All Good Things Must Come To An End...

Our Nation's Capitol

Well Bloggees, this is my last blog from the East Coast.  We head to Mt. Vernon tomorrow morning then on to Reagan National for the journey home.  Words cannot describe the experience of the last nine days.  I've seen America's greatest treasures. I've traveled in seven states in nine days.  They include: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. This trip has renewed my confidence that in spite of the economy and hard times, we as American citizens will rise and one day flourish again.  Here are some pictures that depict the last two days in Washington DC.

Fords Theater: Site of Lincoln's Assassination

Capitol Rotunda

JFK Gravesite - Arlington Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery

Iwo Jima Memorial

The True Roots of American Freedom

Greetings from DC Blogees! The day began at 7:00 am with our guided tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. What a solemn occasion.  It was the deadliest battle ever fought in US History.  One cannot help being moved while visiting this site.  We stood on the exact site where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.  After lunch and some shopping for my Gettysburg obsessed hubby, we were off for the two hour trip to Washington DC.  Maryland is a beautiful state.  We crossed the Mason Dixon line and soon arrived in the DC area.

We are staying at a beautiful Marriott in the Adams Morgan area, which is very accessible to all of the monuments and memorials.  Tonight we took an illuminated tour of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the White House.  The most emotional monument is by far the Vietnam Memorial.  I have a relative by marriage who died in Vietnam in 1965 when I was in 5th grade.  His name was Frank Blank from Pittsburgh, PA and I was able to look up his panel in the book and obtain a pencil sketching of his name. Flowers, flags, pictures, and memorabilia adorn the site.  

We are in DC until Sunday and we'll be off to the Capitol, National Portrait Gallery, and Smithsonian tomorrow.  I was so worried about my feet and ankles on this trip, but I've been on such a American heritage high, I don't even feel them.  

City of Brotherly Love

It's hard to believe that we have been in five states in the last 48 hours: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  We really blew by Philadelphia yesterday on our way to Gettysburg but believe it or not we packed it all in. Our first stop was Christ Church where five of our forefathers gathered weekly for church. We sat in George Washington's favorite pew.  It was the first Episcopal church of our nation.  Benjamin Franklin is buried on the grounds.  Benjamin Franklin and William Penn are icons in this state.  It was amazing to be in the same room where the Declaration of Independence was created and signed, as well as the Articles of Confederation and our Constitution. We viewed one of the few original signings of the Declaration of Independence as well as the original silver ink well that was used by the signers.  The most inspirational part of the day was Constitution Center where we viewed a "We The People" presentation.  It took hours for the goosebumps to leave.

I actually made it all the way to the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art...just like Rocky. The top of the steps provides one of the best views of Philadelphia.

"Yo Adrian"

Then, of course, a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for lunch at the Bourse.  By 3:00 we were back on a bus and then headed to Lancaster, PA.  I loved the Amish buggies, and clothes on the clothesline, vegetable gardens and farmland galore. We were not allowed to take pictures of them because it is considered a graven image.  We had dinner Pennsylvania Dutch style on long tables in one room of the Good and Plenty Restaurant.  I've never tasted corn like that before.  The meal included roast beef, fried chicken, mashed potatoes (not out of a box), gravy (not out of a jar), homemade applesauce, buttered noodles, homemade bread with apple butter, homemade ice cream, chocolate pudding and Shoe Fly pie.


At dusk we arrived in Gettysburg for a Ghost Tour. We saw no paranormal activity, but witnessed bullet holes on the side of brick buildings. I loved the lightening bugs until they started dive bombing us.   After a two hour walking tour my feet gave out for the day.  This morning we are off for a guided tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield where 51,000 Union and Confederate troops lost their lives, then off to Washington DC for the our last three days of our trip...tear, tear 8-(   I'm not ready for this trip to end.  I'd love to continue on to Jamestown and Williamsburg but I'll save that trip hopefully for another time.

Let's Talk About Food...because it's my favorite thing in life!

After the long coach ride from Hyde Park, NY we finally arrived in Philadelphia and pulled up in front of the City Tavern on 2nd Street for a much anticipated special dining treat.  It first opened its doors in 1773.  After the Declaration of Independence was signed, George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson all gathered there for pheasant and ale.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner which included: Tavern Country Salad with Raspberry Shrub Dressing, Chicken Breast Madeira, and Apple Cobbler.  Madeira, a sweet wine from Portugal was popular with the colonists because it could be purchased tax-free in the colonies.  The servers were all dressed in period style clothing and aimed to please.  Philly Cheese Steaks tomorrow for sure!!

FDR - Hyde Park, NY

FDR and Eleanor's Burial Site

Even though this trip is all about US History, today we really took a step back in time to 1945.  We spent three hours at Springwood the home of FDR in Hyde Park, NY.  He was born in the home and he and Eleanor are buried in the rose garden along with their beloved dogs, Fala and Chief.  The home is sprawling and the property spans serenely along on the Hudson River.  His clothes and shoes are still in the closet, including the top hat he wore at all three inaugurations.  The home is filled with rare Dresden china and porcelain from Germany. Upstairs we found eight bedrooms, and you could just imagine children running up and down the stairs.  During his weary war years he once said, "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River."

Springwood - FDR's Home

The Hudson Valley (View from FDR's bedroom window)

We arrived in Philadelphia about three hours ago and we're staying at a beautifully restored hotel purchased by Radisson.  More pics and blogging tomorrow.

Who Knew?

Check out the "widow's walk."

Plymouth Rock

Mayflower II

Plimouth Plantation

It's amazing to think that we are on a bus and I have internet.  We have MiFi devices so that we can blog.  We just left Boston at 7:00 am and we are off to Hyde Park, NY to visit the FDR's home and museum.  Then on to Philly tonight. Yesterday's highlight was the Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA.  They had a re-creation of a Wampanoag village and an English settlement village of the 1620's. Exploring the Mayflower II, which is an exact replica of the original ship was amazing.  How they packed 102 people on that ship I'll never know.  They only lost one passenger along the way and that was an 8 year old boy from a high fever.  We saw the passenger compartments which were very musty.  I got some great pics of Plymouth Rock, and we enjoyed a seafood dinner at Isaacs's in Plymouth.  I noticed that many of the homes that faced the ocean had a "widow's walk," which was a fenced in landing on the roof of the home where the women would climb up to watch their husband's ship come into port.  They went up to the widow's walk to hope and pray that their husbands returned from sea and that they would not be a widow. More pics and blogging in Philadelphia.

Day 2: The Path to the Revolution

Paul Revere House

Old North Church

Lexington Green

Today was very eventful and packed with stops and tours.  It all began with the Paul Revere house in the North End.  Paul lived there with his first wife Sarah until she passed away after their 8th child and then five months later he lived there with his new wife, Rachel and they had 8 more children.  The house is very, very small with tiny beds.  There was a beautiful display of his artisan crafts which included silver and brass items. Then it was off to the North Church where Revere received the signal, "One if by land, and two if by sea."  The pews in the church are very high and we were able to sneak in before the 11:00 am service.  We walked the Freedom Trail to Quincy Market where Jimi and I enjoyed a lobster sandwich for lunch.  Next we marched off to Lexington and Concord.  Lexington Green, where the first shot was fired on April 18, 1775, is surrounded by beautiful clapboard homes and the famous Buckman Tavern, which was command central for the patriots.  Day 3 highlights will include JFK Presidential Library and Museum as well as a 45 minute drive to Plymouth to view Plymouth Rock and the replica ship, Mayflower II.   I'll post more pics tomorrow.

We're HERE!!! Great to be back in Beantown!

Great flight from OC to Dallas.  I sat next to a brain surgeon.  I couldn't help looking over at the illustrations in his Neuroscience Journal with cross sectional illustrations of the brain hemispheres. Fascinating!  Roger Staubach, the Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboy quarterback was on our flight. Arrived in Boston with a tour guide and coach waiting for us.  We enjoyed a great dinner at the No Name Restaurant, which was established in the 1920's and is still run by the same family. We have a busy day tomorrow visiting Paul Revere's house, the Freedom Trail, State House, and Beacon Hill with our own scholar and tour guide.  I want this week to last forever.

I'm a Packing Fool!

I love how the only time I buy new underwear is when I go on a trip. If that's the case it's been three years since I purchased my favorite Hanes granny panties at JC Penney's.   Getting ready to live out of a suitcase for the next nine days.  Two more days.

Roots of American Freedom - Itinerary

Listed below is our trip itinerary which begins on Saturday, June 18:

Arrive in Boston at 5:25 pm American Airlines flight #1896
Dinner at No Name Restaurant in Boston Harbor
Check in at Marriott Copley

Day 2 - June 19:
Lexington/Concord, Freedom Trail, Lunch at Quincy Market, Hancock House, Beacon Hill,  Boston Harbor, Black Heritage Trail, Dinner at Durgin Park.  Evening on our own.

Day 3 - June 20:
Plimoth (spelling correct) Plantation, Plymouth Rock, Mayflower II, Kennedy Presidential Library
Dinner and evening on our own.

Day 4 -  June 21:
Depart for Hyde Park, NY via coach, Tour FDR House, Library and Museum, Depart for Philadelphia
Check in Radisson Plaza, Dinner at City Tavern.

Day 5 - June 22:
Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley, Lunch at The Bourse, Philadelphia Constitution Center, National Mint, Trinity Church, Depart for Gettysburg, Dinner at Good & Plenty in Lancaster, PA, Check in Wyndham Gettysburg, Ghost Tour of Gettysburg Battlefield.

Day 6 - June 23:
Tour of Gettysburg, view Cyclorama and Museum and Visitor Center, Guided tour of battlefield, Depart for Washington DC, Check in Washington DC Marriott Wardman Park, Illuminated tour of Monuments and Memorials.

Day 7 - June 24:
The Capitol, Library of Congress, Ford's Theater, Embassy Row, Lunch at Reagan Building, Dinner and evening on our own.

Day 8 - June 25:
Arlington National Cemetery, Holocaust Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Museums rest of the day, Dinner at Phillips Seafood Restaurant.

Day 9 - June 26:
Arrive at Mount Vernon, Lunch at Mt. Vernon, Arrive at Washington/Reagan Airport, Depart at 4:10, Flight #2513, Arrive in Orange County at 8:20.

Day 10 - June 27
Recuperative pajama day and maybe a load of wash.