The Russian Submarine Scorpion

One of the odder tourists attractions in Southern California is parked next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. It's a Russian attack submarine that one can tour. The sub served in the Russian military from 1972 until 1994.

We were staying next door aboard The Queen Mary and had some time to kill. We had a family discussion if the submarine was really worth the time and the money to visit. The admission is $11.00 per person and time s four that was another $44.00 for a quick walk around a docked submarine.

Finally we decided to do it. The sub is small, cramped and narrow. However, it is very interesting. You can see the 22 torpedoes, where the 78 sailors would sleep, eat and yes even poop. The kids loved the periscope.

I felt claustrophobic just being the ship for less than a half hour. I couldn't imagine how it must have felt with 77 other men and being underwater for five days. I quickly came to the conclusion that I would not make a good Russian underwater seaman!

The tour is self guided and can take as long as wish it. There was one retired American submarine serviceman on board to tell about his experiences on a U.S. submarine. We took about 30 minutes to look at everything on the Scorpion. We could have taken less (or more) time.

I am happy we decided to take this tour. It was a once in a lifetime experience and a unique chance to see the inside of a Russian submarine. The kids enjoyed it, more than they thought they would and I think they even learned a little about the Cold War. It was worth the ticket price.

WARNING: This tour may not be good for elderly or persons who have movement problems. You do have to climb down a rather steep ladder and climb through some tight spaces and small portholes to get around the ship.

4th of July aboard the Queen Mary

I actually remember when the Queen Mary made her permanent home in Long Beach. It seemed like a great idea to revitalize the city. This grand dame of the Atlantic would be a major tourist attraction and luxury hotel.

Hyatt Hotels would run the hotel onboard the ship. A small English village was build next door and a Jacques Cousteau sea museum would be built on the ship. Howard Hugh's Spruce Goose would be given a dome and moved next door. Long Beach would be put on the map as a major tourist destination.

It worked for while, but soon fashion, times and age took over and the grand lady feel out out of favor. The Spruce Goose moved to Oregon, Hyatt pulled out of the deal, the Jacques Cousteau museum closed and the little English village shut down and is now abandoned and in ruin. Saly the hotel closed and even the ship tours were shut down.

The hotel has reopened and even the tours have started again. So with this iffy future, I wanted the kids to have the chance to see and even stay on this ship with so much history. We made reservations for the 4th of July weekend.

I am happy to report that for the 4th of July weekend the ship was sold out, that was a good sign that the old lady still has some appeal. We checked in and had two first class cabins, one a king and one a double. When you opened the door you had the feel of walking into history.

The cabins had two of the small portholes (not the huge windows most cruise ships have today). My favorite part of the suite was the bathroom. The bath had four handles, two for hot and cold fresh water and two for seawater.

There is no question, the cabins and most of the ship show some wear and tear. The rare woods have been scratched and damaged and the bathroom had rust. But I did not expect a 2010 style hotel room and was even delighted by the feel of history in our cabin and around the ship.

My greatest disappointment was to see how many rooms had been removed to make room for things like ice cream parlors and fast food counters. The Captain's quarters is gone as are all the 2nd and 3rd class cabins.

The rooms that remain are worth a look. The Observation Bar has silver beer barrels as a motif and wonderful, fun mural over the bar. Even the art deco clock gives you feel of the times. Note that the children's nursery is right outside the bar. Parents would drop their kids and hit the bar for a cocktail.

My favorite is the grand first class dining room. It was the grandest dining room at sea in the 1930s. The three story wall decor is a map of the North Atlantic with two routs outlined, one for winter and one for summer crossings. A small ship moves across the wall to tell passengers where they are at that moment.

Today Sunday brunch is served in this dining room. I highly recommend the brunch. Okay, the brunch itself scores a high fair, but to eat in this room is worth the experience. The brunch is huge with meats, oysters and seafood, Asian fare, breakfast goodies, fresh salmon and bagels, pastas and huge selection of desserts. There are a few misses in the selections, but there are just as many hits and over all this is a brunch worth the price with unlimited champagne. But even if this was a horrible brunch I would have paid the price to sit in this grand room.

One of the newer restaurants on the ship is Sir Winston's. The new restaurant is in the area that once the crew quarters. We hesitated to have dinner as the menu was prefixed and was $125.00 a person. The good news it was on one of the top decks and for $125.00 you could keep your table all night long. This was the 4th of July night and it seemed like a great place to watch the Long Beach fireworks. We made the right choice.

First of all dinner was outstanding. I had crab cakes, a nice white gazpacho, BBQ shrimp New Orleans style and a chocolate cake for dessert. Every bite was top quality and tasty. The service was perfect, not rushed by very attentive. Our timing was perfect, right after dessert we were escorted to the balcony and the best view of the Long Beach fireworks show. We had a front row seat and well worth the price. After the fireworks we were escorted back to our table for a final cup of java.

This is something I highly recommend for the 4th of July. Even if you don't eat at Sir Winston's and have this deluxe service, the whold ship faces the city of Long Beach and is a perfect spot to watch the fireworks from any deck.

I am not sure what the future of the Queen Mary, but she sure has had a grand past. I hope the Queen remains a hotel in Long Beach and you can experience what a sail across the Atlantic must felt like in the 1930s. The ship and especially a stay aboard the ship will make history come alive.

One of my best Southern California tips is to spend the night of the 4th of July on the Queen Mary. There is no better place in the state to have a front row seat for one of the state's best firework shows.

JIM'S LONG BEACH TRAVEL TIP --- Spend the cash and get a room on the Queen Mary for the next 4th of July. There are few spots better for viewing the fireworks than from the decks of the Queen Mary. You can have a front row seat and live a part of history.