Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Long Beach Royalty

Yesterday afternoon, while Meghan was at work, Mark and I visited the Queen Mary, now a luxury hotel permanently docked in Long Beach.  It's a beautiful ship with art-deco decor and elegant woodwork throughout.  One of the attractions on the ship is a Ghosts and Legends show (very Disney-esque in a Haunted Mansion kind of way) that revisits past tragedies that occurred on the ship. Special effects mimicked psychic phenomena and scared some of the spectators, though Mark and I were more amused than frightened by the dramatics.  The view of Long Beach from the deck of the Queen Mary is spectacular and Mark and I were both snapping photos from many vantage points.

Later Mark and I stopped by to see Meghan at the restaurant, and then we walked down the boardwalk and stopped for a slice of pizza.  We sat outside under an umbrella. and talked for a long time.  I so enjoyed the conversation, taking in the view of the marina and the city from our table.

We decided to eat in again last night, saving dinner out for tonight, my last night here (frown).   We grilled chicken and salmon fillets to top our big salads of romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and sliced red onion.  Along side our salad we had home-made croutons of grilled slices of sourdough bread that had been brushed with olive oil on both sides and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. 

It's been such a great visit so far.  This afternoon we're taking the dogs to the beach.  For dinner tonight, we'll sit outside on the deck of Parker's Lighthouse, overlooking the lights of the Queen Mary across the harbor.  There's something about dinner outside, twinkling white lights, and a beautiful view that makes for a memorable evening.  Add great seafood and time with Meghan and Mark, and this will be a dinner that I'll remember for a long time.

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