Late October can be downright drafty, and even chilly, and sometimes icy, even, at least in terms of the emotions we're feeling upon seeing a scary costume or entrance to a haunted house.
But chilliness makes an abrupt turn after the chills 'n thrills of Halloween end and CHILL in Long Beach opens. The Queen Mary's annual yuletide treat, which is centered around a vast ice rink, a number of detailed ice sculptures, and a cameo from Santa, has been announced.
Beyond announced, though; tickets are on sale for the wonderland extravaganza, which opens a week ahead of Thanksgiving, on Friday, Nov. 20. So if you have tickets to a spooky October party, you can hang your holiday tickets alongside on the front of the fridge.
After all, isn't this the moment of the year when some of the biggest holidays meld? (It is; just look for proof on the seasonal shelves of your local store, where skeletons and elves jostle for space.)
CHILL takes an icy theme, which suits its position alongside the famous ocean-liner and, beyond that, the Pacific Ocean. The 6,000-square-foot skating rink is the first thing that guests see, thanks to its prominent position near the ship, with its iconic orange smokestacks in the background.
Go further, though, into the Queen Mary's Dome, and you'll enter a land of hand-carved sculptures, as glistening and cold as an icy artwork should be. "Over two million pounds" of ice go into the marvels, pieces that include characters from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Ice Ebeneezer Scrooge, carved out of a block of the cold stuff? How fitting.
The popular ice replica of the Queen Mary will be back, complete with its equally popular ice slides, but there is something new on the bow of this replica ship: An ice bar for the grown-ups, complete with festive cocktails.
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Glacier Glide Ice Tubing, carolers, Mr. Kris Kringle, and other merry details fill out the frosty milieu. And are there loaner parkas available, should matters get a bit too brisk in the Dome? You bet. There is a notable drop in temperature when you enter.
So just remember that, as you're finishing out your Halloween festivities, and you find something particularly "chilling." There's more CHILL to come, in just a matter of weeks, and this version wears a Santa hat, a parka, and a pair of rink-ready skates.
