Two beloved Queen Mary features — the Observation Bar and the Chelsea Chowder House & Bar — have officially opened for business, marking the latest phase in the iconic vessel’s broader reintroduction to the public after its three-year closure.
The Observation Bar, aptly named for its panoramic views of Long Beach’s coastline, opened on Friday, May 19. The chowder restaurant opened last week.
The Observation Bar epitomizes the Art Deco décor of the 1930s, boasting original artwork, period-specific furniture and distinct torchiere lamps. During the Queen Mary’s heyday, it served as a first-class lounge for some of the ship’s more famed guests, including former United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill and former President Dwight Eisenhower.
For the ship’s operators, Evolution Hospitality, preserving that history was key.
“It really just took trying to get it to be as period true as possible to try to restore it to its original beauty,” said the ship’s general manager, Steve Caloca, said in a Friday interview. “(We took) down really anything that was more present day, contemporary, like the TVs — and just (made) it all about the view and the experience so everyone is able to listen to the music enjoy each other’s company with the best view of the city.”
The adjoining Observation Deck, Caloca said, has also been restored to its original teak flooring — as was the historic gun deck that sits below it.
“It’s really cool because there’s two staircases leading from the (Observation Deck) down there,” Caloca said. “So if somebody wanted to take a drink and just go down the stairs and just kick back out there, they can.”
The Queen Mary’s Chelsea Chowder House & Bar, which reopened to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner service on Friday, May 12, underwent similar restoration efforts over the past several months.
Various portions of the ship have gradually begun to welcome back visitors since the start of…
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