The International Coach Federation (ICF) held its annual conference in Long Beach, CA in 2007 from Oct. 31st through Nov. 3rd. I decided to accompany Jane and see the sights while she attended sessions. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and had some free time so we first took a short harbor cruise. We had a great view of the Queen Mary and the Long Beach harbor. The Queen Mary, at 1019 feet, is longer than the Titanic, which was 883 feet long. Dinner was with Jane's coaching compatriots Katherine and Bonnie of The Halpin Company.

The next day we toured the Queen Mary - very impressive for a ship that made its maiden voyage in 1936. I learned just before we left that the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" flying boat is no longer in Long Beach but had moved over ten years ago to a museum in Oregon. The former hanger is now used as a cruise ship terminal. Bummer!

Jane had sessions all day on Thursday so I took the light rail from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles. The next day I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

We had the good fortune of meeting up with my college friends, Steven and Shelley Goldstein, who happened to be in nearby Huntington Beach for a conference that Steve was attending. It was great to catch up on each other's lives and make plans to get together in the future.

The last couple of days were hazy (apparently not from the fires that had ravaged S. CA) so I wasn't able to get decent pictures of the fine beaches and surfers that we passed between Long Beach and Huntington Beach.

Click a picture to see a larger view.