By Kitty Morse
This past January, before the pandemic took hold, my friend Danielle and I took off on a drive along Southern California's iconic Highway 1 to Long Beach and the Queen Mary. We set out from Oceanside along what is known as Pacific Coast Highway, the picturesque road that hugs the beaches of Orange County along the way. For a while we felt like extras in a Beach Boys movie.
Huntington Beach, aka Surf City USA, brought to mind the Beach Boys' hymn to surfing, "Surfin' USA." The sport is the lifeblood of this community, which hosts the U.S. Open of Surfing and houses one of the many surf museums in the state. Cliff-hanging homes jut from among modest beach cottages, mirroring those of wealthier Newport Beach, a few miles ahead.
Wide boulevards lined with rows of tall office buildings greeted as we approached Newport's business district. The elegant planned community is home to the designer-packed Fashion Island shopping mall, as well as one of my favorite nurseries, Roger's Gardens. Danielle and I took a short break to amble among the nursery's themed gardens, fragrant with culinary herbs. For two foodies like us, however, nearby Bristol Farms market, a gastronomic nirvana, beckoned.
My car turned almost automatically off Pacific Coast Highway onto Avocado Avenue and the entrance to this market to the stars. Danielle and I took our time to peruse the aisles and savor samples of chocolate truffles, fresh Mexican salsa and creamy camembert.
I hadn't visited Long Beach in decades. The oil fields pumping oil day and night like mechanical grasshoppers have long been part of the Southern California landscape. What stunned us, however, were the towering skyscrapers marking the entrance to the port. At 7,600 acres, the Port of Long Beach ranks as one of the world's largest. Good signage indicated the way to the Cruise Terminal, and there she was in all her glory: the regal Queen Mary.
One of the great liners of the 20th century, this ship has been the centerpiece of Long Beach Harbor since 1967. But its history dates back to the launch in 1934 and May 1936, when it set off from Southampton, England, to New York on its maiden voyage. Ordinary travelers and celebrities of the era such as Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Bogie and Bergman, even Winston Churchill, mingled, played and dined in various classes of travel. During World War II the ship was transformed into a troop ship and painted gray, earning it the moniker, the "Gray Ghost." As one or the other, the enormous vessel was longer than the Titanic, as we found out in an exhibit that featured reproductions of these two mythic liners.
Stepping off the elevator into the entrance of this floating hotel instantly transported us back decades. From rug patterns to light fixtures, even the check-in counter, we entered an art deco time warp of subdued, faded elegance. The same attention to detail prevailed in our "cabin" with its 1930s armoire and veneered wall paneling. (Fifty types of wood were used on-board, earning it a third nickname, "Ship of Woods.") An authentic pedestal sink and a large bathtub almost filled the tiled bathroom. What attracted us immediately was the old-fashioned porthole with a framed view of the docks beyond.
It was close to dinnertime. The 1930s no doubt would have called for dressier attire than the California "uniform" of jeans and T-shirt, but no one minded at the Chelsea Chowder House and Bar, the informal alternative to the top deck's Sir Winston's Restaurant and Lounge. What Chelsea's lacked in atmosphere it made up for with a panorama of twinkling lights.
Now with time to explore the ship and its shops, we peeked into the glorious Queen's Salon, resplendent in all its authentic art deco grandeur. Here, too, light fixtures, mirrors, walls and curtains have been meticulously preserved and restored. We continued our postprandial walk around the decks. Like most of the ship's furnishings, the peeling lifeboats demonstrated the Queen Mary's endurance. The Queen calls for constant upkeep.
We had come prepared for a celebration. Upon returning to our cabin we popped open a bottle of champagne and drank a toast to the venerable Queen Mary's past and future.
WHEN YOU GO
Reservations are a must for an overnight stay and for the restaurants. Tours include the Steam and Steel tour, the Haunted Encounters and Churchill tour: www.queenmary.com/visit..
Kitty Morse is a food and travel writer based in Southern California. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
A bar on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, recalls the ship's rich art deco heyday. Photo courtesy of Kitty Morse.
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