Queen Mary, Long Beach, August 2009
We Travel Back In Time and See A Russian Submarine & the Queen Mary, The Usual
Weekend Activity
 Wanting
to catch a boat to Catalina Island for the day, Lisa and I took a wrong turn
off the 710 South, and drove through a mysterious time portal.
Instantly we were whisked back to a time long long ago, a time before the internet
or cheese in a spray can.. We came across a sign that said "Catalina". We parked. To our surprise, a Soviet submarine called the Scorpion was docked in front of us. We boarded and looked around, peering in to the First Officer's quarters (left) to see if we could find out when we were leaving. But to our disappointment, the submarine never departed for Catalina. |
 Undaunted,
we saw others boarding an enormous ship called the Queen Mary.
"Perhaps we can take this to Catalina," we thought, and also boarded,
walking the immense wooden plank promenade. |
 As
the Queen Mary did not seem to be going anywhere soon, we walked the area,
finding this unused swimming pool housed deep within its art deco bowels.
It was a more elegant time.
At least, it could have been if they had filled the pool with water. Abandoned pools are creepy. And just to add to the fun, ghosts haunt this pool as well. |
 We
walked the shopping area of this immense craft, past the trinket shops,
where many years later, these shops selling Thomas Kincaide paintings and
six dollar milkshakes. But in the time we were in, you could get a
steak dinner for pocket change. |
 After
quite a long walk around the Queen Mary, we decided to walk up to the front
to ask the captain or the pilot when we would depart for Catalina.
We waited. No one was there. And it was quiet. Too quiet. |
 But
we were calm people. Sane people. Rational people. Unable
to locate the captain, what was a time traveler to do? So we walked to
the bar to try lemon mojitos, looking at the fine art deco appointments and
beautiful woodwork of this lost time. |
 Some
of the passengers, outfitted in the clothing of this time period, posed for
a photograph.
"'Ey, catch da dame wid da liddle wireless phone an' da digital watch, real uptown, where'dja score dem?" one asked Lisa. And you see, back then, everyone talked spoke out one side of their mouth and had a strong accent. "We are accidental time travelers from the future," we replied. "Oh," replied one, "'ey, ya got da results fer da horses real handy like?" |
 Just
then, the boat moved with a lurch as only an immense ship that dwarfs the
Titanic can move. Lisa and I ran back to the promenade to look
outside. To our amazement, our boat had begun its journey.
Here's a photo of the Queen Mary leaving the Long Beach harbor. |
 A
short time later, we arrived at Catalina. We looked around a bit
before making our way back to the time portal. You see, as interesting
as time travel and Catalina Island can be, Lisa's friend had invited us for
dinner over near the Belmont Shores, and it's rude to keep someone waiting.
|
Queen Mary, Long Beach, August 2009
Eleven Shadows Travel Page
Contact photographer/musician Ken Lee
