Less than an hour drive from Orange County lies the port
city of Long Beach, CA. The city is so much more than just a port city for
freight and cruise ships. It has really grown over the last 20 years with a
newly renovated shoreline area packed with museums, restaurants, and
attractions for a whole weekend of fun. Long Beach is also the home of the Long
Beach Grand Prix every April.
Aquarium of the Pacific is conveniently located right off of
Shoreline Drive in Long Beach. The building itself takes the shapes of the
waves and sea in the architecture. Once you enter, the main hall greets you
with entrances to the various exhibit areas and a 3-story window view into the
Blue Cavern. In the morning, divers clean the glass and rocks inside the
exhibits as the groupers and other fish curiously swim around them.
- Travel tip for the kids: The Aquarium guide book has a scavenger hunt in it. In each gallery and exhibit, the kids can collect stamps. It’s a great educational souvenir.
Jellies are fascinating and they have their own experience
at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Moon Jellies are a favorite. You can even touch
these in a special touch pool inside the exhibit. Other jellies you might see
are Umbrella Jelly, Japanese Sea Nettle, Unside-down Jelly, Comb Jelly,
Purple-striped Jelly, Lagoon Jelly, Pacific Sea Nettle, Indonesian Sea Nettle, and
Flower Hat Jelly.
Southern California / Baja Gallery has 18 exhibits featuring
animals ranging from Oregon to Mexico. Sea lions and seals can be seen both
below and above water, swimming and playing. One of the younger sea lions can
actually see through the underwater plexiglass and will come up to the glass to
check you out. The Ray Touch Pool is available for adults and children alike.
Using the two-finger touch method, you can touch rays and small sharks in these
shallow pools. They feel like slimy velvet. Shorebird Sanctuary has a few
wetland birds like Black-necked Stilts, Black-bellied Plovers, Western Snowy
Plovers, Killdeer, and Ruddy Ducks.
June Keyes Penguin Habitat is outside near the Shorebird
Sanctuary. The penguins love to play and a few of them will swim right up to
you along the glass and pose for some awesome photos.
Northern Pacific Gallery explores the habitats found in
Alaska, Siberia, the Bering Strait, and the Aleutian Islands. You can view more
jellies along with puffins, and a touch pool with starfish, sea anemones, and
sea urchins. If you time it just right, you can watch the trainers work with
the sea otters. Some of it is playing but a lot of it has meaning behind it,
like checking eye health and general health examinations. They are so cute and
playful. After the trainers left, they were all rolling around and crunching on
ice piles inside the enclosure.
By now, it was lunch time so Café Scuba was the next stop.
They have a nice selection of salads, pizza, sandwiches, soups, and hot items.
Look for the special sustainable menu item to do your part to keep our seafood
thriving by eating sustainably.
Half Sandwich and Soup Special is your choice of sandwich
and a bowl of soup. Tuna Salad on Pumpernickel was okay. The tuna salad was
your average run-of-the-mill offering with mayo and such. The pumpernickel
bread could have been softer. The addition of provolone, lettuce, and tomato
gave it some texture and made it refreshing. The clam chowder was rich, thick,
hearty, and creamy. It contained a healthy amount of clams and bacon added a
salty, smoky flavor. It also had a nice mix of vegetables – potatoes, red bell
peppers, and onions. Rating: 3.8/5
The Brownies are more cake-like than brownie. It was moist
with a rich chocolate flavor. The chocolate chips were a nice textural and
flavor surprise. Rating: 5/5
Bellies full, it was time to press on. The Tropical Pacific
Gallery is home to over a thousand colorful fish and sea turtles. If you happen
upon the Mandarin Fish, it will take a liking to your camera lens and pose for
you. There is also an observation tube that passes through the Aquarium’s large
350,000 gallon tank. You can see sharks, sea turtles, and the underbelly of
large rays as they swim over you. Iridescent anemones that look like night
lights set the exhibit aglow along with more jellies whirling around in circles.
If you have time before your hotel check-in, take a short
walk over to Shoreline Village. Along the way, you can take beautiful photos of the majestic Queen Mary
without obstructions. You’ll pass a marina along the way as you view the
picturesque Shoreline Village with brightly colored buildings and Parker’s
Lighthouse on the point.
The Funnel House is a great place to stop for a snack. Fundae is a funnel cake topped
with your choice of ice cream and toppings. We went with vanilla ice cream with
strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream. It’s a healthy (large) serving so it
is great for sharing. The funnel cake was fried to perfection with a crispy
outside and fluffy inside. The vanilla ice cream was perfect as a cold treat on
a warm day. The strawberries and bananas just made it like a “sundae”. For a
true sundae, the only thing missing was a cherry on top. Rating: 4.5/5
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is irresistible to the sweet tooth. Of
course, they have chocolate, but they also offer candy apples, fudge, brittles,
and more. Dark Chocolate Rocky Road was calling my mom’s name. The dark
chocolate enrobed marshmallows and almonds for a decadent treat. We would have
saved it for later but it would have melted on the walk back to the car.
It was check-in time and a hop, skip, and jump later, we were
driving into the parking lot of the majestic Queen Mary. Even though modern cruise
ships are much larger, the Queen Mary still has a larger than life personality
when you are up close. The best part about this cruise ship is that you will
never get sea sick. The registration desk is manned by a most courteous crew.
They will check you in and help you with any question you have whether it’s about
the Queen Mary or surround Long Beach area. Walking down the hall to your room
is just like being on a standard cruise ship with the almost infinite hallway
to the bow and to the stern. The Queen Mary crew has done a fantastic job of
keeping the ship just like it was back in the 1930’s through the 1950’s, from
authentic polished wood paneling, original artwork, Art Deco style, and operable
portholes.
The Deluxe Stateroom (with either a king bed or two twin
beds) was once the preferred choice for first-class travelers when the ship was
in operation. Starboard side rooms have a view of Rainbow Harbor. Standard
amenities include: operable portholes, 32” LCD flat screen TV with satellite
and Pay-Per-View movies, Wi-Fi, hairdryer, iron/ironing board, authentic Art
Deco mirror and original built-in storage/closets. The bathroom, with its
original fixtures, is much roomier than a standard cruise ship.
After some relaxation and cooling off in the room, it was
time to freshen up for dinner at my namesake, Chelsea Chowder House & Bar. When
the Queen Mary arrived in Long Beach in 1967, it was decided to partition the
Starboard side of the glass enclosed Promenade Deck to make way for the
restaurants since the original dining areas did not have a beautiful view of
Rainbow Harbor and the Long Beach skyline. In recent years, Chelsea has been
given an authentic British chowder house makeover with subway-tiled walls,
tables covered with butcher block paper, and decorative tin ceilings.
Singapore Sling (origins early 1900’s) is made with Bombay
Sapphire Gin, BOLS Cherry Brandy, B&B, Cointreau, pineapple juice, fresh
lime juice, and dash of Angostura bitters. This has been one of my favorite
cocktails since the early 1990s and it just tasted so much better aboard the
Queen Mary. The hurricane-shaped glass gave the feel of sailing away and the
tropical flavors of the drink itself puts you in full relaxation mode. Rating:
5/5
Fried Calamari is served with lemon aioli and spicy tomato
sauce. The calamari was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The
batter was unexpectedly peppery. It would be better with a lighter batter. Both
dipping sauces work well so experiment to your taste. Rating: 4.8/5
Miso Glazed Grouper is braised grouper with miso, bok choy,
leek, scallion, peppers, shiitake mushrooms, daikon, and carrots. This had a
great combination of Asian flavors. The grouper was meaty and succulent. But the
bell pepper flavor was a little too strong for the dish. Being a little heavier
on the miso would be an improvement as well. Since there is a lot of broth on
the bottom, rice or soba noodles would be a nice touch. Rating: 4.3/5
Blackboard Daily Special was blackened salmon, scallops, and
shrimp topped with lemon caper sauce. The salmon was tender, succulent, and
just melts in the mouth like butter. The scallops and shrimp were cooked to
perfection. The lemon caper sauce was subtle and let the seafood be the star of
the dish. The asparagus and potatoes were the perfect accompaniment. Rating:
5/5
Flourless Chocolate Cake was light with pudding-like
texture. It had a rich chocolate flavor and the ganache coating was velvety and
smooth. Rating: 5/5
After dinner, it was time to explore the ship. It’s a great
time to do some window shopping and get some great pictures without the crowds
of tourists. As night fell, the fog started to roll in, providing that eerie,
haunting feeling that many come to experience at the Queen Mary. From the sun
deck, you can see the Rainbow Bridge in the harbor lit up as well as the Long
Beach skyline. One beautiful day in Long Beach has come to an end and the start
of a new day is just a slumber away.
To view more photos, please visit OC Food Diva’s Facebook page.
For more information:
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802, United States
+1.562.590.3100
- Hours: Daily from 9am to 6pm (except December 25 and during the Grand Prix of Long Beach)
- Admission: $28.95 for adults, $14.95 for children ages 3-11, $25.95 for seniors (62+)
- Parking: Garage, bring your parking ticket with you for validation. The validation gives you a special parking rate for the whole day.
1126 Queens Highway
Long Beach, CA 90802, United States
+1.877.342.0738 (information), +1.877.342.0742
(reservations)
Chelsea Chowder House & Bar (aboard the Queen Mary)
- Hours: Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm, Monday through Friday from 5pm to 10pm
- Reservations recommended: +1.562.499.1685 or reserve online
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