753 Discussions and CommentsMember since July 12, 2011
Norway
...and the most fantastic 188 miles I've ever done, a trip that should be on everybody's bucket list. Even if we did stay dry for most of the 3 weeks in the US water was the theme of the trip - what could then be a better travel companion than the AT Deep Two (hereafter called the D2)!
But let's start with the beginning (btw, all comments are above each picture):
We arrived safely in Los Angeles on June 20 Then headed south to our first destination Being 100 years ago since the Titanic disaster we wanted to try and experience the life aboard one of those famous ocean liners - so we spent a couple of days aboard the Queen Mary And the D2 even got to climb aboard a real Russian submarine! The Queen herself Our room with a view - small and old but I bet very fine in 1930! QM being built in Ireland in the early 1930s, she was only possible with a major loan from the britsh Government during the depression, with a condition that forced the White Star Line (the Titanic owners) and their major competitor the Cunard Line, to merge! Arriving in New York after setting a new speed record across the Atlantic - that was since broken but she still holds two records: Most transatlantic crossing before ending up in Long Beach in 1967, and carrying the most passangers across the Atlantic in one trip as a troop ship during WW2 with more than 16.000 people (normally she would carry a little over 2000 passengers and a crew of 800) Moi keeping time on the promenade deck The main shopping area really shows the difference from the Victorian Luxury of the Titanic, the QM is designed in beautiful Art Deco style throughout, including the cabins The ship is biiig, and gigantic for its time of course, at more than 1000 feet long, 120 feet wide and 11 stories she is almost twice the tonnage of the Titanic - so after walking around for a bit, a little relaxing on the sundeck catching a few Southern California rays was good! Then we headed for the heart of the ship - not exactly small watch gears and machines down here But plenty of dials And not exactly a small Spitfire propellor, but very impressive I must say Anita trying the WW2 bunks, some of them slept in the engine room would you believe! I felt more comfortable at the helm :-) By 1930 they had learned the lifeboat lesson of course And if you thought those funnels didn't look that big, think again Time for a drink in the Observation Deck bar, just below the bridge - what a view it must have been from here on the way across the Atlantic We had dinner aboard in Sir Winston's, probably the best steak we've had in many years Great food, great views of Long Beach and of course the best company :-) Sunset over the bow We like to live dangerously, Anita waiting impatiently on a torpedo for the submarine to open... Looks big on the outside, but I can tell you it is not big on the inside... Torpedo tubes anyone? Did we not talk about and show off luminos dials a littlw while ago? Not easy moving around This is the last crew aboard, imagine being that guy in the middle and working here! Anita scouting for enemies I like the wall decoration I could not believe how many dials, gauges, valves etc. they had crammed into this machine . there must be 27 billiion little things that could go wrong in here! At least you could see what was wrong even if they lost all power After the submarine we hit the road and after a quick pitstop at one of my favorite fast food restaurants... ...we arrive in Las Vegas, enjoying a little more space at The Venetian The first night we saw one my wife's favourites And then we focused on some of my favourites Even if I did not buy anything spending some time there still became expensive as Anite found other things to do How could I recuperate? Well, my favourite desert in the whole world, the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory did exactly that (and the D2 almost got a bite:-)) Vegas is a sight at night
Ok my friends that was part one of the journey, time for other Sunday activities - please check back later when the real adventure begins... (and more IWC pictures, promise!)
2,996 Discussions and CommentsMember since April 2, 2011Hong Kong,
Hong Kong
truly enjoyable journey you've just taken me through Skule - and I have never been a fan of boat cruises (while my wife keeps egging me to go for one), but I think the Queen Mary mandates at least one trip ! keep them travelogue posts coming Skule !
Regards, Shing | email iwcforme1976 (at) gmail (dot) com time does not change us. it just unfolds us. max frisch. all that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that. baltasar gracian.
2,085 Discussions and CommentsMember since Jan. 7, 2005
Bravo Skule!
Thanks for the travelogue, good to see you're having fun.
Funny print ad, I suppose the humor of it comes from the fact "Vinci" is also the second person singular of the simple present indicative tense of the verb: "To win". Being in Vegas... :)
976 Discussions and CommentsMember since Jan. 8, 2011
Skule,
Very nice chronical of your trip to Long Beach and Vegas(baby)!
Skule, my UCSB friend, you were in my neck of the woods. Would have liked to met you and Anita and buy you both drinks on the Queen. Looking out the window at Sir Winston's across the water is Ocean Blvd. Do you remember seeing all the tall buildings? B/4 retirement, my office was high in one of those overlooking the Queen Mary and out to Catalina Island.
Agreed, Sir Winston's has wonderful steaks (and service). Did they bring you the chocolate/truffle "tree" for desert ? Wondering if you had a chance to come off ship and see surrounding area points of interest ?
Glad you enjoyed your trip and got alittle IWC action in Vegas.
Thanks for sharing your visit to the U.S. and its nice to see that you were having fun.
Still not sure if I'll show this photos to my wife, though... ;-)
All the best!
Regards,
Jeronimo
Omar Khayyám (Persia XI-XII Century) offered that Time should not only be measured in length but also in width due to the intrinsic difference between a minute or other depending on what is happening to the beholder... I wonder how a watch would look like...
1,842 Discussions and CommentsMember since Jan. 4, 2003White House, NJ,
United States
Skule, thanks for taking us on your vacation. Having been to Long Beach many I have never taken the time to stop and visit the Queen. Be assured it is now on my bucket list. Thanks again for posting, hope you enjoyed your entire visit. Regards, Kevin
2,283 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
Great travelogue, Skule!
I lived and worked in Long Beach area for 1 year many years ago. Though I have been on the Queen Mary and eaten there several times, I do not remember ever seeing it the way you have shown. Great job! Thanks for posting all the pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed your trip!
584 Discussions and CommentsMember since Sept. 5, 2010Singapore,
Singapore
Skule, great travelogue. We can never get enough of those nice photos. Since we met in KL in February this year, you must have gone for at least 3 extensive holidays. Good on you mate!
But let's start with the beginning (btw, all comments are above each picture):
We arrived safely in Los Angeles on June 20
Then headed south to our first destination
Being 100 years ago since the Titanic disaster we wanted to try and experience the life aboard one of those famous ocean liners - so we spent a couple of days aboard the Queen Mary
And the D2 even got to climb aboard a real Russian submarine!
The Queen herself
Our room with a view - small and old but I bet very fine in 1930!
QM being built in Ireland in the early 1930s, she was only possible with a major loan from the britsh Government during the depression, with a condition that forced the White Star Line (the Titanic owners) and their major competitor the Cunard Line, to merge!
Arriving in New York after setting a new speed record across the Atlantic - that was since broken but she still holds two records: Most transatlantic crossing before ending up in Long Beach in 1967, and carrying the most passangers across the Atlantic in one trip as a troop ship during WW2 with more than 16.000 people (normally she would carry a little over 2000 passengers and a crew of 800)
Moi keeping time on the promenade deck
The main shopping area really shows the difference from the Victorian Luxury of the Titanic, the QM is designed in beautiful Art Deco style throughout, including the cabins
The ship is biiig, and gigantic for its time of course, at more than 1000 feet long, 120 feet wide and 11 stories she is almost twice the tonnage of the Titanic - so after walking around for a bit, a little relaxing on the sundeck catching a few Southern California rays was good!
Then we headed for the heart of the ship - not exactly small watch gears and machines down here
But plenty of dials
And not exactly a small Spitfire propellor, but very impressive I must say
Anita trying the WW2 bunks, some of them slept in the engine room would you believe!
I felt more comfortable at the helm :-)
By 1930 they had learned the lifeboat lesson of course
And if you thought those funnels didn't look that big, think again
Time for a drink in the Observation Deck bar, just below the bridge - what a view it must have been from here on the way across the Atlantic
We had dinner aboard in Sir Winston's, probably the best steak we've had in many years
Great food, great views of Long Beach and of course the best company :-)
Sunset over the bow
We like to live dangerously, Anita waiting impatiently on a torpedo for the submarine to open...
Looks big on the outside, but I can tell you it is not big on the inside...
Torpedo tubes anyone?
Did we not talk about and show off luminos dials a littlw while ago?
Not easy moving around
This is the last crew aboard, imagine being that guy in the middle and working here!
Anita scouting for enemies
I like the wall decoration
I could not believe how many dials, gauges, valves etc. they had crammed into this machine . there must be 27 billiion little things that could go wrong in here!
At least you could see what was wrong even if they lost all power
After the submarine we hit the road and after a quick pitstop at one of my favorite fast food restaurants...
...we arrive in Las Vegas, enjoying a little more space at The Venetian
The first night we saw one my wife's favourites
And then we focused on some of my favourites
Even if I did not buy anything spending some time there still became expensive as Anite found other things to do
How could I recuperate? Well, my favourite desert in the whole world, the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory did exactly that (and the D2 almost got a bite:-))
Vegas is a sight at night
Ok my friends that was part one of the journey, time for other Sunday activities - please check back later when the real adventure begins... (and more IWC pictures, promise!)
Skule
Last edited: 5 August, 2012 - 10:32
Regards, Shing | email iwcforme1976 (at) gmail (dot) com
time does not change us. it just unfolds us. max frisch.
all that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that. baltasar gracian.
Last edited: 8 December, 2012 - 16:07
Thanks for the travelogue, good to see you're having fun.
Funny print ad, I suppose the humor of it comes from the fact "Vinci" is also the second person singular of the simple present indicative tense of the verb: "To win". Being in Vegas... :)
Regards,
Roberto
Last edited: 19 June, 2013 - 20:53
Best regards
Argiris
Very nice chronical of your trip to Long Beach and Vegas(baby)!
Skule, my UCSB friend, you were in my neck of the woods. Would have liked to met you and Anita and buy you both drinks on the Queen. Looking out the window at Sir Winston's across the water is Ocean Blvd. Do you remember seeing all the tall buildings? B/4 retirement, my office was high in one of those overlooking the Queen Mary and out to Catalina Island.
Agreed, Sir Winston's has wonderful steaks (and service). Did they bring you the chocolate/truffle "tree" for desert ? Wondering if you had a chance to come off ship and see surrounding area points of interest ?
Glad you enjoyed your trip and got alittle IWC action in Vegas.
Regards,
Andy
Last edited: 1 October, 2012 - 09:55
Thanks for sharing your visit to the U.S. and its nice to see that you were having fun.
Still not sure if I'll show this photos to my wife, though... ;-)
All the best!
Regards,
Jeronimo
Omar Khayyám (Persia XI-XII Century) offered that Time should not only be measured in length but also in width due to the intrinsic difference between a minute or other depending on what is happening to the beholder... I wonder how a watch would look like...
Last edited: 27 October, 2012 - 08:54
Thanks again for posting, hope you enjoyed your entire visit.
Regards,
Kevin
I lived and worked in Long Beach area for 1 year many years ago. Though I have been on the Queen Mary and eaten there several times, I do not remember ever seeing it the way you have shown. Great job! Thanks for posting all the pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed your trip!
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
Which National park are you headed to next? Grand Canyon?
Wherever it is, have a great time.
Last edited: 18 June, 2013 - 19:31
KS Low
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