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<\/p>\nThe Queen Mary received a special honor during last week\u2019s Anastasia K. Mann Awards Luncheon, which the Travel and Tourism Marketing Association hosted aboard Long Beach\u2019s iconic ship.<\/p>\n
The Queen Mary received the Landmark Award, while Gary C. Sherwin of Visit Newport Beach was presented with the Leadership Award. Sherwin\u2019s career has included management roles at Visit Long Beach and working with the Queen Mary.<\/p>\n
Previous winners in the Landmark category include the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Original Farmers Market and Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n
The Queen Mary\u2019s award was accepted by Steve Caloco, the ship\u2019s managing director, and Eric Romero, Long Beach\u2019s bureau manager for waterfront development. The ship was nominated by Alamitos Beach resident Tere Stamoulis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI nominated the Queen Mary for the Landmark Award because she is more than a ship,\u201d Stamoulis said. \u201cJust as she bonded with the passengers, her crew or the soldiers who sailed her, she formed a lasting bond with Long Beach from the day she arrived, one built on loyalty, commitment, history and joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerations of residents built careers aboard her,\u201d Stamoulis added, \u201cand she has supported the local economy for decades, bringing visitors to Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stamoulis worked on the Queen Mary as a tour guide shortly after the ship opened to the public. The experience launched her career in tourism and gave her friendships that have lasted more than 50 years, she said.<\/p>\n
Stamoulis also acknowledged Long Beach for its dedication to keeping this icon accessible for generations of residents and visitors to come.<\/p>\n
Kelly\u2019s Steakhouse<\/p>\n
Kellys Steakhouse had been Naples go-to restaurant for decades, ever since it opened 1958. But then it closed in 2013 and the once beloved restaurant\u2019s location, 5716 Second St., spent the next decade going through multiple iterations.<\/p>\n
But now, Kellys Steakhouse is primed for a comeback thanks to veteran restaurateur George Miouk, who also owns Nico\u2019s Restaurant, 5760 E Second St.<\/p>\n
Details about what\u2019s to come, however, are few, with Miouk saying in a text message that there\u2019s no new information to share.<\/p>\n
The steakhouse\u2019s Naples location has gone through several iterations over the past decade \u2014 and Miouk has had a front-row seat from his eatery just a few steps away. Miouck is a hands-on owner and is at Nico\u2019s often.<\/p>\n
Miouk\u2019s business philosophy was documented when he described Nico\u2019s in the Grunion Gazette in 2013 as \u201ca classic theme done right, the way it used to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOthers have to get corporate approval,\u201d Miouk said. \u201cWhen we find a good product, we can add it to the menu the next day. That\u2019s what makes us different from the others.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur filet mignon is to die for,\u201d Miouk added. \u201cThe halibut is great and we make everything here, pastas, ice creams and pastries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miouk might be quiet about the details \u2014 but fine dining fans know we are in for a treat. No opening date has been announced.<\/p>\n
Black Dahlia<\/p>\n
Every October, I revisit the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, one of Los Angeles County\u2019s oldest unsolved cases. A 1947 Press-Telegram article identified her nickname as \u201cBlack Dahlia\u201d and reported that she frequented a downtown drugstore at Linden Avenue and First Street.<\/p>\n
Short arrived in the Long Beach area by bus in late July 1946 and stayed until December that year. She lived first at the Atwater Apartments, 65 Linden Ave., now Holly House, and later at The Washington Hotel, 53 Linden Ave., according to various source.<\/p>\n
Filmmakers Kimberly Lupini and Jeff Thomas have been investigating the case and claim to have uncovered new evidence. Most recently, their team identified what they believe to be the crime scene and recovered blood evidence that is now undergoing ancient DNA testing.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re behind a petition that has more than 10,000 signatures calling on the Los Angeles Police Department to release Short\u2019s withheld case file and autopsy report \u2014 records the filmmakers say could be critical to finally resolving unanswered questions.<\/p>\n
And in a recent phone call with the filmmakers, they said there are some Long Beach connections with the new evidence.<\/p>\n
Pirates and beer
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Ballast Point\u2019s annual Victory at Sea pirate celebration will return to Long Beach next month. (Courtesy of Ballast Point)\n<\/p>\n
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Ballast Point\u2019s annual Victory at Sea pirate celebration will return to Long Beach next month. (Courtesy of Ballast Point)\n<\/p>\n
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Ballast Point\u2019s annual Victory at Sea pirate celebration will return to Long Beach next month. (Courtesy of Ballast Point)\n<\/p>\n