Friday was a picture perfect snapshot of a warm winter day in Long Beach.
Marby Ellis and her 4-year-old son, Jordon, visited from Bakersfield.
"In the middle of the winter, it's amazing," Ellis said. "It's like the icing on the cake."
And the sunshine was weather Nancy Messman, from Chicago, can appreciate.
"It's 23 at home right now, with snow on the ground," Messman said.
Sunny days are why Long Beach welcomes 6 million plus visitors every year. This year, those visitors noticed some changes, like the city's new Promenade -- a three-block stretch of new restaurants, condos and shops connecting the city's waterfront to downtown.
"A long time ago, I heard a lot of bad, negative, situation in Long Beach, but it looks beautiful," Ellis said. "It looks very clean and more people walking around. It feels safer."
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Downtown business owner Julie Do, of Doly's Delectable's, said the new Long Beach has made her success a little sweeter.
"It's actually very exciting," Do said. "We've seen many improvements."
City officials are optimistic the downtown revitalization will continue to breathe new life to the area, and a little burst of summer in the middle of winter doesn't hurt, either.
