Read Your Indulgence

On the Go Not A Queen, THE Queen Mary

December 23, 2013

It’s a-comin’, comin’ around the bend: the New Year.
Time to reflect, recover, and reapply the Botox. But as we all dread the fact that we have to put one more candle on the birthday cake (or come up with a good excuse not to. Again.) bigger issues come to mind: PAR-TAAAAY!
Now, nothing against all the sparkly parties Miami is sure to throw, but may I suggest the city locals call “LB.” Long Beach, CA, should already be on your radar, after all, it has the third largest Pride in the USA, outdone only by NYC and LA (admit it, you woulda lost money on it if you had to guess). But it also has the Queen Mary. Not the Queen, Mary; the Queen Mary. As in the ship. Docked just off shore, the luxury liner is gearing up for one of the most dazzling New Year’s Eve events in the States. Go west, young man!
The engines were ripped out long ago, but no matter: Come the final day of 2013, parties are held throughout the ship recalling the fabulous ports of call the Queen Mary hit back when it was THE ship to be on. Mumbai’s henna, hookah pipes and spice-filled cuisine will give way to Samba and the brightly feathered dancers of Rio’s Carnival. As one festival ends, the sound of the Rockettes kick off another fete, transporting revelers to a Manhattan state of mind. The skyline fades as the horn signals France and the decks of the Queen Mary overflow with can-can skirts and Kir Royals. Fireworks usher in 2014 as the Queen Mary visits its birthplace, Clydebank, Scotland.  
It will all be very “in the day” — the vessel is a monument to Art Deco and the early 20thCentury, and all the staff dress in period. So much so you would be forgiven to think you fell through a time warp and landed in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Interested in going back in time even as we all lurch forward? Go to www.queenmary.com. And renting a white-tie-and-tails wouldn’t hurt. Gotta blend.  Steele Luxury Travel can assist with any Queen’s travel reservations!  Visit www.SteeleTravel.com