The Queen Mary Long Beach
This former pride of the Cunard Fleet is now a top California Hotel
As far as luxury accommodation goes there are few hotels can match the Queen Mary when it comes to evoking memories of first class travel in a vanished age.
To the older generation who grew up in Clydebank, Scotland in the 1930’s she’ll always be job number 534. A towering reminder of the spectre of unemployment in the dark days of the depression. But it was also a symbol of hope, of better times to come and when work restarted in 1934, there was hardly a household in the area without someone working on her. On September 26th the entire community assembled to witness the launch of the largest ocean liner the world had ever seen and to hear Her Majesty Queen Mary name number 534 the Queen Mary.
On May 27th 1936 she sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage and into the history books. During the heyday of ocean travel Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and David Niven were just a few of the Hollywood stars that travelled on her. It was the only way to cross the Atlantic in the days before commercial air travel and as well as the rich and famous thousands of ordinary people travelled third class, in less luxurious surroundings, to begin a new life in America.
Eventually a developing air transport industry made inroads into her trade. But when she sailed from Southampton for the last time in 1967 it was not to the breakers yard. Like many she had carried to the New World she was bound for California where she has become the internationally recognized icon for the City of Long Beach. Listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, she is now a floating luxury hotel, with shops, restaurants and attractions.
Arriving guests now register where the first class transatlantic passengers of yesteryear checked in. Then they are led through long wood panelled corridors to a former first class stateroom. Every surface is covered in wood, over a hundred different types, red and brown and gold, deep-grained and polished. The rooms still bear the hallmarks of 1930’s luxury and Clyde-built craftsmanship. The Bakelite handles on the art deco furniture may seem oddly discordant but this fore-runner of plastic was the last thing in high fashion when the Queen was built. In the bathroom the massive tub is equipped with an elaborate array of taps offering various combinations of fresh, salt, hot or cold water. Unfortunately they don’t work anymore and have been replaced by modern plumbing.
The restaurants on board serve some of the finest food in Southern California. From a perfect scrambled egg in the Promenade café to the splendid broiled swordfish fillet served with caviar, basil olive oil and angel sweet potatoes in Sir Winston’s, the classiest restaurant on the boat. But the highlight is undoubtedly Sunday Brunch in the former first class dining room. Immensely popular, it attracts diners from the vast greater Los Angeles area and booking is essential. There are so many choices of food that it would take several visits to sample everything. Eleven huge tables crammed with every imaginable goodie from traditional American eggs, bacon and pancakes to Japanese sushi, roast beef, French patisserie, Mexican huevos rancheros, just about every variety of pasta ever seen, Scandinavian seafood and several tables stacked with deserts and wicked, chocolate smothered, little things filled with cream. If that is not enough waiters are constantly on hand pouring out limitless quantities of Bucks Fizz and coffee.
