Notes, quotes and a thought or two from a Washington, D.C. hotel…
For the last 10 days, my wife of 29 years, my youngest son, Marshall and I went on a whirlwind vacation exploring the eastern coast of the United States. It was just our third real vacation in 29 years of marriage so we were sort of overdue.
Our adventure started in New York City with four days in the Big Apple. Marshall is heading to Southern Miss next year and will major in theatre. So, we did what theatre people do and saw some Broadway shows. We saw Shucked, Some Like it Hot and Life of Pi. All were what you would expect out of a Broadway show and I found enjoyment out of them. But after all, I’m a sports guy and was really along for the ride.
Also while in New York, we saw the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 museum and memorial. Both places were special to me. I never thought I would get to see the Statue of Liberty in person and she’s a big, beautiful girl. The 9/11 museum brought me to tears as I recalled those days while working at The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. If you travel to New York, it’s something everyone should go see and a day we should not forget.
And while in New York, we had one of the best meals of my life at Carmine’s in Times Square. We also had the best cheesecake you will ever eat at Junior’s in Times Square. But the surprise meal of the trip was a lamb gyro from a food cart. And I suspect I will be forever ruined on pizza after a trip to Joe’s — yes the same Joe’s that Spider-Man works for — and to Ray’s Pizza. I’ve always heard about New York Pizza but this stuff was just different. As far as food, New York won the trip.
After four days, we departed by train for Philadelphia for two short days. We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, along with a great visit to the Museum of the American Revolution where we saw George Washington’s tent he used during the war — I know that sounds boring but they made it look really good and it had a great story. In that time, Marshall tried four different Philly cheesesteaks. We went to the famous Geno’s and Pat’s, which are right across the street from each other and open 24/7. Pat’s won the cheesesteak war that night. But honestly, they probably aren’t as good as the one I get from the Madden Store, just saying.
After two quick days in Philly, we headed to our nation’s capital by train. These were our first two train rides and I was quite pleased with that part of the trip. My wife is already planning our next excursion that includes a train trip. Washington did not disappoint either. Upon arriving, we saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol on a 9-mile walk my wife has now termed as the D.C. death march.
On day two in D.C., we went to the Museum of American History. I saw many wonders there. One small item was a TRS-80 Radio Shack computer that was my first laptop in 1991 that got me into sports writing at The Meridian Star. Honestly, it was one historic thing after another and too many to even mention. I did kind of geek out in the automotive section looking at some of the old motorcycles and cars. I even saw a Tucker car which was really cool but it’s hard to top Lincoln’s top hat and George Washington’s uniform. How some of these things have survived is beyond me. The entertainment section had some really cool items like Superman’s uniform from the 1950’s TV show and Captain America’s shield from the recently movies. There was Muhammad Ali’s robe along with Rocky Balboa’s. As the resident grouch at out house, I was amused to see Archie Bunker’s chair. There were some sports items like Sandy Koufax’s glove, Roberto Clemente’s jersey, Ted Williams’ bat, Roger Staubach’s Navy Jersey, a Michael Jordan Chicago Bull jersey, Billy Jean King’s uniform and gloves worn during the Miracle on Ice in the 1984 Olympics.
The next day, we went to the Air and Space Museum where I got to see the Wright Brothers’ plane and read all about their first flights and what that started. I really enjoyed seeing the Gemini and Apollo 11 space capsules and Neal Armstrong’s space suit that he wore while walking on the moon. One of the hidden highlights of the Air and Space Museum was Nation of Speed exhibit. After seeing a beautiful Chevy Corvette, which was tabbed as America’s sports car, there was Richard Petty’s iconic No. 43 car and Mario Andretti’s Indy Car.
But perhaps the highlight of the entire trip was Evel Knievel’s iconic Harley Davidson XR-750 motorcycle. I love the quote “Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.” I think many boys my age had the Evel Knievel toy motorcycle and jumped it all over their living room. It didn’t take me long to get bored with that and trying to jump items with my bicycle in the front yard. It’s a miracle I didn’t end up with a broken arm or leg. But Evel will always be one of my childhood heroes.
It was a refreshing and exhausting vacation all rolled into one. We saw many things I never thought I would get to see in my lifetime and memories to last a lifetime. But now it’s back to the grindstone and back to work. We will start our Elite 11 stories next week with our first player and have to double up at some point to catch up.
So, let the summer of grass cutting, story writing, tomato sandwiches and our last summer of having Marshall at home as he heads off to Southern Mississippi to begin this next phase of his life and so begins the empty nest.
Robbie Robertson is sports editor for The Newton County Appeal. You can email him at rrobertson12811@yahoo.com.
