, Sacramento, CA

Cheaters Sports Bar is another great place to catch the game and cheer on your favorite team.  This traditional bar will have great specials on Super Bowl Sunday. OK, insert Patriots joke here!

Location: 3221 Folsom Boulevard, Sacramento, CA

Cornterstone Restaurant is not your typical sports bar, but they are located only minutes from your Sacramento apartment and have football specials.  The crowd tends to be young and loud.  They will be busy this year, so get their early.

Location: 2326 J Street, Sacramento, CA

In nearby Folsom, Mark’s Sports Bar will be having a Super Bowl party with over six TVs, over 12 beers and a full bar. This is a fun spot to watch the game. If you aren’t a Panther or Bronco fan, you can play pool or video games!

 Location: 303 Iron Point Road, Folsom, CA

Fun Things To Do in Long Beach CA

Every now and again you just need to get out of your Long Beach apartment and enjoy all that this harbor city has to offer.

 If you love theater and a classic who-dunnit, then you will love Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap at the Long Beach Playhouse; 5021 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA

 Show Times: Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 P.M., Sunday, January, 31 at 2:00 P.M., Friday, February 5 at 8:00 P.M., Saturday, February 6 at 8:00 P.M., Sunday, February 7 at 2:00 P.M., Friday, February 12 at 8:00 P.M., and Saturday, February 13 at 8:00 P.M.

  If you like a little Luck of the Irish then head down to The Auld Dubliner Irish Pub from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Thursdays from now until the end of March.  Located at 71 South Pine Street, Long Beach, CA.

 Haven’t been to a museum in a while?  Long Beach has some great museums with permanent and rotating exhibits, here are just a few:

Long Beach Museum of Art

2300 E Ocean Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90803

Museum of Latin American Art

628 Alamitos Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802

Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum

695 Alamitos Ave
Long Beach, CA 90813

Tips to Get Your Security Deposit Back

Whether you are new to your Tampa apartment or thinking about moving out, it is never to early to start thinking about your security deposit.

Follow these tips to ensure that you get your security deposit back:

Read your lease before you sign it.

Yes, it is long and there is a lot of legal jargon, but sit down and read it. Ask questions and understand the terms of your lease; what you can and cannot do while living in your apartment and lease terms.

Walk through your apartment before moving in and document what you see.

Ask the landlord or property manager to walk through your apartment with you, take notes and discuss items with them. Even if you are not expecting them to be fixed you should document or take pictures of small deficiencies or repairs.

Follow the rules while you live there.

I know this seems obvious, but if your lease says no pets, you shouldn’t get one. If painting and making holes in the walls are against your lease, you should look for other ways to decorate. Use 3-com hooks to hang pictures, instead of painting, use a large picture or a room divider to add color. If your lease has a clause about sub-letting, you should think twice about listing your apartment in Airbnb or VRBO as it may violate your lease.

Give the appropriate notice in writing.

Your lease will detail the amount of time you need to give for your notice, be sure to follow the guidelines. Even if you are friendly with the management team, make sure that the notice is in writing and that it that management acknowledges the notice date in writing. An email is sufficient in most cases.

Clean your apartment before you turn in your keys.

The general rule is that you should leave your apartment in the same condition as you found it. Some leases refer to broom cleaned which in general means that you will remove all personal belongings, debris and trash and vacuum the carpets and/or sweep the floors. It is also a good idea to clean the kitchens and bathrooms thoroughly and wipe down all cabinets.

If you pay a cleaning service, keep the receipt and record of what they cleaned.

Walk through the apartment before you leave.

Just like the walk through you did when you moved in, experts suggest that you ask for a move-out walk through. This allows you to document and review items and allows you to discuss what items may hinder the return of your security deposit and give you time to correct them.

We suggest taking pictures as well.

Provide a forwarding address for your returned check.

In most states a landlord must return a security deposit within a certain amount of time (typically between 15 and 45 days). If the full amount is not returned, they MUST document these items. You have the right to dispute these charges. If you are depositing or cashing a check for a partial return, you should make sure that it does not say “Payment in Full”.

Follow these tips and you should have no problems getting all or part of your apartment security deposit returned.

Move Out Cleaning Check List

When you sign a lease, they require you to put down a security deposit. This protects the landlord or property manager from damages that may occur while you are leasing your Long Beach apartment.

In order to get your security deposit back, you need to make certain that your apartment is clean. Here is a move-out cleaning checklist that you can print out and check off.

The Kitchen
Clean cabinets, drawers and doors inside and out
Clean microwave inside and out
Clean the Range, hood, filter and fan
Clean oven inside, outside, pull it out and move underneath it
Clean refrigerator inside, outside, and kick plate
Scrub sink, faucet, and countertops, remove any water deposits or soap scum
Mop the kitchen floor, clean grout and the edges
Sanitize the counter tops

The Bathroom
Clean shower, tub, faucet, and grout
Clean sink, countertops, and faucet
Clean the toilet thoroughly and put a toilet cleaner in the basin for that just fresh look
Wipe down and clean cabinets and drawers inside and out
Mop floor and wipe down the baseboards
Clean mirror and any windows and window sill

The Living Area
Vacuum carpets and clean any stains
Clean all windows and window sills
Wipe down baseboards
Dust and remove cobwebs
Clean and dust the blinds
Wipe down lighting and fixtures
Wipe down inside and outside of doors

The Entry Way and Patio
Clean the tiles or flooring
Wipe down the door and handle
Wipe down baseboards
Remove furniture and plants from the patio and sweep

Volunteer this Year in Sacramento

A New Year brings on new resolutions. Each year millions of Americans vow to lose weight, to eat healthier, to stop smoking and maybe to volunteer or to be more charitable.

To help you keep your resolutions, we have put together a list of volunteer opportunities in Sacramento.

 If you love animals then this volunteering opportunity may be for you.  The Sacramento Zoo is looking for volunteer as a keeper aide. You will assist the zookeepers with cleaning, feeding and general husbandry to the zoo animals.  You must commit to 4 hours per week and be physically fit.

 Historians will love this volunteer program. Old Sacramento Living Museum needs volunteers to serve as costumed historical characters from the Gold Rush Era to the Civil War. Not comfortable dressing up?  You can also help by conducting research, sewing and more.  Contact kryan@cityofsacremento.org to find out more.

 The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is a non-profit organization that proved free, emergency goods and services to over 150,000 men, women and children each month and have a number of volunteer opportunities including:

Food Preparation * Food Distribution * Garden Volunteer * ESL Instructor * Refugee Family Support Volunteer * Cultural Orientation Volunteer * Enrichment Activity Leader * Mentor Volunteers

 CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Become an advocate for children.  CASA volunteers help children who have been removed from their homes a voice in court.  CASA website.

 Blood donations are always needed.  Check out the Red Cross website to see the next drive near your Sacramento apartment.

 

What to do on Weekends in Long Beach

Long Beach, CA is a great city to live in. It has it all; the Queen Mary, the Ferris Wheel, beaches, restaurants, shopping, theater, music and those crazy oil pumps.  We have put together some ideas for what to do on the weekend in Long Beach, CA

Rocky Horror Picture Show

This cult classic includes audience participation and has been entertaining Americans for decades.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you now can.  The Art Theater at 2025 East 4th Street in Long Beach from 12:00 A.M. (yep we mean midnight) until 2:00 A.M.

The Mousetrap

The Long Beach Playhouse will be performing The Mousetrap from now until February 12, 2016. This Agatha Christie who-dunnit is a lot of fun for everyone.  The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA.  The play runs most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, check out their website for the schedule.

MLK Celebration

On Saturday, January 16th celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Peace & Unity Parade at MLK Park at 1950 Lemon Avenue, Long Beach, CA.  The  parade and celebration runs from 10:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.  and includes entertainment, food and teen and youth activities

Best Sushi Spots in Long Beach CA

When you think about Long Beach, CA you think about Queen Mary, the Aquarium, the seaport, the famous Ferris wheel and maybe even the 1986 mega hit; Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  And you know you can find fresh fish in downtown and on the wharf, but did you know that Long Beach has over 50 sushi restaurants and is serving some of the most inspired and delicious sushi in California.

We have a list of the most highly rated Sushi Restaurants in Long Beach, CA

Awesome Sushi – 2601 Clark Ave, Long Beach, CA

This local sushi restaurant is awesome, just like the name!  Awesome Sushi is a casual, low-key sushi restaurant is a sake bomb kind of place with friendly staff, happy hour and delicious sushi, sashimi, salads and rolls.

Chefs Pat and Bobby serve up some of the best sushi in Long Beach.  Enjoy Happy Hour Monday – Friday from 3:30 – 6:30.  Awesome Sushi offers lunch and dinner specials, special rolls like their signature Awesome roll with salmon and avocado, topped with Yellowtail and a fresh jalapeno, finished with butter, ponzu sauce and fried garlic. (Hot and Tasty).  Try their fried Show Girl roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, cream cheese and banana peppers. They offer low carb and vegetarian rolls like the Yellow Monster roll which has tempura carrots and pumpkin topped with mango, a spicy, sweet sauce and tempura flakes.

While sushi restaurants aren’t typically known for deserts, Awesome Sushi is an exception, customers love their Black Sesame Seed Brulee, Cheese Cake Tempura and Fried Bananas and Ice Cream.

Sushi Kinoya – 5521 E Stearns St, Long Beach, CA 90815

Sushi Kinoya is a small, clean Sushi restaurant is decorated with colorful paper birds and white lights.  The welcoming staff wears Hawaiian shirts and are entertaining.  The menu is extensive and includes  sushi, sashimi, nigari, tempura and salads.   They have 50% beer off Beer and Sake.  Their specials include a 911 sushi roll, jalapeno Yellowtail sashimi and the crispy onion albacore which includes salmon with a crispy onion topping.

Mango Rock and Roll which look like lollipops and combine fresh tuna and mango; so delicious!

 Kihon Sushi + Japanese Tapas – 5662 E. 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90815

Like many of Long Beach’s Sushi Restaurants, Kihon is located in a strip mall, but don’t let its humble exterior fool you, this is not your run of the mill sushi restaurant.  Their fish is fresh and their rolls are creative, try the Big Lebowski, or the scallops and kiwi, golden eye snapper, soft shell crab and so much more.

They offer tempura ice cream and have a small list of wines, craft and Japanese beers, as well as sake.