Ooooooooklahoma!

Greetings readers! I've been back a little over a week from my 3 day weekend in the state of Oklahoma where I got to visit the cities of Oklahoma City and Stillwater. I had a really great time in this state and have truly fallen in love with Oklahoma City. I sincerely hope everyone gets a chance to visit someday, but just as I did for Las Vegas, I want to give you guys some tips on surviving a touristy visit to OKC.

YOU NEED A CAR TO GET AROUND

You all know I am the Queen of Public Transportation. In nearly every state I've been to I've used a bus or train or subway or SOMETHING to get around at some point. Now, I was in Oklahoma for another sorority event (more on that later) and I met up with a soror in OKC who rented a car. That was how I got around Friday and Saturday (even though that had its own problems-- our car stopped AS IN TOTALLY CUT OFF on the highway headed to Stillwater! Apparently Chevy Malibus are not safe vehicles) but Sunday I was on my own. Sundays in general suck for public transportation, but it was even worse because NO buses run in OKC on Sundays- at least not near the airport or among the museums I visited- and Sunday was my super tourist day seeing as my flight didn't leave until 6:16pm to come home.

So how did I get around? Thankfully I hadn't spent all my money and gone tchotchke crazy while I was there, I took a cab everywhere (to the tune of about $100 when all was said and done). Perhaps it was fate though because my cutie cab driver Dan was super nice, NOT CREEPY (a big plus!), and stuck with me the entire rest of my stay in OKC. He picked me up and took me everywhere I asked. The coolest thing was he of course accepts cash, but also has a WORKING card machine in his Lincoln sedan, and he accepts BITCOIN! How awesome is that? He is officially the first cab driver I've ever seen in life that takes Bitcoin. If you need a cab while you are in Oklahoma City please give him a call or text at 405-838-5242 or follow him on Twitter. He was absolutely divine.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

The entire weekend I was there the weather was over 100 degrees. I'm talking 103 and 105 friends. This Yankee chick was not pleased to say the least. With a very bold sun and little to no shade to be found anywhere, you are going to sweat, and when you sweat as much as we did, you are gonna need water (or Gatorade, or anything cool and liquid that isn't alcohol) to stay hydrated.

The Oklahoma state meal
photo from http://www.mysanantonio.com/food/slideshow/State-foods-and-drinks-85355/photo-6270094.php

COME HUNGRY

I didn't get to eat nearly as much food as I would have liked, but what I did get to eat I'll highlight on a later post. I was a bit disappointed by not being able to see all the restaurants I wanted to because everything I read about Oklahoma mentioned great barbecue, onion burgers (I did have one of those), and the super full plate that the official Oklahoma state meal consists of. Do me a favor, go, get some chicken fried steak, and tell me about it!

RIDE THE BRICKTOWN WATER TAXI

$9.50 gets you all day access to this fun and potentially romantic attraction in the heart of the city's Bricktown neighborhood (where you'll find lots of shops, restaurants, and a few sports stadiums). Unfortunately because we had to get to Stillwater we weren't able to ride at night (and it was super duper hot out) but I still really enjoyed myself. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable about Oklahoma and OKC and gave us all sorts of fun historic tidbits (like the difference between a Boomer and a Sooner... and why there was a slight beef between them for decades). This is told around the part of the tour where you pass the famous Land Run Monument.

Detail of the Land Run Monument

I won't bore you to death with details, but I WILL let you look at my YouTube videos so you can get a sense of it for yourself.

Many blog entries to come about my time in Oklahoma, just have to get the time to type them out. In the meantime please feel free to visit my Facebook page and browse my photos and give me a "like" while you're at it. Thank you so much for following me on my travels, and as always, I will see you on the next adventure!

My First Fjord

Fjord. Such a funny word to say! But what a beautiful sight to see!

The entire first day of my Carnival cruise to Alaska was spent slowly sailing up this majestic water canyon that is the Tracy Arm Fjord. A woman was announcing over the sound system when whales or other interesting wildlife would come past and say hello to our ship passing by. (It wasn't very helpful. For some reason the whales didn't realize it takes a few seconds to whip out a phone or camera to snap a pic or video to show all of our friends and blog readers that "Look, I saw a humpback whale!!" and would dip back into the water very quickly).

This was my first look at Alaska as well. It was relatively warm (mid 60s on August 28, 2013 when we were there) considering I was expecting it to be frigid and snowy the entire time. I mean, isn't that what those of us in the continental 48 are told to expect from Alaska?

Let me be the first to tell you that was hardly the case. The only time the air was really biting was when the wind blew, but with a corduroy jacket I was fine.The water was just as turquoise and sparkling (though not see-through) as any Caribbean waters I've seen- and I've been to seven of the islands down there. The trees on the cliffs were a rich but earthy green. Speaking of the cliffs, they were very steep and only at the very tops were covered in snow. We saw chunks of blue-looking glacier ice float past us (hopefully not breaking off due to global warming!) and occasionally saw eagles or goats living their lives oblivious to the 2000+ people gawking at them from a big white ship.

We ended at Dawe's Glacier at the end of the Fjord. You could pay ($400-500) for excursions to take a smaller boat up to the glacier and see the wildlife up close and personal. I didn't have $500 to spare so I watched from the main ship with the majority of the other passengers and shot a pretty nifty two minute video that I uploaded to YouTube. I few couples my god mother and I befriended did take the excursion and they showed us pictures of seals chilling on rocks and glacier chunks. Pretty neat.

Nothing left now but to leave you with the pictures I was able to snap while in the Fjord and other waters of Alaska as well as my YouTube vid I mentioned earlier.

As always thank you for joining me on my journey across America.

My Alaskan Cruise Videos

You guys know that I have a TON of blog posts to type up for my EIGHT days spent between Washington and Alaska. However, I'm dumb busy at the moment and probably won't get to it until next week. As a teaser, I wanted to leave you all with a few of my YouTube videos. You can see them all on my YouTube channel, but here are some highlights for now:

Live at Dawes Glacier

Riding the Seattle Monorail

Drilling in an Alaskan Gold Mine

My pictures from both states are also up on Facebook (but the captions are yet to come...stay tuned!)

As always, thank you for following me on this journey. It really means a lot, and I am honestly excited to complete it!

Huzzah! Tasty Tea and the Hurry Home!

Well, I have come to the final site-specific entry for my trip through Rhode Island and Massachusetts (well over a month ago by this point). Remember that I was operating on one hour of sleep my last day in Boston- it will be key to what happened during my time at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.

The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum from a distance

I arrived at the BTPSM hot, thirsty, and tired of lugging around my suitcase across cobblestone pathways. I walked there from the Paul Revere House, which took about 30 minutes at a slower pace than I normally take. After a rather uninterested teenage girl at the ticket booth informed me I would have to carry my suitcase with me (yay! *insert sarcastic tone here*), I was ushered inside a church-ish looking room, and given a feather and a colonial identity that I was to portray throughout my visit.

Dr. Elisha Story, at your service!

After a few minutes, our tour guide "Samuel Sprague" came bursting into the room  and later "Samuel Adams" loudly proclaiming the the colonials were being mistreated by King George, and there's a secret meeting and, yadda yadda. I don't remember the exact story, but I loved that they kept me awake by teaching us to yell "Huzzah!" and other positive cheers when something good happened and to boo and hiss (literally) when something we "colonials" didn't like occurred.

"Sammy Sprague" giving us the low down on why we should be angry colonials

Our first stop was on the ship where the tea was being stored prior to the Boston Tea Party (the historical event all of this museum is actually based on if you hadn't caught on to that by now). We got to walk through the different levels of the boat, go into the "captain's quarters" and in the end some little kids got to throw some "tea" into the harbor. It was coming off the boat that Sam told us that all of the names we had been given were actual people known to have participated in the Boston Tea Party. We were also told that while photos had been allowed up to that point, no photographs were to be taken into the museum.

"Tea" that we got to see thrown into the harbor...with ropes for handy retrieval

 By this time, the sun and general fatigue were wearing down on me. The first room we entered looked like a really fancy living room. I sat along the wall (big mistake!). To my left were two portraits of King George- and someone I can't remember representing the colonists- that were actually videos. The effect told the viewpoint of each side of the conflict, in a way that would make any Hogwarts painting proud (that's a Harry Potter reference, in case you've never seen the movies or read the books). To the right was a portrait of an old lady with an audio track, and a display case with the only actual artifact in the museum- one of the few remaining tea cases from the actual Boston Tea Party. Few as in, only two or three are known to remain. So that's a pretty big deal.

So where does my mistake come in? Well. As interesting as I found the presentation (I really think it was cool!) I fell asleep, propped up against my suitcase. Seriously. When I woke up were were transitioning into a different room (a holographic meeting of two colonial wives discussing their views of the British-Colonial problem), and a few of my fellow tour members looked at me with pity and asked if I was OK! I was so embarrassed, but explained it had just been a long day and I was functioning on very little sleep.

The last room was another video presentation with a man discussing the early beginning of the actual Revolutionary War, and how the Boston Tea Party helped ignite the spark for Americans to fight for independence. We all sang 'America the Beautiful' at the end (or we were supposed to anyway- I think I was the only person who actually did). But up next was my favorite part of the experience!

The teas available for tasting in Abagail's Tea Room

Although optional, you can have a treat and sample a variety of teas in Abagail's Tea Room. I think I spent maybe a total of $8 on a chocolate chip cookie and commemorative mug (that doubled for me as another gift for my grandmother!) with unlimited tea drinking. And there were some amazing teas to try- I actually love drinking hot tea, and pity all the coffee addicts that don't "get" how complex and beautiful tea is. But anyway, I was too tired (and my phone and camera were near death and I still had to get to the airport), so I didn't write down or record the actual names of the flavors of tea in the room- but they were very tasty. One had a very smoky flavor, which I loved, another was brewed with strawberries, which I didn't love as much. The kids there enjoyed mixing the flavors up, and I enjoyed being able to sit down, get myself organized, and relax before I hustled home.

From there, you are led into the most expansive gift shop I saw in Boston. I bought some tea for my grandmother (to go with her cup of course) and rushed to the airport as I had just received a text that my flight had been delayed.

(On an aside about my flight home- major kudos to US Airways for their super friendly and helpful staff at Boston's airport. Whereas before when I went to Memphis on Delta and had a miserable experience, this flight delay actually worked out to my advantage. As soon as I finished my tea and cookie, I rushed to the airport, and went to the counter asking if there was anything I could do- getting home any later than I already was going to would mean I could possibly be stranded at Pittsburgh's airport until the next morning since the buses would stop running by the new arrival time. This blessed employee told me that if I could hurry, there was a flight leaving in 30 minutes going to Pittsburgh, and if that was full, I could try for the one leaving 45 minutes after that. With some paperwork he gave me after typing in some info, I rushed to the first gate, only to learn I missed making that flight by one stand-by customer. So I raced to the second gate, and stood there long before the staff even arrived to prep for the flight, and got my name on the stand-by list. By the grace of God I was the last stand-by person to make that flight, and I ended up getting home nearly two hours sooner than I originally intended. THAT, my friends, is how airlines should operate!)

So, I'm typing this a few days before you guys will actually see it- typing is helping me stay awake so that I can leave on time for this red eye to Seattle for the next two states in my journey: Washington and Alaska. I'm very excited about this trip, because whereas many of my states I've technically been to before but am re-visiting with fresh eyes for the blog, I sincerely have never been anywhere on the west coast before. Follow me on Twitter to keep up with my check-ins and anticipate my future blog entries, and check out and like my Facebook page for way more pictures than I could ever fit on this blog.

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

My First Truly Negative Adventure

I'm just going to summarize my experience at the Newport Mansions in one word: Miserable.

It wasn't the sites themselves. I only got to tour two homes, The Breakers and Marble House, but they were both beautiful historic mansions with breathtaking architecture and views of the harbor. It was the terrible treatment I received while visiting.

Marble House

The Breakers

Both homes were owned by the Vanderbilts at some point, though I didn't learn that from the actual homes. The only way to learn any information in the houses is to take the audio tours, which I did not for several reasons. Mostly because I was treated so rudely when I first entered I didn't want to take a single thing they were offering me, then largely because people on audio tours tend to aimlessly roam and move very slowly- which when you are on a time schedule is not helpful and is actually a little frustrating. For people like me who aren't able to listen to hyper details about every single item in every single room, panels with room highlights to quickly read would have been helpful. Especially since photography is strictly prohibited inside.

So what am I so upset about? Well, to make a long story short, I was treated like a second class citizen upon my arrival at Marble House, with the woman at the welcome desk literally sneering at me and instead of welcoming me said "Can we help you?" as if my mere presence were an insult to the home. It was raining quite heavily that day and she yelled at me in front of staff and visitors about not being allowed to have a suitcase with me (meanwhile, I had already checked ahead of time and was told that leaving it at the front desk wouldn't be a problem). I was so angry and embarrassed I just walked off. Then later in the same house an employee followed me around to make sure I wasn't taking pictures or touching things. I know she was following me because while at first I thought she just wanted to get past me in the narrow hallway, she turned beet red and said that she wasn't actually trying to get by when I had stepped aside for her to do so. I left the main building, took some shots of the bay and the Chinese Tea Room, and quickly left Marble House, before I could lose my cool and cuss a few of those snooty people out.

Chinese Tea Room behind Marble House overlooking the bay

The Breakers was only slightly better in treatment, with me being questioned the moment I walked in, but luckily another employee saw the look on my face as I prepared to be yelled at again by a staff member and helped me with my luggage. By this time I was irritated and didn't want the audio tour simply because I was only walking through at that point because I had paid to do so. There were at least three times as many people in The Breakers, which made quiet observations impossible and general maneuvering extremely slow and difficult. There were screaming kids, bored teenagers, large summer camp groups, ugh! Just too much going on all at once.

What bothers me most about this experience is that, as someone who works in this field and had a genuine love for old homes and the like (which my loyal readers know by now- I always seem to find at least one old historic building to tour every place I go), I KNOW this isn't standard service. I sent a very professional letter stating what happened (with more details than I've shared here) and in 2 business days still have not received a reply. Imagine that! When I receive member or visitor emails at my job (or the one immediately prior) they get responses no LATER than the next business day. I suppose terrible treatment of people who pay to see their properties is normal business for this preservation society.

Quite a shame. Two and a half years, and none of my experiences have been THIS tragic. I would not recommend this trip for anyone- not as long as they continue to operate in this manner.

**UPDATE**
I just recieved an email from the Visitor Experience Manager. She essentially said that rules are rules (ie, suitcases are not allowed in the homes), but she's sorry I was treated rudely and is refunding my admission. Even though it seems like a half assed apology on the treament portion of things, I am glad I finally got a response. I still stand firm on my position that I will not return to the mansions, and do not recommend them for others. I would have gladly left my suitcases outside on the lawn or street or wherever if that's what it would have taken to take a tour, but there is absolutely no reason to be yelled or sneered at by employees. Period.

Gettin' Iggy With It

First, I'm having a few technical difficulties getting the last of my photos to go from my camera to either my work or personal computers (something about the USB not being recognized- even though it JUST worked the other day *sigh*) So the rest of my Massachusetts pics are coming shortly!

Second, I want to say that with the exception of one site in particular, I had a good (if not exhausting) time in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I'll discuss my negative experience later, but I wanted to start off on a positive note.

These two states represent my first blog-related treks into New England. When I think New England, I think pilgrims and colonials. I think cold and dreary weather. I think largely of sports teams I either have no strong opinions of- or extreme hatred towards. And I think of chowder, lobster, and other seafood.Well, it was a bit cooler than expected the weekend I went, and I got rained on my first two days ending up with a pretty soggy suitcase. I did do three sports related excursions, but we'll get to those later (once my pics are uploaded to my Facebook page). So I'll focus on my first entry on the food I ate, specifically at Iggy's Doughboys and Chowderhouse.

No seriously, I hate these cheating bums.
Image from www.roosterteeth.com

I already knew that yes, there is the traditional New England clam chowder that's white and creamy, and yes, there's the Manhattan version that's red and tomato based. But I learned in this clip from CBS's 'Taste of America Tour' that there is indeed a third version of the Northeast's signature soup: the Rhode Island Clear. Since several travel sites all agreed that Iggy's was THE place to go to try Rhode Island seafood, I decided to give it a go.

Iggy's...and my $45 cab

I took a cab from the TF Green Airport (after getting to Rhode Island by train from Boston), down to Iggy's- a round trip ride that ended up costing me $45.00 with tax and tip! (Yes, apparently Rhode Islanders pay tax on cab rides, something I learned from my driver is highly disliked by those in the business. I gotta say I agree with them- I've never heard of such foolishness.) But it was worth it. I ordered a little bit of everything that I had either never heard of or was told was a specialty of the region/restaurant. Way too much food for one person, but most of it was tasty.

Here's a pic of my Rhode Island Clear chowder. It isn't on the menu (only Red and White are), so you have to ask for it specifically. Slightly too salty, but otherwise well flavored.

Clam cakes and Rhode Island Clear chowder

The bowl is next to an outpouring of clam cakes. I was least impressed with these. My cab driver said you're supposed to eat them by dipping them into whatever chowder you have. This greatly helped because these things were a bit dry, and I'm not 100% sure I had any actual clam inside of the ones I ate (though admittedly, I only finished like 2 or 3 of them). It may be hard to tell, but they were slightly larger than a golf ball.

An Iggy doughboy, covered in powdered sugar. HUGE but tasty!
The taste reminded me of funnel cake/donut hybrid.

Above you'll see one doughboy- a near hand-sized patty of fried dough topped with a topping of your choice (my cab driver said powdered sugar is the most popular- I personally would've gone with cinnamon sugar otherwise.) I got six of these for free using a coupon I got for signing up for their emails. I think a few solicitations is worth saving three bucks and some change.

A Famous Iggy Burger and Iggy root beer

I got a hamburger on the off chance that I hated all the seafood I got and was still hungry. The most popular burger is the Famous Iggy Burger and it comes with sauteed peppers and onions, mustard, relish, and optional cheese (which I gladly accepted). It was just okay- not horrible by any means, but not super amazing. But, what do you expect from a place that specializes in seafood, not landlubber fare? The root beer is made by Iggy's (they also sell a house made raspberry-lime pop as well...oops, I guess I mean soda for those of you not from a pop-saying city). It was probably the best root beer I've ever had- smooth, not too harsh or metallic tasting. It was great.

A Rhode Island "stuffie" or stuffed quahog

Now this was my favorite part of the meal. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (and really, why wouldn't you?) you would know that trying to say "quahog" without sounding like a total tourist was something I wanted to accomplish. (Think co-hog, or watch a few episodes of Family Guy and listen to them say it). Nearly every Rhode Island tourism website I found said that visitors should try a "stuffie" while they are there. I only ordered one, partly because they were $2.50 each (sorry, but that's not a lot of chewing for nearly $3) and partly because I wasn't sure if I would like it.

What a quahog that's alive and in the wild looks like I can't tell you (though I'm assuming that's its shell they serve it in), but what it tasted like was a very delicate seafood taste, with stuffing and other goodness, drizzled with lemon juice. My cab driver told me that locals eat theirs with hot sauce. It was such a warm and comforting taste! I don't know what the stuffing is, how they chop it up and cook it or anything, but I DO know that I was very pleased. While waiting for my order to be finished, I saw people sitting at tables with trays full of these empty shells. I guess I'm not alone on liking them.

Well, I'll update you on my four day adventure (my most ambitious outing yet itinerary-wise) every couple of days over the next few weeks. Alaska and Washington state are next month, so I'm gearing up for that, and you know, I do have work and other responsibilities here at home.

Thank you for reading along and following me on my journey!

Florida - Part I (Miami)

After three months of waiting for my next adventure into my homeland, I am finally able to present a new installment into my personal journey: a brief visit into Miami, Florida!

Settled by Americans in 1825, and formally incorporated in July 1896, the city has roots that go back thousands of years when the area was inhabited by the Tequesta Native Americans,  the 1560s when it was claimed by the Spanish, and 1763 when the Spaniards surrendered the area to the British. Miami is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States, and the fifth largest metro region in the entire country. It is also the number one passenger cruise-line port, and just like in my visit to Puerto Rico, it was a cruise to another country (this time the Bahamas with my two sisters and oldest niece) that brought me to the city. I spent one day before and one day after the cruise in the city, and here's what I saw:

A fountain at the Lincoln Road Mall

LINCOLN ROAD MALL

     I only spent about two hours or so in this area of Miami with my sisters and my niece, but I will say it seemed to be a very happening place! There were lots of chain stores (like Victoria's Secret, MAC, etc) and a few specialty boutiques, so if you just want to be able to say you bought something in Miami but not be pressed about if it is reflective of the culture or region or if it is overly catered to tourists, this is where you would go. Lots of folks walking dogs, sitting at the ample outdoor seating in many of the restaurants, and a few people with creative hustles that were very entertaining (for example, I gave a dollar to a man who was painted and dressed in all white holding an all white guitar and not moving, who would dance and move to Elvis songs when you dropped a dollar in his guitar case). I had sangria and chicken fajitas with my family at The Cafe at Books & Books. Laughed, sang, danced around, and enjoyed my evening there.

Alligators in part of the Everglades

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

     What else can one say about the Everglades but "Wow!" One of America's most famous natural wonders, it is the third largest National Park. I took an airboat ride and tour at the Everglades Safari Park as a post-cruise excursion, and I learned a lot about the Everglades, including that the Everglades are not a swamp like many people think, but actually a massive slow moving river system. Water from Lake Okeechobee flows into the Everglades at a rate of about a mile each day, and the water is optimally around two feet deep most of the time.

     As we lined up to board our airboats (which we were told do minimal damage to the park because they literally float on top of everything- the water, sawgrass, and even harmlessly over animals!), Hector, one of the two dominant male alligators, and about ten different birds of varying species greeted us at the walkway towards the vessels. We were given earplugs to drown out the sound of the loud engines (and you need them!) and were on our way! At first, we went pretty slow as the airboat operator told us random facts about the park (sawgrass is edible and looks like a small onion at it's roots! String lilies are one of many flowers and plants native to the Everglades!) but we sped up to about 50 mph as the tour went on. It was surprisingly fresh smelling and cool out on the water, and there was no shortage of birds, gators, turtles, and other animals to see and take photos of.

     

     After the thirty minute airboat tour, we got to see an alligator show hosted by a man named Jeff who told us how to differentiate between alligators, crocodiles, and the rare caimans. He also showed us how quickly and powerfully their jaws can snap shut, and after a few more demonstrations and factoids, allowed us to take pictures holding a "baby" alligator named Snappy (of all things!) Probably the coolest thing I've done so far this year!

Me holding Snappy...and Jeff nearby in case he lives up to his name!

     Also on site at this particular part of the Everglades was a short walking tour with pens holding different types of gators, crocs, and caimans, and a small circular one room "museum" with Native American crafts and histories, and tanks with snakes, turtles, and baby alligators. It was dark, cobweb riddled, and looked like it hadn't been visited in months if not years. But if you could look past it's shabby presentation, the information included was quite interesting!

The Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, Miami

VERSAILLES RESTUARANT

     After the Everglades excursion, I was dropped off at the Miami International Airport, where after charging my phone a few minutes (thank God I keep my charger in my purse!), I caught the 37 South Miami Station bus and after about a 10 or 15 minute ride, found myself a block away from what Lonely Planet, Yelp, and my friends who are from the Miami area all say is the best Cuban cuisine in South Florida- the Versailles Restaurant. Although I felt a little hesitation to give me a table and menu, I'll chalk it up to not being everyday a black girl with a giant afro, beaming smile, and a suitcase come sashaying into the place asking how everyone was in Yankee-accented English, but after I sat down, I was totally fine. I ordered vaca frita de pollo - grilled shredded chicken with onions, served with white rice and sweet plantain. The food came out in less than ten minutes (seriously, closer to five) and was THE best food I'd had all weekend! Flavorful, and more than your money's worth, it was all excellent!

Vaca frita de pollo from Versailles

     It should also be noted that they had an extensive dessert menu, and a bakery connected to the restuarant next door, however, because the person I was traveling with had a bit of an attitude, I felt rushed out of the restaurant and didn't get to try any of those buttery, flaky looking pastries. *insert sad face here*

   
VIZCAYA MUSEUM & GARDENS

     My last stop in Miami was the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. In case you haven't gotten the gist of things by now, I have a nerdy fetish for antiques and old architecture. Something about the history of a place or object makes me fall in love with it, it's like walking into another world or time- and that's how beautiful Vizcaya is. Sure, it cost $15 to come in (and sadly, no photos are allowed inside the mansion, but are allowed outside), but I didn't know places like this really existed in America. It was like an old Spanish or Italian villa had found itself lost on the tip of Florida. Since I'm a little tired to paraphrase the history of this gorgeous location, I'll let you read it straight from their website:

Vizcaya was the winter residence of American industrialist James Deering from Christmas 1916 until his death in 1925.  Deering was a Vice President of the International Harvester Company, which produced agricultural equipment for a worldwide market...The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family.  It has 34 decorated rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service...Over the years the effects of South Florida’s humid climate and salt air have taken their toll on Vizcaya, necessitating continuous restoration.  Although the house’s design allowed the free flow of breezes through the open courtyard, the need to preserve the building and contents required the installation of a climate and humidity control system, including enclosing the open courtyard in glass. Today we can only imagine how Vizcaya felt as an open-air house, with the sounds of birds and the bay, the sudden rain showers, and the fragrance of flowers.

    

     The house rooms are each designed to pay homage to various European nobility or events, and there is an Asian inspired tea room that overlooks the Biscayne Bay. It had a round dining room table with large statues of a man and woman inside, guarded by four blue stone dragons at the outside door. A giant organ, hidden in the walls somehow, played music that could be heard throughout the house. And whereas before in my visit to Mount Vernon I thought Washington had the best back yard ever- Vizcaya took that idea and shattered it into a million pieces! I literally gasped out loud when I saw all that water, architechture, and grandeur in one place. They were setting up for some lucky girl's wedding, and the staff informed me that early spring and late fall are heavy wedding times for the Museum- and frankly I can see why! Anyone who's ever dreamed of having a princess fairy tale wedding- or even thought they looked pretty- would die a million deaths at the sight of this place!

Well, the photos are up on Facebook, so don't feel shy about hitting that "Like" button, and if you haven't started following me on Pinterest, please feel free to do so. I'll be doing a vlog about Miami public transportation within the week, and as always, will be on Twitter tweets US history facts, and other travel information. Feel free to comment, email, etc., and I'll see you on the next go round!

Maryland - Part II (Baltimore)

I say I live in the DC area, and technically that's true, but for all official purposes I live in the state of Maryland. I have to admit, I have a fondness for this place- I've been here more or less the past 6 years. Established in 1788, much of Maryland's history has been shaped by a long love affair with all things aquatic and maritime. For my journey, I decided to explore this state by immersing myself in to water-based activities. I visited the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore- both famed for their access to water- and had a great time! You already read about my adventures in Annapolis, so here's where I went in Baltimore:

NATIONAL AQUARIUM- BALTIMORE

Those of you that have been following me the past few months know that I already went to an aquarium in DC. Well, this aquarium is the "sister" to that small, ancient location. Five levels of exotic aquatic creatures (and more!) are easily visible on Baltimore's Harbor and have been calling to me ever since my first visit to the city in 2002. I went on a thankfully sunny Sunday in October (hey- I told you I was behind on my entries!) with a good friend of mine and her two sons, ages 1 and 3. As someone without kids, I had an interesting time learning to manage toddlers but it was a great time overall.

Dolphin Show

I'll go ahead and say the downsides to my visit first. Frankly, the NAB is EXPENSIVE. Basic adult admission is $24.95 (which is coincidentally about the price I paid to enter an entire amusement park back home in Pittsburgh- but I digress). You can add on the dolphin show for $3 more ($27.95) and a 4D movie on top of that for another $2 ($29.95). In other words, $30 to go in and visit. Because the boys were too young to sit through the 4D movies (we'd missed the last Dora the Explorer showing of the day), we opted to only add on the dolphin show (from what the employees told us, 4D movies are 3D movies where the fourth "D" involves vibrating and moving seats, and water being squirted on you). Thankfully, the ticket agent didn't charge the $19.95 for my friend's 3 year old that she should have- only kids 2 and younger get in for free. Once inside, we paid another $2 to use a locker for our stuff (but a really neat kid-holding backpack thingy was free to use).  Already spent more money than I had anticipated and I had yet to see anything! According to the website, there are days/times that are cheaper to enter- I would suggest any grown up sans kids interested in going to utilize those specials.

Jelly Fish

Once inside and actually on the move though, you can see the money they receive is put to good use. Everything looked new- not one sign looked worn or dated. The first stop we made was an employee holding some sort of lizard out for small kids to see and learn about in an open space I'm guessing they use for children's activities. Unfortunately, there was no touching allowed due to salmonella risks (which was really disappointing to me but I understood). Then there was a giant open pool with a humongous tortoise splashing around with sting rays (they were EVERYWHERE) and other random giant fish. There were also some shark tanks overlooking this pool. We went up moving ramps to each floor and saw tanks of all sizes holding a variety of creatures. Surprisingly, there were more than just water creatures on display- a room filled with puffins stands out to me as we tried our best to convince the 3 year old that they weren't penguins. The fifth floor is actually VERY warm- I'm assuming to resemble a rain forest- and is allegedly filled with all sorts of tropical birds, though we only say two pink birds and an old turtle in our time there. The jellyfish have their own separate area (ironically near the cafeteria) in sci-fi looking tubes, panels, and domes that allow you to marvel at how they move around.

My friend's son watching the dolphins in their tank

The dolphin show was kind of neat. Seven or so dolphins did very basic tricks- but nothing on a Sea World level even though there is a splash- zone and you DO get wet if you sit in said splash zone. We learned how to tell dolphin fins apart, and a "random" guest from the audience got to come up and touch the dolphins. Two different women were talking about dolphin information, but between the room echoes distorting the sound and keeping the kids occupied and focused, I have no idea what either of them were talking about.

Overall, a wonderful place. I would certainly return- during a money saving time period- and would love to experience these 4D movies for myself.

USS Constellation

HISTORIC SHIPS IN BALTIMORE (BALTIMORE MARITIME MUSEUM)

It was pretty chilly on the November day I decided to travel to Baltimore from DC and visit the Historic Ships. As the self-proclaimed Queen of Public Transportation, I rode the Metro from my home to Union Station in DC and took the MARC train for $7 to Baltimore Penn Station. From there, I took the free Charm City Circulator down to the Harbor (which is where the Aquarium is also, but when I went with my friend we drove). The entire process took me probably an hour and a half from the Metro station nearest my house and the ticket booth where I purchased my $18 ticket to tour all four ships.

The four ships represent military life at sea from the mid 1800s up through the 1980s. There is also a free lighthouse (the Seven foot Knoll Lighthouse) that has stood in place for more than 130 years- but I didn't get a chance to go in there. I had a friend (who suggested I name this entry Maryland Part II - Holy Ship!!) who was coming to meet me, and I didn't want to totally bore him to death with my exploration of all four ships (though he did end up joining me for the last two).

I think I pretty much entered them in historical order, starting with the USS Constellation- a wooden ship that was used to thwart illegal slave trading in her early years (successfully stopping at least three ships and freeing the African aboard), carried famine relief to Ireland in the years before World War I, and also served as a practice ship for the US Navy. I was amazed at how large the ship was on the inside- from the outside looking in it seems as if everyone would be packed into one tiny space, but I found (after carefully climbing and descending the very steep ladder like stairs) three levels of space used for various purposes, including sleeping quarters for all ranks of men, storage areas, cannons and weapons, etc. A lot of the spaces were under renovation, but there were signs in place explaining what was going on and what the object or area was used for.

View of the Chesapeake, the Torsk, and the Aquarium

From there I went to the LV116 Chesapeake, which was a lighthouse ship that was later used by the US Coast Guard. This was probably the least exciting of the ships (to me) but it prepped me for the ladders and small entry ways I would expect on the next ship I would board. The main highlight aboard was a small exhibit about dogs that served on the ships and how they boosted morale among the crew.

After that I went into the USS Torsk, a World War II submarine that boasts over 10,000 dives and was the last US Navy vessel to sink an enemy ship in that conflict. The deck of the Torsk is kind of rickety looking, but my friend (who joined me by this point) reminded me that in general you wouldn't be walking on top of the ship anyway, seeing as it was designed to be underwater. Again lots of steep stair-ladders, and this time small doorways to squeeze our bodies through as well.  This ship was really interesting, getting to walk past torpedoes, radar rooms, and a mini-cafeteria that had a television playing some really great classical music with movie clips. The main downside- other than being slightly too tall and too pudgy to move around freely without having to think about the angle I would approach doors- is that throughout the ship there were touches of things obviously not from that time period (like plastic Bic pens that looked fresh from Office Depot) that were a bit distracting.

USS Torsk

Finally we went to the USCG Taney, the last ship floating that fought in Pearl Harbor. The ship also was a part of the search for Amelia Earhart, fought in the Vietnam War, and was a part of the largest marijuana bust in US history- 160 tons. Certainly the largest of the ships, the Taney was the easiest to move around, and had an entire room dedicated to the attack on Pearl Harbor, with a video playing of interviews of survivors of the events.

USCG Taney

Now, I am sure everyone is wondering "Terri, why haven't you blogged about Maryland crab?" Well, I'm the genius that decided to visit Maryland during the off season for crab. I'll have to come back, maybe on a food centered entry, when crabs are plentiful and don't cost two arms and a third of your soul to get a decent sized cake. As a rule, I don't eat crab legs or pick through crustacean bodies because they look like giant bugs to me- but I'll eat crab cakes and soups and dips and just about anything made with the actual meat. Just an FYI for when I head to Maine and am faced with lobsters!

I also was disappointed that the public isn't allowed to tour the Domino sugar factory located in the city. I'm kind of developing a "thing" of touring factories after visiting Bacardi in Puerto Rico. I'm already plotting on Hershey in Pennsylvania, and Jack Daniels in Tennessee. My friend told me that the dot of the "I" in the glowing sign is over 6 feet tall, and that workers who clean it have to wear special suits to avoid sticking to the lettering because of the sugary fumes that emit from the building. Would have been nice to tour for myself and hear this from an official rep- but alas, that wasn't possible.

With that, I've completed my journey into Maryland! Please feel free to visit (and like!) my Facebook page, leave your comments below, or Tweet me with your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks for reading!

Maryland - Part I (Annapolis)

Hello readers! I apologize that I have not posted in several weeks. It isn't due to a lack of interest or exploration, just a matter of my personal and professional life getting a lot busier and more hectic than I anticipated. I had my Internet and cable disconnected in my apartment because it was simply TOO expensive ($120/ month!), and have not yet activated an alternative month-by-month service. If you have any suggestions (such as Cricket or Verizon- two companies I've already been told to look into by friends) please feel free to let me know! You don't realize how much you USE the Internet until you don't have it at your disposal whenever you wish. I also came down with a seriously terrible flu/bronchitis/upper respiratory infection/pink eye illness combo that had me out of commission for over a week, slowing progress in posting even more (don't worry- I'm all better now!) I have about 4 entries in process, so please bear with me!

I had a very good friend (Alicia) come and visit me from Connecticut for my long Veteran's Day weekend. Being a great friend and good sport, she joined me on my adventure to Annapolis- the capital of Maryland. We spent a day there, visiting three locations: The Annapolis Maritime Museum, the US Naval Academy, and the Alex Haley Memorial. We were instantly impressed with how clean, quaint, and colonial the city looked- in fact she noted that it reminded her a lot of Connecticut!

THE ANNAPOLIS MARITIME MUSEUM

I learned about this place by doing Google searches for "Maryland tourism". Almost every site listed mentioned this quaint museum, so I just HAD to check it out. I was expecting a semi-large space with information about Maryland aquatics, boat history, and how the water has affected Maryland (or at least Annapolis) culture. I kind of got that. It was a very small (but free!) building that my friend and I later learned used to be an oyster shucking plant. Essentially it was a room, with a split up boat in the middle, a murky tank and giant oyster model in the back corner, and a few interactive exhibits along the walls. Inside the tank were fish native to the Chesapeake Bay (and horseshoe crabs- which look completely scary and creepy but are harmless- according to both the staff and my Connecticut friend who is also familiar with them...I personally don't want to find out either way).


Inside of the Maritime Museum

I was slightly disappointed, but a good sport I still walked around and checked it out- and I'm glad I did. The split up boat is a decades old oyster boat separated to show you the construction and allow small kids to climb in and through (I didn't feel small enough to fool around with that, so kudos to the men and women who do that every day!) The interactive displays in the back talk about the history of oyster harvesting as an industry- with videos showing different methods use to collect them from the water, how to open them, etc. There was a giant oyster model with LED lights that showed different parts of the oyster. In the back, there was an actual stand that would have been used by workers as they stood, shucking oysters trying to fill buckets as quickly as possible, as well as equipment and antique products that would have been made in the plant. The displays claimed this was one of the few industries blacks and whites could work side by side in....but all the photos they showed and used in displays- I only saw blacks (no biggie though). Outside, along the back, there is a dock, with signs talking about both the history and fragile ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay. Kind of surreal reading about all the different ships and events that happened while in the background expensive sailboats and yachts are bobbing in the water.

Overall, very cute museum even though it is small. Just a tip, there is street parking available- but not much. and for some reason, we left there ready to sit down to a meal. This is a great place to bring small kids who have never been to a museum before- a perfect balance of learning that some things you can touch and other things you cannot.



THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY



First off- wowza. Before I get into details, this has to be the most immaculate campus of anything I have ever seen. I was in full history geek mode the entire time...and I loved it! Alicia and I wandered in and out of several buildings (one of which had a reproduction of a 1909 Wright Military Flyer...long story as to how I knew that on-sight) and I took pictures on our scenic walk. The primary purpose of my visit, however, was to get to the museum located on their campus that covers the naval history from around the world, but with special emphasis on the American Navy and the development of the USNA as we know it today. Admission was free- but I think it's because we arrived later in the day because I distinctly remember reading about admission fees somewhere online...but I digress.

Wright Military 1909 Flyer replica on display on the campus

In two levels, you get a very thorough background of naval history. On the upper floor, there are stations that explain how each part of ships worked (via exhibit displays- nothing hands on though) You also learn about model shipbuilding, as there are dozens and dozens of ship models around the room, most of which are centuries old and were made my prisoners of various countries and conflicts. Some of the more interesting ones were made of animal bones with crude tools. The first floor specifically discusses that American Navy and it's development from our colonial days up through now where USNA alum have flown into space. We both really enjoyed out visit there, and highlights for me were displays of all the class rings from every year of the Academy's existence, and a giant flag that said "Don't Give Up the Ship!" I was also surprised at how many names I already knew and recognized (such as Oliver Hazard Perry- who was the namesake of my rival high school...even though I still am not a fan of that place, the fact that I had an instant connection with a person featured in the museum was cool to me).

Rings from every class of the USNA

Don't Give Up The Ship!

Overall, I enjoyed my visit. It was a very well organized and executed museum- even if it is a little hidden on campus (Preeble Hall is where you wanna go- past the gigantor building that has the crypt of John Paul Jones in it). Be prepared to show ID when you enter the campus. There is very limited street parking, and they tow if you are there longer than 2 hours (a lesson we thankfully didn't have to learn the hard way!) The day we went, some special dance or something was going on, and it instantly had me wishing I was going to a military ball with someone! I'd love to return to the campus someday for a more thorough tour, but even if I never do, the Navy thoroughly impressed me!




Alex Haley reading to children (statues of course)

THE ALEX HALEY MEMORIAL

Long before I was totally aware that a TV miniseries had broken so many grounds about the story of Kunte Kinte and his descendants making a life in an ever changing America, I read the book. Mind you, I was old enough to even have been born when Roots first came on television, but I was old enough to know that the book was one of America's great novels- and that if I was going to consider myself well-read (which I did and to an extent still do) the 700+ page book was going to have to be tackled. The summer of 1996, it took me four weeks, but I finished that book and I'd never felt prouder of myself and of my heritage as an African-American. Mind you, I skimmed a few pages when Chicken George just kept doing things I considered foolish, but I READ that book. I've been a Haley fan ever since. Learning by chance that a memorial was dedicated to him, I knew I wanted to see it!

Situated on the water, approximately in the same location Kunte Kinte would have arrived from Africa, the memorial is broken into three sections. First is a sign with the explanation of the memorial off to the side and under some trees. Then there is a quartet of statues, Haley reading to children. Finally, along the water, are proverbs and sayings from African and African American culture (and Roots) that speak to importance of family, unity, faith, etc. Alicia said that she liked that it wasn't really big and "memorial" like, but just blended in with everything else, so that everyone can walk up and take claim to such inspiring information. i have to say I agree. Even though it was our last stop (not only was it now nightfall, but we had a date with a dance floor in mere hours back in DC!) it was the stop that made me feel the warmest. I could see my 13 year old self shutting the back cover, smiling and thinking about all of these things that happened so long before I even got here, and could feel almost a sense of closure getting so close to place where that history began.

For more pictures (90+) of my time in Annapolis or any of my adventures, please feel free to visit my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter, and comment below with your feedback and ideas and opinions!

Thank you for reading!



Washington, DC - Part II

My next few experiences are spread out over the course of about five weeks. As I mentioned earlier, the DC Metro area had been hit with an earthquake and a hurricane in less than two weeks which kind of put a damper on my travel plans. Either way, these are all things I haven't done before- so I'm sharing them with you! This will be my last installment for Washington, DC and I am a little misty eyed about it- my first stop of 51 completed!

Recall that my best friend was coming to visit me from New Jersey. Traffic was so horrible coming into the area that we missed our tour of the Capitol Building, and my passes for the House and Senate are still sitting on my living room table unused. I would like to point out that the process of reserving a tour online for the Capitol was very easy, but trying to reschedule (so that someone else could take our spots, I'm considerate!) was a NIGHTMARE. Following the instructions simply got me a second confirmation email sent to me- not a cancellation notice or a prompt to change the date or time. After two tries I gave up and hoped someone would see my efforts on their end. I will probably go later at some point in my life, but for the purpose of this blog I will not be able to post about it.

THE WHITE HOUSE

I also wasn't aware there was so much hoopla to try and get White House passes (seriously, pick up to ten vague dates as far as six months in advance? I understand it's the POTUS, but that's a bit ridiculous. Especially since you aren't even GUARANTEED any of the dates you request!). I put in requests for two separate dates- one of which was to to be this Saturday, but a last minute White House event cancelled that and had me rescheduled for the day BEFORE my original date in the middle of the work day. Epic fail White House!

Despite all this, I still managed to get a tour. Keep in mind that cameras and purses/bags are absolutely not permitted, so (again) I only have some bad shots of the outside taken with my camera phone to show you. The good thing is that there are several souvenir guides on sale all over the city that show the interior rooms- which by the way are absolutely grandiose and beautiful (especially if you like antiques and old stuff). Not too sure how practical it would be to actually LIVE there, but it is rather nice to imagine the First Family walking around and doing normal stuff like we would.

The confirmation you receive (which you MUST bring with you) advises that you should arrive at least 15 minutes before your assigned time. This is 100% necessary, as there are THREE checkpoints where you will be required to show your ID before you can even enter. Everyone must be accounted for- even babies- a fact I learned while one family was referred to a supervisor because their 5 or 6 month old wasn't listed on their party. The tour is self led- meaning there is no official guide. You walk on a predetermined path past the most popular room on the East side of the building (not the Oval Office or West Wing) and pretty much just look at all the antiques racked up over the years by different Presidents and their families. All but one of the guards stationed in each room were pretty quiet- with the one exception being a guard who obviously loves his job and was having a great time telling stories about events that took place in his room (the largest room in the White House). It was much appreciated, and very entertaining. You get to walk through the hallway where the President made the announcement about Osama Bin Laden's death (which isn't as grandiose as it looked on television) and hen head out the doors to leave. The entire process takes between 30-45 minutes, depending on how into reading labels you are. The cool part for me was as I was asking a guard a question on my way out, I saw what looked like Charlie Sheen in my peripheral vision (which of course made no sense) to be told that was one of President Bush's brothers (hopefully he wasn't pulling my leg)!

Very cool experience if you are super patriotic or obsessed with the Presidency- but if you find yourself unable to go, Googled pics of the most popular rooms will give you the same experience.


(image from AOL Travel)

THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM

I have to admit, I'm very spoiled by living in the DC area. This is one of the many private museums in the city that you have to pay to enter (versus the Smithsonians and the National Gallery of Art that are free), so I had high expectations. $21 dollars (yes I'm counting my online transaction fee!) is pretty steep for someone who is looking at having to pay her first student loan bill in mere weeks, but I went ahead and decided to go. (By the way, cameras are not allowed in here so the only pic I have IS of my ticket. Everything else is from the Internet. Also, not very spy-like to put my entire government name on my ticket! I've blocked out my last name for my own privacy.)

First, you are herded into an elevator, where an employee tells you that you have 5 minutes to assume the identity of a generic profile that will be on the walls of the room your are let into. That was a bit nerve racking (I wasn't prepared for memory tests! lol) but I got my cover down. Then you are led into a theater to watch a brief movie about espionage that is kind of an intro to what you are about to see. This was pretty decent- except at some point either other tourists got too pushy or someone didn't man the doors properly, because a second group not only burst in for the middle of our film, they had the gall to walk in front of the screen as if the twenty or so other people in the room weren't watching a film!



One of the galleries (image from businessweek.com)

After that, you gain access to the galleries. I was very impressed with the amount of information in each room. There were games, hands on activities, and short videos that were appropriate for all ages. There was even an "air duct" that you could crawl through. I was also very impressed with the way the information was presented, how the topics and subjects themes blended almost effortlessly, and how BIG the museum itself actually is. Who knew there was THAT much space inside of what looks like a teeny tiny building? We spent two hours there, and even then had to rush through some areas because the museum was about to close! My favorite galleries were about the Civil War era lady-spies, and the Russian KGB.

Towards the end of our stay we were approached by a staff person asking if we were staying for the adults-only tour afterwards. He explained that for about $10 more, we would go on a specialized spy mission and afterwards get a free cocktail. We had no other plans, so we went, and had an even BETTER time than in the museum! (Special thanks to our tour guide Miguel who probably thought me and my BFF were absolutely certifiably goofy by the end of the tour lol) Making up code names, tapping into "video surveillance" and "phone conversations", breaking into a man's "house" to search his office, making a getaway, and deciding on if our spy organization had been compromised was waaaaaayyy more fun than anything I've ever done in a museum before (and I love museums!). I won't go into too many details because you truly should check it out for yourselves- hint hint fellas, it makes a GREAT date. My best friend and I were one of two non-couple duos there. Everyone else was obviously in some sort of relationship.

Cracking into a safe on the "adult only" after hours experience. (image from americanzoom.org)

I was 100% overjoyed with my experience, and feel it was worth every penny! But I do have two down sides to my trip here.

First, the wild out of control kids. I get it parents; you want your children to have fun, learn, etc. I don't even expect kids to be quiet or even walk calmly in places like this that encourage interaction. But the children that were in the museum that afternoon were totally insane. Yelling and squealing like they were in a playground. Climbing on displays (and not the ones you are allowed to climb on). Opening doors that said "Do Not Open" while parents stood by and said nothing. One little girl kept running (and I mean RUNNING) into me so frequently that the fourth time she did it I grabbed her arm and told her I would tell her mother on her if she did it again. Only then did her mom apologize to me even though she witnessed all the other instances! I don't mean to get preachy, but it's unfair to everyone around if your kids don't know how to act reasonably around other people. The main selling point for me that day to go on the adults only after hours tour was the fact that there wouldn't be kids around- and that's a shame.

Second, the bartender at the end of the after hours portion was absolutely terrible. I don't drink alcohol, so all I was going to get was a tonic water with lime juice. I had to wait nearly 15 minutes for him to make everyone else's drinks (there were only about 8 of us total in my group) because he was completely unaware of how to make drinks, and when he figured it out, he took his sweet time to make them. When I finally got to order my water, he gave me a spiel about how he was new (OK, cool I get it now) and how he hoped to make lots of tips from my group (um, what? I don't think you are supposed to cajole your customers into giving you tips!) I feel for the guy, but I was a little put off by that.

THE MLK MEMORIAL

I made the trek (and by trek I mean about a 25-30 minute walk from the Air and Space Museum because there are no buses or subway stops close to the actual monument) down to the memorial the day it was originally supposed to be dedicated after I got off work. In case you missed the news, Hurricane Irene ended up causing the festivities to be postponed "indefinitely", but also left hundreds of people that had traveled to DC left without any formal programming.

As you can see, the weather cleared up, and it seemed everyone came down to the site regardless of the fact that all formal activities were off. It was PACKED, and I was very nervous of an overeager camera phone photographer was going to bump someone (namely me!) too hard by mistake and we would go flying into the Tidal Basin because there were no rails or other boundaries keeping you from jump hopping into the black water. The monument is kind of hidden if you aren't determined to find it- the National Parks Service hasn't yet updated the outside signage, and to be honest, I simply followed the flow of Black people to ensure I was going the right way. (Hint, stick to Independence Avenue and keep walking until about halfway past the (currently under rennovation) Reflecting Pool- the walkway to MLK will be on the left hand side of the street). It was a bit tricky trying to cross a busy street with no traffic signals or formal walkways to get TO the memorial, but as a city slicker I was ok with that.

Cool experience since it was new, but I don't see myself making that long walk there (or back) anytime soon again.

THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM

I have to admit that I was very hesitant to go to this place. One, I was skeptical about going to a teeny tiny aquarium when I have had my heart set on getting to the uber big one in Baltimore, Maryland for years. Turns out they are sister aquariums. So, after walking from the White House and ending up near their facility (in the basement of another Federal Building) I dedcided to go ahead and experience it for myself.

Overall, I think this place was worth my $9.95. The few staff members I actually got to meet were very friendly and seemed proud of their jobs, and they hinted at membership twice- but not in a used car salesman way, which I thought was appropriate. This place looks like it is SCREAMING for financial assistance, but that's probably because everything was so old. This is America's first aquarium, and it's current physical location has been in place since the 1930s. Everything was neat and clean, if not a little too dark, and there was a much wider variety of animals than I was expecting. Many of the fish seemed used to being gawked at, and returned the favor. One fish in particular followed me along the case- as if making sure I didn't try anything funny, which was a total hoot. I appreciated that many cases had notes added to them about interesting things happening at that time within them (for example, the shark tank pointed out the two types of shark eggs that were inside. First, who knew sharks laid eggs?? And second, the fact that one varitey looked like brown silly string and the other was shaped like a corkscrew really shocked me...I mean, corkscrew shaped eggs? Wow!) At 2PM there are various animal feedings that you can observe- the day I went was for the pirahanas, but I was way too early to watch that (even though your reciept from admission allows you to enter and exit once during the day, so I could have come back). The most frustrating parts were that many of the animals were sleeping (like the sharks- I thought they had died until I saw their bodies breathing!) or were missing altogether (like the octopi). Also, the pictures and names above many of the tanks did not match what was actually in there, so many of the fish I have no clue what they were. The gift shop was packed with stuff (almost to the point to too mnay options) and they had a lot of cute options for any and everything even partially related to the sea and nature available (including Sponge Bob...which made me chuckle when I saw him there).

He wanted me to know who was boss!

The kids in the aquarium were very excited, and I think this would be a good warm-up place to bring kids that haven't been to a really big aquarium or zoo yet. I could also see this as a really cute date spot, or a place to cool down after navigating the busy DC tourist pedestrian traffic.

You can see the rest of my pictures on my Facebook page (and make sure you "like" it as well! Oh, and cut me some slack, I wasn't able to take my new camera with me so there are grainy Blackberry photos. AND kudos to those that take pictures of swimming fish...that was very frustrating getting their attention long enough to take a photo without them whizzing past my poor cell phone!) Finally make sure you give me your feedback on places I should go (or avoid!) and let me know how you are liking things thus far.

Thanks for reading! I hope to have more updates for you soon!