Long Beach was a little weird in that the areas near the ocean were quite nice, but if you traveled just a few blocks inland (we did that to go to a grocery store) it got a bit sketchy.
We were going to stay at a Holiday Inn, but I read on Trip Advisor that the area was not good, and one person reported hearing nearby gun shots in the evening.
I stayed there about 8 yrs. ago and found it to be a very nice hotel. We like all Residence Inn. We had a car when we were there and as I recall it was a short ride to see the Queen Mary. I came down with a bug and didn't get to CI.