Howdy all I'm visiting from overseas and heading to pomona swap for the first time and have some questions Staying in Long Beach Where to enter to Park How long does it take to get in and park and into the swap meet proper? Thanks in advance...
Long Beach is fair long way from the Pomona Fairgrounds. Get up way early. Get off the 10 freeway at Fairplex Drive. It's just past where the 10 fwy crosses the 57 fwy. You'll exit right, turn left over freeway and wind up and over the hill along side a golf course. End of street you go straight and it forces you to turn left into the lines for cars entering the Fairgrounds. It's a giant parking lot. Follow the crowds to the ticket kiosks. Have exact change and you get in faster. From exit of freeway to walking in is maybe 20 minutes worst case if you go earlY. If you don't? No idea. I only go early
it's about 25 miles from Long Beach to the Fairplex (Pomona Fairgrounds) From Long Beach, you will take the 605 freeway north to the 10 freeway east. Exit on Fairplex Drive. Turn left continue until you've reach the fairplex. You will see the entrance with a line of cars waiting to get in. You will be guided on were to park by parking attendances. Once parked, follow the crowd to the ticket booths and then your in. To your right will be the Meat Swap and to your left will the car corral.
Once you are parked and through the entrance gate the first rows are VW and Import car stuff. Then the professional swappers with their Chinese wares fill up the next ten rows. The best part of the swapmeet is the overflow section at the very end to the north. There all the little guys that go once a year after cleaning out the garage wind up. So my advice is to once you paid and walked through the gate is to go straight through the parking lot to the other end and do the meet that way.
Unless you know a short cut it is more like 40 miles but it's all freeway and they should be clear at that time. Charlie Stephens
If he goes early, the freeways shouldn't be too bad until he gets to fairplex dr. Then there will be a line of cars all the way to the entrance which is about 1 mile and a half or so from the 10 to the fairplex.
Thanks Dan, Kustom Komet, jcmarz,55 dude, von wegener and Charlie Stephens, that is the exact information I needed! Myself and a fellow custom man are both from Australia and our tour of CA+ has included the pomona swap, while our wives take on the Long Beach Flea Market. We didn't want to spend half the morning trying to find the entrance. Also great info on where to start looking and skip the crap. We don't 'need' anything in particular, but we always 'want' something ps Didn't spend enough time in Pasadena Dan, lovely town... and for a Comet owner, it was nice to see this... No wagon for us, if I find a good steering wheel for my 62 Comet, to replace or upgrade the cracked Cyclone wheel and pickup a Wieand 8020 manifold and see heaps of car people, I will be happy. cheers.
takes me 45 min from N. LB to get to Pomona, at dawn. theres a McDonalds to the right of Fairplex Drive if you need to get chow. Freeways ... 710 North -> 105 East -> 605 North -> 10 East -> take ext 43, Fairplex Drive. parking is usually on the other side of the fairgrounds when you drive in, so keep going and look for the signs "SWAP MEET" by noon freeways back to LB are usually choked, so set aside 1.5 hours depending on where in LB you are staying.
plan9, thanks for the info and we will be heading off early, an easy drive is a good drive. how long do you spend there?
When I went years ago, you had to get in at about 4am with a flashlight to get the best deals and vendors started packing up by noon. Still the same?
Flattop, If you follow the suggestion about 4:00 AM arrival you had better check in advance that the buyers gate will be open at that hour (sometimes at swap meets they are not, probably because of insurance reasons with vehicle traffic and pedestrians mixing). I would plan on a full day there (or until you are too tired to walk). I usually walk a large swap meet once fairly quickly and then go back for a second pass digging through boxes at a leisurely pace (or catching people that arrive late or were late to unpack). Charlie Stephens
Thanks all we will get there early morning but not stupid o'clock Appreciate all the info See you there.
Remember the Long Beach Grand Prix is also this weekend so getting back may be a problem. Also Fabulous Fords Forever is at Knott's Berry Farm and is free. It lasts until at least 3:00.
Personally I would rather go to fabulous Fords. They have one of everything aside from the 1,000,000 Mustangs that go there. Imagine a giant parking lot and grassy grounds full of your favorite brand of car. Pomona is mostly Chinese crap. The better car swap meet is at the Long Beach Arena......
Prepare to be overwhelmed by the size of it, you will walk a lot of miles just in the swap area, then there is the cars for sale area as well. I'm assuming it is still the same size as it used to be 7 years ago when I last went? Also the VW section used to be the first area you came to, if this hasn't changed you might want to avoid that.
True about the Long Beach Swap but the next one is in May. On the other hand the O.P has never been to Pomona before so at least he can check that off his bucket list.
Thanks again for the information. Didn't know about Fabulous Ford day will do that next trip So we will get overwhelmed at pomona tomorrow. Cheers.
Weather will be 81 degrees in Pomona. Dress with a light long sleeve shirt and bring a hat that covers your ears, maybe sun glasses. I haven't been to Pomona in a while and look forward to hearing your impression. Charlie Stephens
Not much older stuff at Fab Fords. About 1,000,000 late model Mustangs though. Of course, I haven't been to FFF for about 15 years.
I went at about 9:30, parked, found the window crank I need for $3 and was out of there. I got lucky. Usually, I walk 'til my trick back tricks me. A good day.
Good trip to Fairplex from Long Beach, and joined the queue entering... It is the biggest car swap I and my fellow car man have been too picked up a needed capillary temp gauge in the first row of stalls, lucky like you Chili Phil, but after walking 3 full rows I found a man with Ford stuff, he explained most Ford sellers etc will have gone to the FFF, just to walk and see... Walked about 2/3rds of the rest, cut it short and went for a tour through the car coral to enjoy the cars, and exited in time to hopefully miss any heavy traffic back to Long Beach! I hadn't been to a swap meeting for many years at home, but this was always mentioned by friends, to I can now say "I have been to the Pomona Swap"! Thank for all your input, it was appreciated. Bruce.
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