The Queen
The other week, a group of us went to the 10th Annual Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary, because, you know… Halloween. The RMS Queen Mary has quite a history, so a quick backstory for those out of the loop: maiden voyage May 1936, converted to a troop ship during World War II, flipped back to a transatlantic cruise ship and eventually retired to Long Beach, California in 1967, where she’s been ever since, supposedly haunted AF.
Since becoming a permanent fixture at the port, she has become a bit of an icon for Long Beach. I remember taking the tour of the ship with my family when I was kid [and like many people, being completely traumatized by the “propeller room”… and yes it still creeps me out].
Back to Dark Harbor… last year they added “secret bars” as part of the haunted mazes. In order to get into the bar, you need a token, which gives a clue of where to find the bar in the maze. This year, we happened to get a token for the “Lullaby” maze, which of course plays on the story of the ghost that haunts the pool area of the ship. I wont tell you what the clue was, but we did find the “Six Fathoms Below” secret bar.
Honestly, the best part of this secret bar was that it took us down into the gutted bowels of the ship. A massive open space of rust covered walls that once held the machinery that ran the ship.
There were so many gorgeous textures below deck. A place where time has been allowed to run unchecked.
I can’t explain why, but I’ve always loved rich textures of rust and time. I find it to be quite beautiful while simultaneously leaving me feeling a bit melancholic.
Anywho, thanks for entertaining my random tangent, let me know what you think in the comments below… in the mean time, here is a bit of Catherine Wheel that sorta hits to tone on the head.