I had promised to take her out to dinner after she graduated, a celebration. Being a good father I felt it was a good idea to treat her to something special. Somehow my mind focused in on a restaurant I knew of but had never visited. It was Posh. The name of the place is Sir Winston's (after Churchill), and it is located on an upper deck toward the rear of the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary is, of course, a rather old cruise ship permanently docked in Long Beach and converted into a hotel and tourist spot. It's kind of fun to visit on a beautiful sunny day. Parking was relatively easy after taking a wrong turn and ending up midst stacks of big containers loaded with auto parts and illicit drugs in another area of the port, making several U-turns, and finally making it back across the big bridge (you can see in the distance of the photo). We skirted the strategically placed guards designed to prevent tourists from wandering into the hotel (no reason to avoid the guards other than it was a challenge, as we had reservations and were Allowed In). Taking a rickety old elevator to the top, we strolled a short distance to the restaurant entrance and happily announced ourselves. The front desk people were obsequious and discrete, asking us to wait just a moment. We sat in plush red velvet covered chairs and enjoyed the wood paneled waiting room with authentic 1930s decor, and were led to our table several moments later. We had a window, though it wasn't large, but were also in a little cubby hidden away from most of the rest of the diners. It was pleasant. We drank wine. I don't like wine that much but it makes me feel elegant and I like to feel elegant so I drink it when in Posh restaurants. I could tell this was Posh because the tables had white linen table cloths, and there were several waiters, one for each course. There was even one waiter just for the bill at the end. The whole experience was lovely, which is the least it could be considering the size of the bill at the end. The sunset over Long Beach was pretty to see. My favorite thing about eating at Posh restaurants is when the waiter comes by with a special little scraper and cleans the crumbs away. While it may remind one that one has made a mess and sprayed food remnants all over the linen table cloth, it also emphasizes that you are paying someone else to clean it up for you. It's almost as good as wearing a diamond tiara and pretending to be a princess. The photo above was taken on the way in, before dinner. The sun was setting to the left, the city of Long Beach would be on the other side of the ship on the right. The two ships docked directly ahead are ferries to Catalina Island. Right next to the prow of the Queen Mary you can see a Russian submarine, which is open to the public for tours. It's claustrophobic. I let photoshop loose on this image, clicked on the Mimic HDR button and slid some sliders. Just for fun.