WHIRLWIND TOUR FALL 2020

With all the hype of COVID and the upcoming Presidential Election, we needed to get out of town for a while. You know us, we like to get in the thick of things. Someone said we were gluttons for punishment, but we prefer adventurous! This trip was a combination of precise planning and flying by the seat of our pants. We had two basic goals in mind so as long as those two objectives were met, we didn’t care about the rest.

When we first started planning this trip we had one basic agenda. We were going to visit The Swanners, our lifelong friends in Virginia to spend some time with them. They both have jobs so it would be a lot to ask of them to entertain us (not that we need constant attention) for an entire week. So, we began looking for additional things to do to fill in the rest of the eleven days.

I (PW) had been to 48 States within the USA. The only two missing for me were Maine and Rhode Island. Since we had several additional days to fill, this would be the prime opportunity to knock out the last two States for me. So Maine was now the objective, with Rhode Island either en route there or back.

We knew this had the potential to be an interesting trip as it was a melting pot of possible calamities. We are in a seemingly endless pandemic that has all but brought the US economy to a halt, there are riots and protests in the streets of several major US cities in the direction we were heading, we were a little more than a week away from the most controversial presidential election of modern history, it was Halloween, the end of Daylight Savings Time, a full moon AND a blue moon. What could possibly go wrong??

Hopefully, we can give you an insight to our Whirlwind Tour Fall 2020.

DAY 1-DRIVING / INDIANA

We got out of town after a quick stop for coffee and a scone. Day 1 was uneventful. This leg was a drive that we have probably done close to a thousand times in our life. Missouri to Indiana.

First stop to was to our niece Kathryn’s to spend the night. We had dinner at Sero’s Family Restaurant. Audra’s sister and brother-in-law met us for dinner. We visited a little bit, had a few drinks then finally headed to bed at midnight for a 5 am departure from Indy. https://www.serosfamilyrestaurant.com

PENNSYLVANIA-DAY 2 – 3

Leaving at the butt-crack of dawn after a short night of visiting with Kathryn & Bryan, we were set for a long day of driving to get to Philly at a decent hour. One planned stop was off-path to see the Flight 93 Memorial near Indian Lake and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Several random stops for fuel and of course the Harley Davidson shops for the Poker Chip and T-shirts.

Flight 93 Memorial, Shanksville, PA

The crash site is part of the US National Parks Service. It consists of the actual Crash Site, Wall of Names and the Tower of Voices. It is a memorial to all that lost their lives on September 11, 2001 on Flight 93. https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

Crash Site / Wall of Names

Walking along the Plaza walkway, you get an up-close view of the actual impact point and the debris field. At the end of the walkway, there is a wall of white marble slabs with the names of each passenger and crew member. The slabs are in the direct path of the aircraft just before it impacted the ground. The point of impact is designated with a giant boulder in the field that is easily seen from the walkway as well as the Visitor’s Center. It is sobering to know at this very spot 40 people lost as part of the worst attacks on America in our lifetime.

Tower of Voices

The Tower of Voices is the latest addition of the Flight 93 National Memorial. It is a 93′ high monument that have 40 chimes (one for each of the passengers and crew members) ranging from 5′ to 10′ which will create different tones.

Philadelphia

Rocky Statue

The Rocky movies is a cult classic story of a local boxer who through a series of difficult challenges makes his way from the underdog to the top of boxing. Rocky finished his training run at the top of steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. At the top of the steps is bronze inlay of Rocky’s footprints and on the grounds near the road is the 8’6″ bronze larger-than-life statue of Rocky Balboa. If you are a movie fan at all, this is a must stop when going to Philly!

Philadelphia Museum of Arts (Rocky Steps)

Race Street Cafe

https://www.racestreetcafe.net/menu

Historic District, Philadelphia, PA

When you plan a trip to Philly, plan at least two full days to see the historical sites! There is so much here that a few hours is not enough. We are planning our next trip to stay a few days.

Italian Market, South Philly

A trip to Philly is not complete unless you stop at the Italian Market in South Philly to get a cheesesteak. The rival of the century is between Pat’s and Geno’s and who has the best cheesesteak in Philly. We were rushed to get on the road so we picked one. On our next trip in we will get one from each place and share them and make our decision. https://www.genosteaks.com https://www.phillybite.com/index.php/travel/943-pat-s-vs-geno-s-philly-s-cheesesteak-debate

DAY 3 – 4 NEW YORK

9/11 Memorial and Museum WTC / Lower Manhattan, NY

Lower Manhattan’s Financial District was the home of the World Trade Center complex. On September 11, 2001 two airplanes crashed in to Towers 1 & 2 in the largest terrorist attack on American targets since Pearl Harbor. The events of that day caused Towers 7, 1 & 2 to collapse.

Thousands of people lost their lives that day including firefighters and police. Permanent memorials have been created to remember the events of that day.

Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island / Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Ellis Island, NY

For many immigrants coming to the United States, Ellis Island was the first stop on their journey to a better tomorrow. If you are a historian, you could spend a full day at Ellis Island reading the stories that are catalogued in the halls of then historic place. https://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm

Grand Central Station

Brooklyn Bridge

Midtown Manhattan

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse

In the mist of every restaurant either closing early or not being open at all, we found a steakhouse that we could sit down in and enjoy a nice dinner. https://wolfgangssteakhouse.net

DAY 5-6 MAINE

The drive from NYC to Portland, ME was long, but uneventful. Traffic was not very bad at all, especially for a Monday morning. The leaves were changing colors and the scenery was beautiful (at least it looked like it at the speed we were going).

Becky’s Diner

Lunch at Becky’s Diner, a great small town diner with really good food! https://www.beckysdiner.com

Fort Preble

Built in 1809, this waterfront fort named for Commodore Edward Preble, was used during the War of 1812 and the Civil War as well as being part of the Coastal Defenses of Portland.

Fort Williams (Cape Elizabeth)

Fort Williams was build in 1872 as a sub-post to Fort Preble overlooking Casco Bay, Maine.

Old Port Tavern

During non-pandemic times, Old Port Tavern is a happening place in Portland. Great food and tasty drinks. https://www.oldporttavern.com

Coffee By Design

A quick stop to some breakfast and coffee for the road before heading to Acadia. https://www.coffeebydesign.com

Acadia National Park

Known as the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast, Acadia National Park was once homeland of the Wabanaki people. It was discovered by Samuel de Champlain in September 1604. By 1613, French Jesuits established the first French mission but was soon destroyed by the English. The island became disputed and later abandoned. Over the next 150 years, it was not much more than a landmark for mariners.

The island officially became a National Park on February 26, 1919 and was called Lafayette National Park. On January 19, 1926, it was renamed Acadia National Park in honor of the New France colony Acadia. https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

Massacheusetts

Boston

Boston Public Garden

In the heart of the Downtown Crossing, the Boston Public Garden is the oldest botanical garden in the country. Located next to the Boston Commons, the garden consisting of almost fifty species of trees, numerous species of plants flowers and bushes and eighteen statutes and a 4 acre pond. Near the pond, there is a bench designated at the Robin Williams Park Bench. This was where acting as MIT Professor Sean Maguire, he gave the moving Your move, Chief speech to Will Hunting in the award-winning movie Good Will Hunting.

Cheers

An ABSOLUTE MUST SEE when in Boston! https://cheersboston.com

Salem, Massachusetts

Boston’s Freedom Trail

Boston has a rich history in the birth of our nation. Prior to the American Revolution, the colonists began to plan the revolt against the British. Boston was a hotbed of activity during this time. The Granary Burial Grounds is the final resting place for many early American Patriots to include Paul Revere, John Hancock, Robert T Paine, Samuel Adams and many more.

You can walk the brick trail in the sidewalk from site to site. The Old State House is the location where the Boston Massacre happened on in March 1770. Three years later, in response to excessive taxes without proper representation, Patriots raided British ships and tossed over 340 chests full of tea into the Griffin’s Wharf. We know this as the Boston Tea Party.

Even if you’re not a history buff, this is a place you should visit as soon as you possibly can! https://www.thefreedomtrail.org

Brodie’s Seaport

This was a great place to hang out and visit with some of the people of Salem. Good food and great drinks! https://www.brodiesseaport.com

Salem

We aren’t really into the hype of Salem and spookiness, but since we were passing through near Halloween, Why not? Salem is a quaint little town with a rich history. We all know the story of the Witch Trials in the early 1690’s where over 200 people were accused and 30 were convicted and 19 were hanged. There is more to Salem than just this sorid history.

The National Guard was formed at Salem Common. There are several mansions in Salem. It is the birth place of Nathaniel Hawthorne as well as the location of the House of the Seven Gables. Several movies were filmed on location here, to include Hubie Halloween.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is monumental for me (PW). My entry into Rhode Island marked ALL 50 STATES visited for me.

Modern Diner

We didn’t have much time to explore Pawtucket, but what we saw, it is an amazing place to see. It is on the list of must returns. The Modern Diner was the first diner to be chosen to be put on the National Register for Historic Places. https://moderndinerri.com

Virginia

Our initial main goal of this trip was to visit our longtime friends, The Swanner. We met Mark & Becky in 1992 when we lived in Germany. We attended the same church on post. Our first time at the church, they invited us over for dinner and an instant bond was discovered. (We normally take at least one picture together, but ironically only took one with just the 3 of us, sorry Mark). 😏

Other than GeoCaching, we didn’t do too much in the way of touristy things in Virginia this trip. Our main purpose was to visit and catch up. No matter how long it’s been, when we see these friends, it is like we seen them last week.

GeoCaching

We were introduced to an activity called GeoCaching. It is a https://www.geocaching.com/play

Raven’s Nest Coffeehouse

Breakfast stop on the way home. Great little place! https://www.ravensnestcoffeehouse.com

Buffalo Trace–Kentucky

Needed a break from the road! https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com

HOME–WTF2020 Complete

Home Sweet Home. After eleven days, sixteen states, nineteen toll plazas, over a thousand photos and tons of memories, we arrived home safe late Sunday night. I named the trip Whirlwind Tour Fall 2020 because while it was eleven days, we were covering lots of ground in short amount time, its autumn and the year is 2020. It didn’t dawn on me until I started doing my write up that this was WTF2020. LOL. Thankfully, we had no dreadful issues of encounters along the way, so hopefully that is a good omen of how this year will end!