Here’s the discussion to the picture puzzle posted nearly a week ago.
Gumbo, like you, was enjoying the nice soft light of dusk over Long Beach’s Harbor in Southern California. He was studying the massive Queen Mary in the distance thinking that he’s not a fan of big ships, but that this one was so historic he’d have to visit it. The ship is so large it dominates Long Beach’s harbor.
(The Queen Mary pops up where ever you turn around on Long Beach’s waterfront)
Gumbo found out the following about the grand old ship. The Queen Mary was named in honor of King George V’s wife. Built in Scotland during the Great Depression, Cunard cruise line spared no expense and created what at its time was the world’s greatest luxury ship. Her maiden voyage was in 1936 and she hosted celebrities and royalty alike. During WWII, she was conscripted into military service but resumed her passenger duties in 1947.
The Queen Mary was retired in 1967 making the long journey to Long Beach, arriving on December 9, 1967. While she no longer sails the grand old ship stands at dock and still hosts many people. She’s now a hotel, dining venue (3 restaurants), popular place for weddings and, of course, is a tourist attraction that you can tour. I’ve done that tour a few times and it’s interesting, if not overwhelming.
A clue to precise destination is the large dome behind the ship. This dome for many years housed billionaire Howard Hughes “Spruce Goose” before that plane moved north to Oregon. This dome is now known as the Queen Mary Dome. It’s a popular place for large social events as it can hold over 2000 people.
(Queen Mary and behind it the Queen Mary Dome)
The Long Beach harbor is a busy one, with a large marina, harbor cruises, a port for cruise ships, and away from the tourist parts of town a busy port, the second most active in the USA (LA’s the busiest, both unloading boatloads of goods from China). The wonderful Aquarium of the Pacific is just behind us in the perspective of most of these photographs, making Long Beach a great place to spend a few days especially if you’re traveling with your family.
(Parker’s Lighthouse, Long Beach, California)
Original puzzle discussion Here: Where in the World is Gumbo ? #4.0 12/4/13
Hey, everybody: Check in tomorrow for a new Where in the World! It will be on display at 5 am EST. Hope that doesn’t put the West Coast at a disadvantage…but I don’t think anyone is going to get it right away!
Don’t get left out again!
You can follow Gumbo on your mobile device…it comes up formatted for tiny-screen use, but if you have enough screen (most smartphones do) click on settings and choose “standard view,” or use the menu to select “Desktop view.”
Wish I hadn’t been away last week. I actually knew this one!
I didn’t even know that, PHeymont! About the cell phone view, I mean.