Miss America State Favorites
I saw this photo-article on the Travel Channel where all 53 Miss America contestants were asked for their favorite places in their home states. I immediately thought two things...
1. Wow, I can get a lot of insight on where to go and what to do in every state I haven't yet blogged about, and...
2. 53??!! Man, I thought I was doing big things blogging about the 50 states (and DC) for a total of 51. You add in my Puerto Rico bonus entry and we are at 52. Now, the US Virgin Islands too! Sheesh! I mean, technically I DID go to St. Thomas on the same cruise that landed me in Puerto Rico at the end of the trip...but I didn't DO anything there (my friend and I made it as far as about a half mile from the ship before the sun thoroughly whipped our tails!) Well, we'll see what happens between now and August 31, 2016!
Interesting though, the places mentioned in states I've already covered:
Miss Virginia says her favorite place to go in her state is the beach. (Not very descriptive, or specific, but we'll assume she means Virginia Beach...)
Miss Puerto Rico named the Arecibo Observatory (which I did not visit), home of one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world.
Miss Pennsylvania said she loves the Hershey Factory in Hershey, PA. Mind you, I haven't finished the state yet but I have it pretty much planned out... a whirlwind of PA made goods- including the Hershey Factory, a visit to Philadelphia, and the Frank Lloyd Wright house Falling Water (and its sister site Kentuck Knob if possible!)
Miss Maryland cited Baltimore's Inner Harbor (check!!!) as her favorite place.
Miss DC named the H Street Country Club as her favorite place (Really? A country club? In my mind... that's a poor choice, but that's her opinion)
Great insight though! I'll probably refer back to this article as long as it's available online for more ideas. Check it out and see if these ladies named one of your favorite places in your favorite states!
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Virginia - Part III
I started my Virginian adventures with the attitude that I was not a fan of the state, but I've actually had a lot of fun exploring and learning within the commonwealth. I've fallen in love with the city of Richmond, and learned that the best way to learn about people who I may not think I have anything in common with (IE, NRA members and those who fondly remember the Confederacy) is to be bold and learn as much as I can about them. I actually had to force myself to stop finding neat things I've never tried before so that I could focus on other activities and states. I'll end with my last two stops- the Alexandria Black History Museum and Mount Vernon. (Sorry this didn't get posted until after the New Year- I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2012!)
THE ALEXANDRIA BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM
So, when I think of Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia (or NoVA as those of us in the DC metropolitan region sometimes refer to it as) I honestly rarely think about African Americans- even though I know they have been around in the area for centuries. I think of government retirees, and young buppies clutching their Starbucks, both fearing going beyond their borders to venture into DC and unable to even fathom what it feels like to step into Maryland. I learned about this museum while trying to find an internship for grad school sometime in 2010. While the timing for internships didn't work out, my curiosity about this place stayed put.
A ten minute or so walk from the Braddock Road Metro Station found me at the front door of the museum. The structure itself actually used to be a library that was built for blacks who were not permitted to use the "regular" library. When you enter you see Welcome Desk in a small room crowded with merchandise, with jazz, blues, and gospel-inspired music playing. It costs two bucks to enter the museum, and if you go to their website, you can print a coupon that gives you 10% off in the gift shop. To your left is a gallery that discusses the journey to NoVA blacks faced from slavery from before America became an independent country up until fairly recently. I learned that at one point Alexandria had a thriving sugar industry, and the gallery showed artifacts from archaeological digs in the area. It also discussed how blacks fared after slavery, and highlighted prominent African Americans from across the 400 or so years covered, including Benjamin Banneker. I was very impressed with the quality of the exhibit design, and was glad that there was plenty of learning to be had for all- bright colors and simple sentences for younger visitors and more complex, lengthier passages for adults to pull information from.The second room is a temporary exhibit space and room that I suppose can be rented out for meetings or special events. Currently, there was a photography exhibit (In Black and White: Photography by Nina Tisara and Peggy Fleming) that has pretty neat shots of African American church life, and of an unofficial league of black chess players.
Altogether I spent about an hour in the museum. When I asked a question about the Alexandria sugar mills to the woman at the Welcome Desk, she called upstairs to a curator. I think I accidentally got her reprimanded or fussed at because you could hear the person on the other end sounding loud and irritated that she called with a visitor question. I hope that wasn't the case, because it would be a shame that the people "in charge" would be "too busy" in such a small museum to answer one question from someone interested in their subject. Otherwise this was a really quaint place- a good start for anyone interested in learning niche areas of African American or American industrial history.
MOUNT VERNON ESTATE, MUSEUM, AND GARDENS
On an unseasonably warm December day (Mid 60s the week of Christmas? In the Mid Atlantic? Yeah, that's crazy warm) I ventured to Mount Vernon- my last stop in the commonwealth of Virginia. I know there are tours available- Gray Line bus tours costs $40 or $50 dollars- but I refuse to pay that much money to go on a tour of a place I technically live near. Not when public transportation is available and I am still its Queen! I rode the Metro to Huntington Station (that's the very end of the Yellow line) and caught the Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon. Now, there are several ways to do this- as I learned the hard way. The 151 and 152 Connectors drop you off directly at the Estate, and you have to go to the upper level of the station to catch them. The 101 takes you close to the Estate, but stops about a block and half away from the entrance. The signage at the station isn't very clear that there are two levels the Connectors stop on, and I waited for an hour on the WRONG level for the 151 or 152 until I finally called the customer service line printed on each of the buses and asked what the issue was. I was quite irritated, but I ran down to catch the 101 that was turning the corner. I paid with my SmarTrip card (a re-loadable fare card) so I don't know exactly how much I paid- but I'd guess it was a total from my house to Mount Vernon of less than $5. Much less than the tour buses!
Admission for adults is $15, and you are handed a small stack of papers including maps and daily events. I happened to have visited during the Christmas season, which means there were lots of special events going on around the Estate. I missed a demonstration and tasting of 18th century chocolate making that only lasted for 30 minutes (thanks a lot confusing Connector signs!!), but did get to see most everything else. Basically split into 3 attractions (Museum, Mansion, and the Grounds), this place is huge! When they say wear comfortable shoes, they are NOT kidding. The museum is split into two sections- an actual exhibit space and an interactive education center. Photographs are not allowed in the museum, but inside were tons of personal items owned by the Washingtons. My favorite artifact was the seed pearl brooch in the shape of a flower that was owned by Martha Washington (I love brooches!). In the education center, you learn about Washington from birth to death (including a reproduction of his coffin), and how his legacy has impacted America all these centuries later. A highlight was a wall sized map of the US, showing the cities, counties, landmarks, schools, and other things named for Washington in every state of the Union. Pictures were allowed in there, but not of the General's famous teeth.
In the mansion (which is actually pretty huge considering how small houses used to be back then), you are grouped up and sent room by room with tour guides in each major section explaining the space and what would have happened there. Because of the holiday season, the 3rd floor of the mansion (which is normally closed to the public) was opened and we were permitted to tour it as well. It was kind of surreal looking into THE room where George Washington died. One cool thing I remember was that Washington had been gifted a key to the Bastille, and it is still on display in the front room of his home. I also see why he picked this particular location for his home- in the back of the house, there is an absolutely stunning view of the Potomac River. The entire tour took about 20 minutes or so.
The grounds are amazing. Because of the holidays, the turkey that President Obama pardoned at Thanksgiving and the annual "Christmas Camel" (this one was named Aladdin- Washington paid 18 shillings one year to bring a camel to the grounds to show his guests an exotic animal) were in makeshift pens. I've never been that close to a camel before, and Aladdin is massive! I got to pet him, but avoided his big camel kisses that he seemed determined to give me. Many of the work houses (such as the smoke house, the carriage house, the spinning room, etc.) are still standing, with mock ups for what they would have looked like in Washington's day. Also still standing were some of the slave quarters, with stories about specific slaves on display. You can still walk through Washington's "fruit gardens" (basically a mini-orchard), go down to his wharf (where people still fish), and visit both his old and current tombs. There is also a memorial for the slaves of Mount Vernon, and a vague mention of their burial grounds, which is unmarked. The gift shops are amazing- and very large. they have a wide variety of items you can purchase, including regional foods and whiskey made at Washington's distillery about 3 miles away. There is also a restaurant on the premises, that I assume serves colonial food but I didn't have time to explore.
Overall I enjoyed my time here, and I hope I can come and visit when I am not stuck at a Metro station for an hour trying to figure out how to get there. I loved how knowledgeable everyone I met was about the property and history. I also liked how much obvious care is given to maintaining the property, and how many different things there are to do. I disliked the poor crowd control in the mansion. Already dealing with small spaces, I felt not enough direction was given by staff to not only keep people going in the right direction, but also to have them be mindful of traffic flow and the others on the tour. One family had a son who was loud and kept running around, and they kept going against the flow of traffic after entering spaces. Another couple lingered in front of rooms having intimate conversations with each other for so long that anyone in back of them had to do quick glances of the same spaces before being hustled along. I think had the attendants asked them to keep it moving everyone would have had equal amounts of time to take everything in. I also was a little miffed at a comment one of the guides said on the second floor of the home- that slaves sacrificed their freedom to keep the home running, but the Washingtons sacrificed their privacy because of the influx of visitors they had. Um- excuse me?? I don't think anyone would equate the woes slavery with having too much company...I get what she was trying to say, but comparing the two was slightly offensive and probably should have been worded differently.
Did I mention this place was huge? I actually broke out into a sweat hoofing it from the wharf back up to the main grounds and was slightly out of breath. This place is not for those who would wear cute sandals or high heels, but is a definite must see for visitors to the area.
Finally, I want to comment on the fact that I did not include Southern or Western Virginia (as in the west of the state, not West Virginia the actual state) on this blog. One, I said early on that I have lots of friends from Virginia, and based on their suggestions, I saved myself a lot of time and money from going down into Smithfield to try and find Virginia ham. What I did get, though, was a fat can of Virginia peanuts- specifically Feridies peanuts from Courtland, Virginia. I had no idea that Virginia was also famous for growing peanuts (but have always known about it's tobacco and ham). Virginia peanuts tend to be larger and crunchier than peanuts grown elsewhere, and the honey roasted variety I purchased certainly fit that description. (By the way, peanuts are actually legumes- and not nuts...just another interesting factoid I picked up.)
So, Virginia is done. I hope you enjoyed my adventures into the state! Make sure you check out the Facebook page for more photos, and follow me on Twitter. We'll see you next adventure!
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| Across the street from the Alexandria Black History Museum |
THE ALEXANDRIA BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM
So, when I think of Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia (or NoVA as those of us in the DC metropolitan region sometimes refer to it as) I honestly rarely think about African Americans- even though I know they have been around in the area for centuries. I think of government retirees, and young buppies clutching their Starbucks, both fearing going beyond their borders to venture into DC and unable to even fathom what it feels like to step into Maryland. I learned about this museum while trying to find an internship for grad school sometime in 2010. While the timing for internships didn't work out, my curiosity about this place stayed put.
A ten minute or so walk from the Braddock Road Metro Station found me at the front door of the museum. The structure itself actually used to be a library that was built for blacks who were not permitted to use the "regular" library. When you enter you see Welcome Desk in a small room crowded with merchandise, with jazz, blues, and gospel-inspired music playing. It costs two bucks to enter the museum, and if you go to their website, you can print a coupon that gives you 10% off in the gift shop. To your left is a gallery that discusses the journey to NoVA blacks faced from slavery from before America became an independent country up until fairly recently. I learned that at one point Alexandria had a thriving sugar industry, and the gallery showed artifacts from archaeological digs in the area. It also discussed how blacks fared after slavery, and highlighted prominent African Americans from across the 400 or so years covered, including Benjamin Banneker. I was very impressed with the quality of the exhibit design, and was glad that there was plenty of learning to be had for all- bright colors and simple sentences for younger visitors and more complex, lengthier passages for adults to pull information from.The second room is a temporary exhibit space and room that I suppose can be rented out for meetings or special events. Currently, there was a photography exhibit (In Black and White: Photography by Nina Tisara and Peggy Fleming) that has pretty neat shots of African American church life, and of an unofficial league of black chess players.
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| Worker takes a water break from molding sugar cones and wrapping them in paper |
Altogether I spent about an hour in the museum. When I asked a question about the Alexandria sugar mills to the woman at the Welcome Desk, she called upstairs to a curator. I think I accidentally got her reprimanded or fussed at because you could hear the person on the other end sounding loud and irritated that she called with a visitor question. I hope that wasn't the case, because it would be a shame that the people "in charge" would be "too busy" in such a small museum to answer one question from someone interested in their subject. Otherwise this was a really quaint place- a good start for anyone interested in learning niche areas of African American or American industrial history.
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| Washington's Mansion |
MOUNT VERNON ESTATE, MUSEUM, AND GARDENS
On an unseasonably warm December day (Mid 60s the week of Christmas? In the Mid Atlantic? Yeah, that's crazy warm) I ventured to Mount Vernon- my last stop in the commonwealth of Virginia. I know there are tours available- Gray Line bus tours costs $40 or $50 dollars- but I refuse to pay that much money to go on a tour of a place I technically live near. Not when public transportation is available and I am still its Queen! I rode the Metro to Huntington Station (that's the very end of the Yellow line) and caught the Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon. Now, there are several ways to do this- as I learned the hard way. The 151 and 152 Connectors drop you off directly at the Estate, and you have to go to the upper level of the station to catch them. The 101 takes you close to the Estate, but stops about a block and half away from the entrance. The signage at the station isn't very clear that there are two levels the Connectors stop on, and I waited for an hour on the WRONG level for the 151 or 152 until I finally called the customer service line printed on each of the buses and asked what the issue was. I was quite irritated, but I ran down to catch the 101 that was turning the corner. I paid with my SmarTrip card (a re-loadable fare card) so I don't know exactly how much I paid- but I'd guess it was a total from my house to Mount Vernon of less than $5. Much less than the tour buses!
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| Washington's snazzy and crazy big back porch/yard/view |
Admission for adults is $15, and you are handed a small stack of papers including maps and daily events. I happened to have visited during the Christmas season, which means there were lots of special events going on around the Estate. I missed a demonstration and tasting of 18th century chocolate making that only lasted for 30 minutes (thanks a lot confusing Connector signs!!), but did get to see most everything else. Basically split into 3 attractions (Museum, Mansion, and the Grounds), this place is huge! When they say wear comfortable shoes, they are NOT kidding. The museum is split into two sections- an actual exhibit space and an interactive education center. Photographs are not allowed in the museum, but inside were tons of personal items owned by the Washingtons. My favorite artifact was the seed pearl brooch in the shape of a flower that was owned by Martha Washington (I love brooches!). In the education center, you learn about Washington from birth to death (including a reproduction of his coffin), and how his legacy has impacted America all these centuries later. A highlight was a wall sized map of the US, showing the cities, counties, landmarks, schools, and other things named for Washington in every state of the Union. Pictures were allowed in there, but not of the General's famous teeth.
In the mansion (which is actually pretty huge considering how small houses used to be back then), you are grouped up and sent room by room with tour guides in each major section explaining the space and what would have happened there. Because of the holiday season, the 3rd floor of the mansion (which is normally closed to the public) was opened and we were permitted to tour it as well. It was kind of surreal looking into THE room where George Washington died. One cool thing I remember was that Washington had been gifted a key to the Bastille, and it is still on display in the front room of his home. I also see why he picked this particular location for his home- in the back of the house, there is an absolutely stunning view of the Potomac River. The entire tour took about 20 minutes or so.
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| No one came over to pet the camel until I got over there :-/ |
The grounds are amazing. Because of the holidays, the turkey that President Obama pardoned at Thanksgiving and the annual "Christmas Camel" (this one was named Aladdin- Washington paid 18 shillings one year to bring a camel to the grounds to show his guests an exotic animal) were in makeshift pens. I've never been that close to a camel before, and Aladdin is massive! I got to pet him, but avoided his big camel kisses that he seemed determined to give me. Many of the work houses (such as the smoke house, the carriage house, the spinning room, etc.) are still standing, with mock ups for what they would have looked like in Washington's day. Also still standing were some of the slave quarters, with stories about specific slaves on display. You can still walk through Washington's "fruit gardens" (basically a mini-orchard), go down to his wharf (where people still fish), and visit both his old and current tombs. There is also a memorial for the slaves of Mount Vernon, and a vague mention of their burial grounds, which is unmarked. The gift shops are amazing- and very large. they have a wide variety of items you can purchase, including regional foods and whiskey made at Washington's distillery about 3 miles away. There is also a restaurant on the premises, that I assume serves colonial food but I didn't have time to explore.
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| Mount Vernon Slave Memorial |
Overall I enjoyed my time here, and I hope I can come and visit when I am not stuck at a Metro station for an hour trying to figure out how to get there. I loved how knowledgeable everyone I met was about the property and history. I also liked how much obvious care is given to maintaining the property, and how many different things there are to do. I disliked the poor crowd control in the mansion. Already dealing with small spaces, I felt not enough direction was given by staff to not only keep people going in the right direction, but also to have them be mindful of traffic flow and the others on the tour. One family had a son who was loud and kept running around, and they kept going against the flow of traffic after entering spaces. Another couple lingered in front of rooms having intimate conversations with each other for so long that anyone in back of them had to do quick glances of the same spaces before being hustled along. I think had the attendants asked them to keep it moving everyone would have had equal amounts of time to take everything in. I also was a little miffed at a comment one of the guides said on the second floor of the home- that slaves sacrificed their freedom to keep the home running, but the Washingtons sacrificed their privacy because of the influx of visitors they had. Um- excuse me?? I don't think anyone would equate the woes slavery with having too much company...I get what she was trying to say, but comparing the two was slightly offensive and probably should have been worded differently.
Did I mention this place was huge? I actually broke out into a sweat hoofing it from the wharf back up to the main grounds and was slightly out of breath. This place is not for those who would wear cute sandals or high heels, but is a definite must see for visitors to the area.
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| Washington's wharf...a lot further away than it looks I'll tell you that! |
Finally, I want to comment on the fact that I did not include Southern or Western Virginia (as in the west of the state, not West Virginia the actual state) on this blog. One, I said early on that I have lots of friends from Virginia, and based on their suggestions, I saved myself a lot of time and money from going down into Smithfield to try and find Virginia ham. What I did get, though, was a fat can of Virginia peanuts- specifically Feridies peanuts from Courtland, Virginia. I had no idea that Virginia was also famous for growing peanuts (but have always known about it's tobacco and ham). Virginia peanuts tend to be larger and crunchier than peanuts grown elsewhere, and the honey roasted variety I purchased certainly fit that description. (By the way, peanuts are actually legumes- and not nuts...just another interesting factoid I picked up.)
So, Virginia is done. I hope you enjoyed my adventures into the state! Make sure you check out the Facebook page for more photos, and follow me on Twitter. We'll see you next adventure!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Virginia - Part II (Richmond)
Founded in 1737, Richmond didn't become the capital of Virginia until 1780. It later would become the capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Today, over a million people live in the city and surrounding areas, making it the third largest populated area in the commonwealth. I spent a full day in the city, having gone from DC to Richmond via the Megabus. It was a 2 hour trip, and I only paid $4.50 round trip- so I was pleased! I decided I wanted to visit Richmond because everything I heard about the city sounded romantic and uber-historic. I wanted to try something new for this excursion, so I made a video going into details about where I went an my experiences an opinions of what I saw. It's very rough so please don't make fun of me TOO badly :) Hopefully over time I will polish these up a bit, but I at least wanted to see how this would work.
Sites I visited (but you have to watch the video for details!) :
The Museum and White House of the Confederacy
The Maggie L. Walker House and Historic Site
The Jefferson Hotel
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Bygones Vintage Clothing
Galaxy Diner
Please feel free to check out my Facebook page an look at the photos from this and all of my adventures, follow me on Twitter, and leave comments on the blog (subscribe!) or you can email me as well!
Thank you for following me on my journey!
Sites I visited (but you have to watch the video for details!) :
The Museum and White House of the Confederacy
The Maggie L. Walker House and Historic Site
The Jefferson Hotel
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Bygones Vintage Clothing
Galaxy Diner
Please feel free to check out my Facebook page an look at the photos from this and all of my adventures, follow me on Twitter, and leave comments on the blog (subscribe!) or you can email me as well!
Thank you for following me on my journey!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Virginia - Part I
First off, let me say I am not that big on the state of Virginia to begin with (sorry!). It just never struck me as a place I would want to spend a lot of time, and most every time I've needed to go into or through the state, I have dealt with frustrating experiences, but I decided to take on the state with fresh eyes and see what I could see. After all, 50 states means 50 states!
Second, I thought it would be important to note that many of the places I WANTED to see were not easily accessible- or for that matter very friendly as far as trying to help me GET there by any means necessary (I'm looking at you Luray Caverns and Monticello!) As a non-driver (for now), I accept that buses, trains, planes, cabs, and my two feet are going to be my only options until such time I have a driver's license and vehicle. I'm not opposed to taking a bus to someplace and hoofing it or cabbing it to my final destination- even though it will be expensive and time consuming. But to not even be able to tell me the closest Greyhound or Amtrak stations without various customer service reps speaking to/emailing me like I was a complete idiot was very frustrating.
Third, I have a TON of friends from Virginia (mostly from the Tidewater region: Portsmouth, Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton, etc.), so I want to thank them for all of their advice on visiting places- and where to avoid. I think that I got a pretty decent selection, and for Part I, I will focus on my adventures at Arlington National Cemetery and the National Firearms Museum.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
I actually went to the Cemetery in August- the same day I completed the first half of Washington, DC, but since this was technically Virginia, I decided to wait to discuss my time there. Most of these pictures were taken on my crappy Blackberry Tour with a few taken on my iPod when the Blackberry decided to die (you know RIM...I'm trying really hard to remain faithful to the Blackberry brand, but this piece of junk is working my last technological nerve...however, I digress!).
I spent about two hours there, which I thought would be plenty of time, but ended up being hardly sufficient. I was quite surprised at how much learning and beauty there was to take in. My first stop (after the Visitor's Center) was the building dedicated to women in the armed forces. An event was being held in there the day I went, so I didn't get to see the entire building, but the displays of various women's uniforms throughout the services and eras was very cool. From there, I hoofed it past the graves/memorial sites of Presidents Taft and Kennedy. I overheard the Tourmobile buses discuss notable graves but honestly I didn't focus too much on the announcements. There are THOUSANDS of graves there (300,000+), and the care taken to keep the grass trimmed, memorial trees pruned, and statues and tombstones clean is tremendous and to be commended. I took pictures of a few memorials and statues that I thought were especially striking, such as the Nurses Memorial, the Confederate Memorial, and the McClellan Gate (the original entrance to the Cemetery).
Second, I thought it would be important to note that many of the places I WANTED to see were not easily accessible- or for that matter very friendly as far as trying to help me GET there by any means necessary (I'm looking at you Luray Caverns and Monticello!) As a non-driver (for now), I accept that buses, trains, planes, cabs, and my two feet are going to be my only options until such time I have a driver's license and vehicle. I'm not opposed to taking a bus to someplace and hoofing it or cabbing it to my final destination- even though it will be expensive and time consuming. But to not even be able to tell me the closest Greyhound or Amtrak stations without various customer service reps speaking to/emailing me like I was a complete idiot was very frustrating.
Third, I have a TON of friends from Virginia (mostly from the Tidewater region: Portsmouth, Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton, etc.), so I want to thank them for all of their advice on visiting places- and where to avoid. I think that I got a pretty decent selection, and for Part I, I will focus on my adventures at Arlington National Cemetery and the National Firearms Museum.
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| View within the cemetery with Washington Monument in the background |
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
I actually went to the Cemetery in August- the same day I completed the first half of Washington, DC, but since this was technically Virginia, I decided to wait to discuss my time there. Most of these pictures were taken on my crappy Blackberry Tour with a few taken on my iPod when the Blackberry decided to die (you know RIM...I'm trying really hard to remain faithful to the Blackberry brand, but this piece of junk is working my last technological nerve...however, I digress!).
I spent about two hours there, which I thought would be plenty of time, but ended up being hardly sufficient. I was quite surprised at how much learning and beauty there was to take in. My first stop (after the Visitor's Center) was the building dedicated to women in the armed forces. An event was being held in there the day I went, so I didn't get to see the entire building, but the displays of various women's uniforms throughout the services and eras was very cool. From there, I hoofed it past the graves/memorial sites of Presidents Taft and Kennedy. I overheard the Tourmobile buses discuss notable graves but honestly I didn't focus too much on the announcements. There are THOUSANDS of graves there (300,000+), and the care taken to keep the grass trimmed, memorial trees pruned, and statues and tombstones clean is tremendous and to be commended. I took pictures of a few memorials and statues that I thought were especially striking, such as the Nurses Memorial, the Confederate Memorial, and the McClellan Gate (the original entrance to the Cemetery).
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| The McClellan Gate (photo from the Arlington National Cemetery website- much nicer than what I was able to capture!) |
I also watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony that in the summer takes place every 30 minutes at the Tomb of the Unknowns (other times of the year, the change happens every hour). The Tomb of the Unknowns (or Tomb of the Unknown Solider- an unidentified American soldier from WWI) has been guarded by the US Army 24/7 since July 2, 1937. The Changing of the Guards is a ritual that relieves whichever soldier is on current watch from his protective marching back and forth in front of the Tomb. It involves two soldiers coming out, one of whom gives the commands as the other two do a bunch of fancy gun-work to eventually have the solider that was on duty march off with the commanding solider (I will go on the record and say I have not a clue about the formal ranks of these individuals or the formal names for the movements they completed- but I have total respect for them!). I wasn't able to actually RECORD the ceremony (again, I only had a dying Blackberry at the time, not my nifty new digital camera) but anyone familiar with military or marching band movements will be able to appreciate the precision and synchronization needed to perform this without any errors. I would suggest watching it for anyone interested in US history, or military history in general.
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| I wasn't THIS tired at the end of the day, but it was indeed a lot of walking |
I truly only had two downsides to my visit to Arlington National Cemetery. One was that getting up to some of the memorials to get a closer look or take pictures was a little awkward having to literally walk over graves to get to them (most especially with the Confederate and Nurses Memorials). This made me feel like I was being disrespectful, even though other people strolled through the sometimes too-thick grass with no hesitation. Perhaps I've just watched too many zombie movies- but I was really paranoid walking over grave sites and was just WAITING for a skeletal hand to grab my ankles lol.
Other than that, I would say take advantage of the Tourmobile for two reasons: the sun and company. Again, I was there in the middle of August, and even my veteran walking legs were tired and worn out climbing the hills and wandering through the unbelievably large Cemetery. I was hot, thirsty, and worn out by the time I hobbled back to the Visitor Center to rest before heading back home. Second, because the place is so huge, I often found myself completely alone. It can be either very peaceful- or very creepy- to be the only breathing human around and as far as you can see there is nothing but trees and tombstones. I always felt better when I could see someone stooping to read a name or aiming their cameras in the distance to photograph a statue. Again, perhaps I've watched too many horror movies! (*UPDATE* As of 10/31/2011, Tourmobile will no longer exist. Sorry!)
I actually learned about this place by chance. I was at work, and a visitor came and asked me about a gun museum he had heard about. I had no clue what he was talking about, but a quick Google search had me learning about the National Rifle Association and their collection in the National Firearms Museum. Even though the visitor didn't want to follow the seemingly lengthy Metro directions to get there, I was officially intrigued and decided I would go along and find this museum myself.
I went out on a rainy Wednesday and rode the Metrorail for over an hour to reach the end of the orange line, caught a Fairfax County Cue bus and rode for about 30 minutes, and then walked just over a half mile and found myself standing at the NRA headquarters with signs indicating that the museum was also on the property. For a brief second, I was nervous. Everything I had ever heard about the NRA wasn't exactly welcoming- that it was an organization full of white, mostly male, uber-conservative hunting maniacs led by Charlton Heston that collected guns and animal heads like trophies. I am probably a complete 180-degrees away from that image. However, my courage kicked in and I walked through the glass doors bold as brass, determined to see this museum regardless of who would greet me on the interior of it!
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| Den display in the Peterson Gallery |
I have to admit that after my visit to the Andy Warhol Museum, this has been my most rewarding site find thus far! The first thing I noticed was a room full of rifles and hand guns in state-of-the-art glass cases, a wall of certificates and awards, and what looked like a very ornate smoker's den to the far right (complete with carved ivory tusks framing a faux fireplace) and a glass enclosed display of Gatlings aimed at the visitor (with bullet casing art in the background) to the far left. I had stepped into the first gallery of the Museum- the Robert E. Peterson Gallery. Filled with guns once owned by people such as JFK and Annie Oakley, and other odd and end curiosity pieces, this room set the tone for the quality one could expect from the rest of the facility.
Organized in pretty linear format (historically), the museum goes from the earliest guns (including the oldest "gun" (arm cannon) on display in America that dates to 1350, and a gun that came over on the Mayflower), up through the Revolutionary War (with special emphasis on Virginia's militia) and the development of the Second Amendment- the right to bear arms, of course. From there, you begin to learn about advancements of gun machinery and manufacturing and how these developments helped (and hurt) up through and beyond the Civil War. Displays about WWI and WWII (including a cool "bomb scene" where Allied Forces are picking through the abandoned weapons of defeated Nazi troops). They have a replica of Teddy Roosevelt's study that you can walk in see displays about his storied history with rifles. There are displays about the guns in children's toys from the 40s and 50s, guns used in games (as in amusement park target games and paintball), and of course sport and hunting displays. One really neat fact I learned is that the Beretta company is the oldest family owned business in the world, having been in business since the 1400s.
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| Display of the uniforms and weapons of the Virginia Militia |
I didn't check out the gift shop, I didn't have spare cash and it didn't look that impressive to begin with. I did, however, read more information about the NRA (which was displayed everywhere) including a brochure aimed directly at women that highlighted the benefits of membership for both genders. I appreciated that although guns and weapons can be a political hot-button topic, nothing (other than the historic presentation of the Second Amendment) came across as blatantly trying to sway the visitor one way or the other. I also liked that throughout the museum were computer stations where you can learn very detailed information about each and every artifact in the collection by selecting the gallery and case it is displayed in. While some of the exhibits (such as the current temporary display about guns in movies) were made awkward by encasing them in sometimes cabinet looking fixtures, overall this museum was outstanding. I would encourage everyone to check it out!
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| Golden Rugers on display- look at that detail work! |
As always, I encourage you to check out and "like" my Facebook page. Feel free to email me at fiftystates5years @ yahoo.com with questions, comments, or suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@50states5years), and by all means leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
I'm having a really great time planning these outings, and it's exciting that so many people have been so supportive! I've planned out my Maryland excursions (hint, I'll have my sea-legs by the end of all these adventures!) and will finish up Virginia before Thanksgiving.
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