Having A Royal Romance With the Queen Mary

The Queen Mary is easily one of the most interesting hotels you can possibly stay in or visit. It’s a ship built in 1934 but is permanently docked now in Long Beach, California as a hotel and a museum. It’s history at it’s most opulent and enjoyable.

While it’s best to stay there, you can also come and visit as a day trip and pretend you’re aboard R.M.S. Titanic with Jack. (That is, minus the iceberg.) Yes, it’s a generation younger than the ill-fated liner, but it does date from a time when travel by sea could be the height of luxury for those lucky enough to afford First Class passage.

The history of the ship is quite rich. “Job 534,” as she was originally known, faced numerous delays because of the Great Depression and became christened as Queen Mary only after much back-and-forth between the Cunard Line building the ship and members of the Royal family.

While most Angelenos have seen the ship hundreds of times, very few have actually been inside. It’s one of those places locals tend to take for granted. Special note that Long Beach Gay Pride is one of the most fun prides in the country and the Queen Mary Hotel staff enjoys hosting gay events there every year.

There’s also a great deal of effort put toward maintaining the hotel. And once you’ve been inside, you’ll see why: no one travels like this anymore. While that’s a shame

Enjoy new highlights of travel photographer Edwin Santiago’s journeys each week.