Our recent encounter with the QM2 in San Francisco Bay (See February posting) was serendipitous; little did we know that we would breakfast on the original Queen Mary just a few short weeks later. We decided to take a long Memorial Day weekend and see some friends that used to live in Pacifica with us. Eric and Edgar moved to the land of make believe (the L.A. area) a couple years ago and it was time for a visit. Eric works in a resort hotel next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach so we decided to stay there during the long weekend. It was great—the hotel looked out over the harbor with a view on the QM and downtown Long Beach. First order of business on Sunday morning was champagne brunch on the Queen. Although the old girl is looking a little worn, the pride of this great ship is present everywhere. We breakfasted in the elegant first-class dinning room, still polished and majestic. 
Rich walnut paneling, columns and giant murals rendered graceful splendor to the giant room; you could envision being on the open sea as light and a hint of salt air streamed in through the portals. Waiters in crisp whites served champagne, orange juice and coffee as we perused the isles full of delicacies. I ate the best crepes I ever tasted there; we all feasted on everything from fish to pâté to Eggs Benedict to prime roast and freshly baked bread, scones and rolls.
A tour of the ship after brunch was a must. We strolled the decks and saw the bridge, the radio room and so much more. I especially appreciated the radio room; the Long Beach Amateur Radio Association staffs the room and uses it as their headquarters for ham operations. It was fascinating to see the old radios sitting above the new equipment that the club installed.
Later, it was off to Hollywood. I had complained that I had been to the LA area many times and never saw the Hollywood sign. The boys took us to the end of a dead-end street where the sign loomed large high above us. It was awesome. Then off to the Kodak Theatre, Mann’s Chinese, and all the tourist spots. We had our pictures taken with Elvis, danced on Fred Astaire’s and Ginger Roger’s star on the Walk of Fame and put our feet in John Wayne’s foot prints. We toured Beverly Hills and window shopped on Rodeo Drive. It was quite a place—surreal in its extravagan
ce. I bought a little something as a souvenir, but Traci waited until we headed home. We hit a truck stop north of Bakersfield. She laid a T-shirt and do-rag on the counter and remarked to the cashier that “you can’t find good shit like this on Rodeo Drive.”
Rich walnut paneling, columns and giant murals rendered graceful splendor to the giant room; you could envision being on the open sea as light and a hint of salt air streamed in through the portals. Waiters in crisp whites served champagne, orange juice and coffee as we perused the isles full of delicacies. I ate the best crepes I ever tasted there; we all feasted on everything from fish to pâté to Eggs Benedict to prime roast and freshly baked bread, scones and rolls.A tour of the ship after brunch was a must. We strolled the decks and saw the bridge, the radio room and so much more. I especially appreciated the radio room; the Long Beach Amateur Radio Association staffs the room and uses it as their headquarters for ham operations. It was fascinating to see the old radios sitting above the new equipment that the club installed.
Later, it was off to Hollywood. I had complained that I had been to the LA area many times and never saw the Hollywood sign. The boys took us to the end of a dead-end street where the sign loomed large high above us. It was awesome. Then off to the Kodak Theatre, Mann’s Chinese, and all the tourist spots. We had our pictures taken with Elvis, danced on Fred Astaire’s and Ginger Roger’s star on the Walk of Fame and put our feet in John Wayne’s foot prints. We toured Beverly Hills and window shopped on Rodeo Drive. It was quite a place—surreal in its extravagan
ce. I bought a little something as a souvenir, but Traci waited until we headed home. We hit a truck stop north of Bakersfield. She laid a T-shirt and do-rag on the counter and remarked to the cashier that “you can’t find good shit like this on Rodeo Drive.” 
2 comments:
Good times, ladies, good times!
Thanks, Erik. I'm so glad we came to see you guys. Be well, and tell Edgar to stop sending me dirty cell phone pictures! lol.
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