The City That Lit the World...

Hey Everybody!

Welcome to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Let me begin by telling you that New England is sunny for the first time since my arrival! Who knew sunny and 60ish could be so nice! Since 1966 a 13-block district adjacent to the still working waterfront has been a National Historical Park. Today's fisherman harvest flatfish and scallops; New Bedford processes 20 million pounds of scallops per year (20% of US consumption).

The Whaling Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, one of many cobblestone streets in the historic district. Cute name & I couldn't resist asking about the origin. The short answer was, "Where are you from?" Apparently, if I'd been born in New England I would know that it's not cute, but just a type of pancake. Who knew! My ignorance was the lightest moment in a day about the whaling industry, loss of human life, and endangered whales.

This is the skeleton of a Sperm Whale next to the boats the whaling ship crew used to chase the whales. Yeah....it was dangerous!

Below are examples of the weapons used:

Close-up of Sperm Whale's flipper....just a big human hand...

Whaling built New Bedford into the richest city in the world for a time. Because the local mansions were built by Quakers they would never have been as ostentatious as the Newport mansions. However, the Quakers' mansion gardens were grand because plants were God's work. Of course, the gardens aren't blooming yet. It is said that New Bedford was the first Newport, RI by about 90 years.

New Bedford views whaling as the first gold rush. The local experts state that it funded the US government (about 90% of it) in those peak whaling years. They also say that whale oil was equivalent to today's petroleum. Whaling was also something of an equalizer for men - any race could start out as a lowly seaman and become a captain. For example, Paul Cuffe was one of the wealthiest men in 19th Century America, and he was African-American. He started the Cuffe School in Providence, RI to educate his own children. It ended up being the first integrated school in the country because the poor white children weren't accepted at any other school.

Because of the wealth, the town grew famous for glassware and attracted artists. But the town also had to deal with "moral pests" and a growing red light district. Thus, in 1832 the Quakers built the Seamen's Bethel (also on Johnny Cake Hill): it's a non-demoninational church started to improve the morals of seamen. It became famous when Gregory Peck starred in the movie version of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. If you NEED to see the pew where Melville sat before his whaling voyage, I can show you :-). The boat pulpit wasn't actually in the original Chapel, but only in Melville's story. But the movie created a tourist base for the chapel & that base demanded a boat pulpit.

It was interesting and sobering to read the cenotaph (empty tomb monuments) hanging in the Seamen's chapel. A lot of men where lost at sea after illness, falling overboard or being pulled overboard after harpooning a whale. The name Frank Kanacka has a surprising meaning - it's not a real name, but is an indication that a new crew member was hired at a port somewhere along the way as a replacement. "Kanacka" was always the last name given to those men & then each was assigned a different first name. Apparently, this was the solution to the language barriers present in international whaling.

The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum is the best example of a whaling merchant's home 150yrs ago. The house is on County Street, along with many other large homes, and the street is worth the drive if you're interested in seeing the Quaker mansions. At first the wealthy built their mansions on city blocks just off the waterfront, but over time the stench and red light district led to the move further up the hill. In some cases, the original mansions were turned into boarding houses for the seamen.

That's it for tonight....more soon.

Off to Rhode Island

Hey Everybody,

The last stop before heading to Rhode Island was the Groton, CT Submarine Museum - home to the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered sub. I have to say that touring that gigantic (320ft long) sub is a bit surreal. There are 5 sections opened for the self-guided audio tour, but the views of the control rooms are the most impressive.

Here are a couple other sub pics...

The USS X-1: the first "midget" submarine was designed to penetrate enemy harbors and conduct offensive operations.

The USS George Washington: the first ballistic missile submarine.

The strangest thing I saw at the Sub Museum was this sign in the women's bathroom:

Having survived the women's restroom, I head north for Jamestown, Rhode Island to visit the site of the the 3rd oldest lighthouse in the country, Beavertail (est. 1749). It's also a state park and there are lots of rocks to climb along the coast - reminded me a little of CA, but nearly as stunning.

This is the bridge to Newport ($4)....much more pleasing view than the NY bridge I paid $12 to cross. Anyway, my purpose in Newport was to walk the Cliff Walk and to tour The Breakers Mansion (1895). This mansion is considered the "crown jewel" of the Newport Mansions. The Cliff Walk is a bit overrated in my opinion...even though it's designated a National Recreation Trail and the largest tourist attraction in the state - even beating out the America's Cup boats! What it started as was a rocky path made by American Indians, then servants of the Bellevue mansions.

Cliff Walk isn't bad, after all it's a walk along the coast. There are sections of the path where the stones are loose and the path is slick in wet weather. However, I found the view of homes to be very limited. In fact, I found the driving and walking around Bellevue Avenue and Ocean Drive far more interesting.

There are no photos permitted in the mansion(s). There are no postcards for the interior of The Breakers Mansion. There are probably images in a few books... It is exquisite! There is nothing about the 70-room Breakers Mansion (the Vanderbilt's summer estate) that is gaudy, seriously. And the marble is gorgeous!! The interior is decorated with alabaster, decorative gold, platinum leaf wall panels, and paintings. It is breathtaking - more than once I caught myself simply lost in the room (NOT lost in the house). If there is a structure on the planet as beautiful inside I hope I get to see it someday. I read someplace that everyone should see this mansion before they die...I agree.

This one is Ochre Court and was built for Ogden Goelet (a real estate mogul of his time) in the 1890s. It now serves as administrative offices for Salve Regina University. It was gifted by the family to the Sisters of Mercy, who established the school.

This is the Marble House (1892) - another Vanderbilt home. It is said that the 500,000 cubic feet of marble served as the ultimate statement of Gilded Age privilege. I find it more interesting that is was the ultimate stage for Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt's competition with Mrs. Astor as a society hostess. Later, Mrs. V hosted "Votes for Women" rallies on the back lawn.

That's all for tonight....more soon. Thanks for stopping by!

A Day Visit with the Dead

Hey Everyone!

It's really not as morbid or crazy as it sounds....but it's accurate. Yesterday I spent a few hours in Hartford, CT to breathe in some more greatness. My first stop was the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. In 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin, her groundbreaking anti-slavery novel was published. Ten years later, Lincoln reportedly said to her, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war..." - little because she was under 5ft tall. The guide told us that, today, it is impossible to know if her book really started the Civil War, but at the time it was quite a force!

She wrote several other books, including The American Woman's Home (1869). In it, topics including house design, kitchen planning, and gardens. It is quite possible that she is the reason we keep plants in our homes & have built in cupboards and shelves in the kitchen.

About a year after the Stowe family built their modest retirement home in the Nook Farm neighborhood (below)...

Mark Twain built his grand Victorian home (below). This is where he wrote of the adventures of Tom and Huck! It is beautiful inside.... hard to say whether his is more beautiful than the man who built next door about a year later and tried to out do him (pic 2 & 3).

This is a close-up of the front entrance.

No photos can be taken indoors in these homes....not surprising, but kind of a bummer. There are not tours of this Day House, which is now used for Stowe Center administrative offices ...however, a guide saw me admiring it and gave me a first floor tour just to be nice. The carved wood is incredible, but that's also true of Twain's.

This same guide also reminded me that Katherine Hepburn was buried just a couple miles up the road in a cemetery with many notables (like JP Morgan and Mr. Colt as in the gun). I have long admired her as a woman and an actress, so I stopped to pay my respects.

And, finally...I drove further west to see one of New England's many covered bridges. This is the West Cornwall bridge at the Hwy 7 junction in Sharon. Hwy 7 is one of the scenic highways in Connecticut. It is still in use - lots of vehicle and foot traffic.

Next stop Rhode island. Hope all of you are doing well.

Mystic, Conn.

Hey Everybody,

I fully intended to post last night, but when I sat down to write I just didn't know what to say about whaling - specifically, about seeing, touching, and walking through the Charles W. Morgan (1841), the last American wooden whaling ship in existence. I still don't...but at least it helps me gather my thoughts and prepare for travel to a pro-whaling country (Norway) next month. The ship is undergoing major restoration at this time at Mystic Seaport's working shipyard. The ship is not in this photo, but some of its original wood might be....

When I walked onto the ship the first thing I encountered was this - it's where the crew "tried" (or boiled) the whale blubber for oil.

From here, the path leads down the stairs to the level of the ship where all the work (as in slicing and dicing) was done.

Scrimshaw is the art most associated with American whalemen. On long voyages, they would engrave or carve Sperm Whale teeth. These pie crimpers are a sample of their work.

Just FYI: this is the 2nd of 3 re-making steps. Here yarn is being twisted together to form a strand. This building is full of the strangest machines, but they got the job done!

Something I didn't know is that Mystic Seaport has an historically important vessel that is not one of those huge fishing ships, like the Joseph Conrad (1882). This ship was (and still is for youth) a Seamen's training vessel. Can you see the dude up on the ship's rigging?

 

The Gerda III was built in 1928 as a Danish lighthouse tender, but in 1943 it ferried both Jewish refugees and Danish Resistance fighters from Denmark to Sweden in the cargo hold. It is on display in the USA for the first time at Mystic Seaport.

This is a photo of Cangarda (1901). This is a privately owned steam yacht. Of the 600 of her type built, it is now one of the only 3 remaining in the world.

An interesting immigration story on exhibit right now is this one: The Analuisa is a 20ft fishing boat that brought 23 people to America in 1994. A Cuban family (19 people, including some friends and a dog) used it to try to get to America, but the engine flooded or something and they drifted for about 16 hrs before a cruise ship rescued them and took them to Miami. Strangely, a group of 4 people in need of a new boat came across the abandoned Analuisa. The engine started and they made it to Key West, Florida.

So, that's Mystic...I would definitely visit again - and not just for the pizza and ice cream! There's a lot to be learned here.

A Day at Yale

Hey Everyone,

I had some stops to make in New Haven... you know, breathe in a little greatness. I started with Yale's Art Museum (free to public). They have several Monet paintings in their collection. Unfortunately, only two were on display because there is some renovation underway. The good news is there are other museums on the road that should have some Monet for me :-)! Hanging next to him? Van Gogh.

In the same museum, there is a floor dedicated to African and Asian art. This is an African Chief's chair...isn't it cool?

This is an Asian Tomb Guardian. Also cool!

After this first stop (and while it was just barely misting out) I wandered through blocks and blocks of Yale's beautiful old buildings.

Next it was off to the Peabody Museum of Natural History (free on Thursday between 2-5p). What can I say... I love a good dinosaur museum! This museum is certainly on the short list of most renown for its specimens.

This is Archelon ischyros, the largest marine turtle species ever found. It probably weighed about 3 tons and measures approx. 10ft x 10ft. I am so glad that this isn't the kind of turtle I helped feed at Mote's turtle hospital!!

So I said farewell to the Brontosaurus - tried to get a picture, but just couldn't get a good one (sorry!) - and wandered over to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (free, public can see two floors). This is the library building...entrance is near that speck of light (bottom, center). The inside is very nice...cozy chairs and a multilevel glass cube in the center with shelves and shelves of old books. It looks very intense and there were 3 guards visible on the main floor, so I asked about the cube. He told me it is not air tight, but that only certain people can enter the area to retrieve books for researchers.

Currently, the main exhibit is Shakespeare with texts and some related items dating back to the 1600s. I wanted to stop here for two reasons. First, in all honesty, it's Yale and I'm not likely to be here again...might as well see all I can! Secondly, two items in their permanent collection were of interest: (1) Yale has a Gutenberg Bible (from approx. 1455) on display that was decorated in color by hand. It is believed this was the first book printed from moveable type in the western world & thus marks the beginning of the general application of the art of printing.

The other item I thought I should see was Audubon's The Birds of America (1827-38) - known as the Double Elephant folio because of its size. There are 435 engraved and hand-colored plates in four volumes.

As the rain started back up, again....I head north to Mystic. This is the Mystic River from the drawbridge into downtown.

I was a proper tourist this evening....ate dinner at the world famous Mystic Pizza (as in the movie), followed by some excellent local ice cream from Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. That movie must be 20yrs old (or more) now and I saw people outside taking pictures of the still famous sign while I ate. Funniest thing to me is that the food was good and the service was so-so, just like in the movie. Plus, the girl who brought my dinner said to me (as I sat alone): "Here you guys go, enjoy." I wonder, should I be worried that I didn't see the ghost at my table or worried that she did?

For those of you who just have to know what pizza I ordered, here you go. Sharmi, just skip this info...you will not approve :-). I ordered half spinach/ artichoke heart/pepperoni and half seafood delight. That's right....shrimp pizza! I knew I'd find it somewhere eventually. The artichoke half was better...I expected more flavorful shrimp.

I hope to have a little better exploring weather tomorrow....will write again soon.

Rainy Day in the City

Hey Everyone,

The rain cleared up nicely yesterday & this morning when I put my bike back on its rack it was still dry. By the time I put my stuff in the car (5 min later) it was pouring. It continued to rain until late this afternoon. I skipped a couple places where I had hoped to do some sightseeing from my bike, but still made one stop in The Highlands.

Once upon a time there were 6 or 7 twin lighthouses in the US, although none were connected. And I learned today that there are a couple still standing along the coast. However, the Navesink Highlands Lighthouse (1862, also known as the Twin Lights) were connected at some point along the way and is the only connected twin lighthouse. It is 200ft above sea level, one of the highest positions along the Atlantic Coast. Another thing that makes this station special is that it was the first to demonstrate commercial wireless telegraph in this country.

My next stop was Liberty State Park in Jersey City. My goal was to visit both Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. However, it was so foggy and rainy when I arrived that I couldn't see much.

Luckily, the rain let up a little and I caught the ferry. I found it interesting that it costs more to visit Shenandoah National Park than it costs to ride the ferry roundtrip to both sites.

This is the old train terminal that now serves as the ferry terminal.

I chose to visit the sites from New Jersey because I read that it was just easier than doing it from NYC. I would guess it's prettier too. Liberty State Park is about 1,200 acres & a really nice park. It has a great view of the Statue, bike paths, trails, and walkways.

Ellis Island & The Statue of Liberty

New Jersey's Empty Sky Memorial

I made one big mistake today....I decided not to fill the gas tank before leaving the city. Gas in Connecticut is abut 50 cents higher than the lowest price I saw in the past 24 hours. Oops!!!

I also made an interesting mistake today....left NJ/NY just after 5pm. That's right...I drove through New Jersey and New York, over the George Wahington Bridge ($12!) and it took just over two hours to go 59 miles. But...it also meant that I had time to appreciate some beautiful old buildings on Summit Avenue in NJ's Bergen Hill Neighborhood.

I do plan to make a couple more stops in NY before the trip is finished, but not for a couple weeks at least. Som that's it for tonight...much to be grateful for from day to day. More soon....thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to Jersey...

Hey Everybody,

It rained through the night and into mid-morning, but once I hopped on the ferry in Delaware I never felt another drop. The Delaware Bay was a bit choppy this morning, but not bad....please tell Heidi it was nothing like those "big ass waves" on the river! You can also tell her that nobody would let me drive the ferry, even though I told them I'm kind of a boat captain :-). The ferry terminal looks a bit like a lodge inside with comfortable chairs and tables. Every airport should be so cozy!

Anyway, about 90 minutes later the ferry arrived in Cape May, my first stop in NJ. I waited to get here to buy gas just get full service - NJ is the only state where every station is full service. Thus, the first local I spoke with was the station attendant/owner. He told me that 85% of his customers are tourists (most out of state). He also told me that at 6am one morning in another town I shall not name....a friend of his was shot 13 times upon opening the gas station. Kinda hard to NOT stereotype a place when murder is the first story you hear! On a related note, every hour or so the local radio stations run a public service announcement about how to quietly text terrorist concerns to the transit authorities! And, an officer and drug or bomb-sniffing dog ride the ferry too.

Anyway, Cape May is known for its Victorian homes. No pics since I already posted some Victorian homes, but there are many beautiful and colorful homes. Lots of stuff on the Jersey shore is closed right now... stores, restaurants, lighthouses. But I'd rather be here now...must be crazy in the summertime!

Cape May Point State Park is both a wildlife refuge and home to the Cape May Lighthouse (1859). The tip of Cape May is Sunset Beach. That's where one of the experimental concrete ships built during World War I ran aground during a storm. The amazing thing to me is that the concrete ships completed any Trans-Atlantic voyages at all!

I'm not proud, but no trip to NJ would be complete without a visit to see Lucy, the world's largest elephant! I did not pay ($7) to climb up the elephant's butt for a guided tour....but I was here...driving around all the Monopoly Game streets! And I will tell you that Margate has some beautiful homes....hard to believe it's SO close to Atlantic City, which has more poor roads than good ones and just wasn't attractive at all!

Wildwood's amusement park is basically closed...might be open weekends now, but I won't be here to find out. I tried to visit the Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, but it's closed on Tuesdays, so we all get to see it from the street. It's the tallest one in NJ and one of the oldest (1857) in the country. I wandered west to Millville - more Victorian homes, although few as nice as those in Cape May. In 1941 Millville established America's First Defense Airport & trained fighter pilots. Millville is beginning to rebuild with an arts district - rooted in the town's previous history with glass-making.

Then I head back to the coast...to Long Beach Island to see another Lighthouse, Barnegat (first lighted, January 1, 1859). The last picture is the bird-nesting beach at the Barnegat Lighthouse State Park - nice view for the local residents!

Not sure what state I'll be sleeping in tomorrow...but I will be in touch soon. Thanks for stopping by!