Tara Regan

After coming to Long Beach what feels like 1,000 times, I finally decided today was the day I’d check out @thequeenmary, a place I’ve somehow never visited.

The moment I stepped onto the Queen Mary, it felt like stepping back in time, into a completely different era, with a different way of life, different values, and a very different world.

The Queen Mary first entered service in 1936 and spent years carrying passengers across the Atlantic. During World War II, she was transformed into a troopship and transported thousands of servicemen, earning the nickname “Grey Ghost.” After the war, she returned to passenger service before making her final voyage in 1967 and eventually becoming permanently docked here in Long Beach.

But what I found most fascinating wasn’t just the history, it was the stories.

One of my favorite parts was hearing the voices and stories of people who actually experienced the Queen Mary. Some even returned decades later, after 60 years, to walk those same halls and relive a place that had been such an important part of their lives.

You can feel that history when you’re on the ship. It’s almost as if the memories are still there, the people, the energy, the excitement, the lives that passed through these rooms.

It’s strange to think that this world feels like it was so long ago… yet it really wasn’t.

Today was a nice little escape from the real world, stepping onto a ship and stepping back into another time. A different era. A different way of life. A reminder of just how much the world can change in a relatively short amount of time.

And after 1,000 trips to Long Beach… I’m glad I finally made this one. 🩵

P.S. The indoor lighting and glare made it tough to capture the history in photos, so I didn’t take many. I wanted to also just enjoy the moment, too.

#QueenMary #TheQueenMary #LongBeach #LongBeachCalifornia #LongBeachCA