1998: New Year’s Eve At The Queen Mary
Linda 1998 New Year’s Eve.
It seems every group in society has their “Mecca” — a place they just have to visit at least once in a lifetime.
For families it might be a Disney park, for gamblers its Las Vegas, for golfers it’s the Masters Tournament. As a crossdresser my personal Mecca is the Queen Mary Show Lounge in the Studio City area of Los Angeles. To have a chance to be at the Queen Mary for New Year’s Eve was for me like a football fan with tickets on the 50-yard line for the Super Bowl.
This year was the first time I could actually be there for the big evening and I was willing to jump through all kinds of hoops to be there; hoops like expensive airline tickets and difficulty finding a rental car and motel accommodation.
I spent the days before the big evening in San Diego, playing golf, seeing a football bowl game and going to see the Dream Girls Revue at the Brass Rail (but that’s another story). Driving up to Los Angeles I got to the city about 1 p.m. which was too early to go to the motel so I stopped at the Glendale Galleria to wander through Nordstrom’s and Macy’s looking for that special “special occasion dress.” There were some beautiful dresses but nothing that eclipsed what I already had for that evening. Besides I wasn’t en femme at the time so despite the temptation I didn’t feel I could do any trying on.
Jim Bridges works on Bryce’s hair.
When I finally tore myself away from the mall and got to the motel I decided on a three-stage preparation plan for the big evening. 1) Go for a run to hopefully shed some excess body fluid to appear more trim. 2) Shower, shave and take a nap and 3) give plenty of time to do my makeup before dressing. All went according to plan. In fact I felt so “pumped” about the evening that I was able to run non-stop up Dixie Canyon from Ventura Blvd to Mulholland Drive. That may not mean anything to you but it was definitely an achievement for me. The sleep and everything else went well however I was well into my makeup when I realized my plans hadn’t included eating and now I was starting to get slight hunger pangs. No problem; I finished my first foundation, put on a little lip color, put on some girl jeans, a blouse and of course a wig and headed next door to a coffee shop for a bite to eat.
The waitress and I briefly talked about our plans for the evening and I honestly think it wasn’t until I mentioned that I was going the nearby Queen Mary that it dawned on her that I might be transgendered. Back at the motel a minor glitch occurred when I discovered that I didn’t have a suitable pair of earrings to match my dress. Again no problem: I was going to Jim Bridges’ boutique as he had promised to do a final touch up on my hair if I dropped in on my way to the Queen Mary. Jim was sure to have a nice pair of earrings for me. So by 9 p.m. I was at Jim Bridges’, a hive of activity, as Jim and an assistant worked to put the final touches on three marvelous transformations.
Chris, Bryce, Nikki, and Laurie at The Queen.
Jim is a master of the makeover and it is amazing how he can turn even the most hulking bubbas into gorgeous princesses or at least into dowager queens who feel like princesses. Beards, blemishes and scars disappear under Jim’s touch to be replaced by pure skin, luscious lips and gorgeous eyes. There I met Bryce, Laurie, Melissa and others who were being made up, having photos taken and getting ready to go to the Queen. Jim had the earrings I needed. He also filled me in on the latest news on Sandi Hart, a mutual friend who is going through a rough spell in hospital. Years ago Sandi introduced me to the former Sherman Oaks Inn, a transgender friendly motel where we both would stay when visiting the Queen Mary and where we shared some great conversations while sitting by the pool. More than anyone Sandi encouraged me to have confidence in being Linda and to do things with at least a bit of a sense of humor. Jim told me Sandi was still in hospital but out of intensive care, which was a glimmer of good news. Bless you, Sandi.
Bartender Lori with a patron.
At the Queen Mary I entered as usual by the door to the back bar. Long time bartender John greeted me and gave me free entry where I joined about thirty early arrivals, a crowd which soon swelled to over one hundred. Lori, a bubbly friendly gg and Richard were working the bar and that meant unfortunately Deena would not be making an appearance. For some reason she and Richard never appear in public together.
A show in the front lounge was playing to a packed house and people who saw it said the girls were really “on” that night. Personally I was too busy talking to old friends and new to see much of the show. Jennifer, a girl I’ve had some contact with over the Internet was there as was Leya Quest, ‘T’ and many other Queen Mary regulars I’ve met over the years.
It was definitely a night for sequins, beads and plunging necklines. Bartender Lori was in a gold lame dress. Nikki chose gold sequins and Laurie wore a long beaded gown also in gold that she had picked up at a great price in San Francisco. She said the dress was probably too heavy for a lot of girls to wear. A number of old men friends were at the bar, too. One was Paul, a big friendly guy who loves to pull his partner in close for slow dances and he is a good enough dancer to make following him easy. I talked to Paul a long time but he never seemed to remember that we had been together on two previous occasions over the last three years. He was totally surprised when late in the evening I seemed perceptive enough to predict that he, a black man, would have a white wife and she would also be blonde like me.
“Oh I just knew that would be your type,” I said of the information he had shared with me on previous occasions. At one point in the evening I went to get my camera from my car. On returning I passed one of the QM security men talking to LAPD officers. “Are they here to enforce the new no smoking law?” I joked.
Bryce and Laya Quest.
“Have you got a moment?” said one of the officers. When I nervously said yes he explained that they were preparing a video for their sergeant’s retirement party and they were collecting some joke shots from around town. Always willing to foster good relations with the law enforcement community, I obliged with a brief sound bite. So hopefully somewhere sometime a sergeant and his colleagues will get a laugh when a big blonde in a blue and gold sequined dress croons huskily, “Cliff, I haven’t seen you around much recently. We all miss you but now that you’re retiring we hope you’ll have more time for the girls at the Queen Mary.”
How was the Queen Mary at the stroke of midnight? Somewhat subdued actually. We girls did a bit of hugging and well wishing but the men who hang around against the walls stayed there — not a very animated bunch.
Nevertheless the dance music stayed good and we had plenty of chance to show our moves, especially when I hooked up with three cruising lesbians who were much into “dirty dancing.” They took turns shimmying up against me. It was all I could do to keep my moves appropriately “girl to girl.” The party at the Queen Mary went well in to the wee hours but shortly after midnight a number of the girls left to go to AhhhCappella, an after hours club run by two transgender girls. For myself, I called it a night and headed back to my motel and to sleep for by 6 a.m. I would be up and heading for a golf game with only a few traces of nail polish left to remind me of the fun of the night before. Yes the trip to New Years Eve and the surrounding nights at the Queen Mary was well worth the expense and effort. I would do it again.
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Category: Out & About, Transgender Fun & Entertainment, Transgender History
About the Author (Author Profile)
Canadian writer Linda Jensen is a long time contributor to TGForum. Before the days of the Internet Linda started her writing with the Transvestian newspaper. Her writing ranges from factual accounts of her adventures to fiction although frankly sometimes her real life adventures are stranger than the fiction. Linda is married to a loving partner who upon learning about Linda said, "she was part of you before I met you. Although I didn't know it she was part of the package I fell in love with. I don't want to mess up that package." "Does it get any better than that?" asks Linda.Subscribe
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Omg I miss this place. I started going there in 1994 until it closed. So much fun and so many cute girls and guys to enjoy.
I could tell you much about the old queen from the first night I snuck in when Iwas only 19 and Robert Juliep the clubs owner caught me and made me stand outside the door and sell admission tickets. I didnt know I had a job. I thought he was making me work off my offense. Later after I was of age ,21 to enter he taught me the “ropes” so to say on how to run a nightclub. Within a few months I turned the place around. I welcomed the Trans Gender community after convincing Robert that it would be a hit. I went to every nightclub, hoochie hut and street corner in the Los Angeles area and handed out flyers. My first night of “opening the closet” was a sold out success from there it grew to become the mecca of TG places. Folks came from around the world just to visit the Queen Mart Showlounge in Studio City. This earned them the title of” The World Famous”. I was the face, I was your Hostess and my images hung throughout the club. From my little stool” everyone called it a pedestal: I sat by the door and greeted guests with a smile and a discount for their first drink. I was also the promotions and floor manager and in charge of security. I never had a fight in the entire time I ran it. It was a night that I was off and dropped in for a drink, something I had never done in my own club, with the bouncer who had the night off with me. We saw the rukus just as I was about to salute a sip of a martini. I sat my glass down, motioned to George and we arm bared the brutes and separated them. I told George to hustle the one he had out the side door while I detained the other./ I am not very big, but everyone somehow knew I would handle business. Robert the owner came flying to the back bar and seen me. He said” Thank goodness you were here Melisa. I told him George was also and was “dispatching the other combatant” The one I had pinned to the wall started to mouth off to Robert and he 6 cell flashlighted his chest which rattled the batteries in it and “gently” shutted him up” So there I am having a discussion with my boss paying no attention to the thug we had walled. Robert said” I thought you two were off tonight for the big BD./SM Halloween party. Mind you I was in full CHP uniform minus the pants which I replaced with a leather skirt, fishnets and spiked heels. I also did not have a night stick in my belt but replaced it with a huge long black dildo. George was similarly dressed but in all man manly man uniform. I told Robert” yah we finished the party and thought to drop in so I could finally have a drink in the place. By now the fighter wall hanger guy was becoming very uncomfortable with Roberts MagLight pressed against his throat and me brandishing my “Night stick” George came back and said the other guy split so it was safe to let Harvey Wall Hanger loose . Robert thanked George and me again and told the bartenders. Give these two some drinks then turned and walked back to the showlounge. Ol Harvey said” I thought you two were real cops at first and it freaked me out” I shoot my night dick at him and replied” well you are lucky I did not have to get rough with yah” ./ We all laughed and walked away. “At last a drink at my own bar after all these years and effort” I told George and he held up his drink with mine then we drank. Yah I worked there 10 years and have a story for every night. It was an experience like no other. To those who never got to participate in the fun know there will never be anything like it although many have tried. I talked to George on the phone the other night and he said it was like before I got the Queens doors to welcome all of us. A couple ragtag activities skattered here or there throughout L.A. ca. but nothing like what the whole TG community called “home”
You can find me at eblue.com a state of the art free TG website and I go live on cam now and again. Thanks for keeping the memory alive Linda it is a great one and you were there. Not everyone can say that.
Best regards
Melisa Ann Moore