The United States of America – Page 6

March 16, 2017 by traveler 0

New York-Burleigh Spring 2017

New York, New York…

Now, this is the kind of trip I like, a combination of business and pleasure.

First, business. I'm scheduled to present during the : //www.eventbrite.com/e/harry-t-burleighs-annual-service-of-negro-spirituals-at-st-georges-church-a-tribute-tickets-31140514116?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=esfb&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harry T. Burleigh's Annual Service of Negro Spirituals at St. George's Church on Friday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. The address is 4 Rutherford Place, New York City. The program is free and open to the public. More information available by clicking the link above.

Then, I--joined by my mother, one of my sisters, and my "host daughter"--become a tourist. How much of NYC can we see in one day? Let's find out... Sunday's wide open. If there's a friend in the area who wants to get together for lunch or something, let me know.

BTW, my apologies for not blogging about my recent trips to Irvine, California, for the African American Art Song Alliance conference nor for the Music Library Association conference in Orlando, Florida. There's plenty I could have said, especially about the AAASA conference. Perhaps at some point I'd backtrack and share some of my thoughts about it.

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September 5, 2016 by traveler 0

Dubuque-Labor Day Weekend 2016, Iowa Trips

Three Days in Dubuque–Day Three

Busy day started with a stop at the : //dubuquearboretum.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It seems that I missed much of the gardens, but the trees, shrubs and various decorations were enjoyable to view along the way.

[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="588,576,577,578,579,580,581,582,583,584,585,586,587"] Back uptown, I found the Shot Tower a little bit off the beaten path. The building's original purpose was literally to make shot during the 1800's. [gallery size="large" columns="2" type="slideshow" ids="589,593,592,591,590"] Going back across town, I found the Mathias Ham House. It was closed, so I got a few pictures before heading back towards the river. [gallery size="medium" ids="594,601,600,599,598,597,596,595"] I eventually ended up at the Mississippi River Museum. I still didn't go inside, however, but I did take a few pictures of the riverboat paddles that graced the exterior. Then, I walked along the river bank a short distance just because. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="603,604,605,606,608,609,610"] Grabbed some lunch and finally headed back to home base. Traffic was definitely getting heavy and, unfortunately, there was a pretty bad car accident on the other side of the highway outside of Cedar Rapids. Still, the ride was otherwise uneventful, and I am thankful back in town, along with RB and Trek Bear. Now, I've got to get ready for work in the morning.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-05-15.29.46-1-300x200.jpg" alt="2016-09-05 15.29.46-1" width="482" height="321" />

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September 5, 2016 by traveler 0

Dubuque-Labor Day Weekend 2016, Iowa Trips

Three Days in Dubuque–Day Two

Even though I hadn't asked for a wake-up call, I was highly motivated to check out of the room early. Got some breakfast and did a little shopping before heading to my primary objective for this trip: the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. It was just after noon, but the museum was already full of families. Disappointed but really not in the mood for the crowds, I changed my plans and headed through town past various landmarks, to the dock where the American Lady was docked and prepped for its afternoon river cruise. The boat was not overly crowded, so it made for a nice, leisurely excursion. Beer and soft drinks were served in unlimited quantities as was a light buffet. Hope those who were driving carefully monitored their beer intake. (Don't worry about me, I HATE the taste of beer!) There were a number of other boats, including two other cruise boats, on the water. Along the way, we could see houses (see the "little one" in the picture below) perched on the top of the hills, and we passed a tree with an eagle's nest. I couldn't see it, but I'll take their word for it.

[gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="542,543,544,546,547,548,549,550,551,552,553,554"]

There was still plenty of daylight by the time the 1 1/2-hour cruise ended, so I next ventured over to the : //www.fenelonplaceelevator.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fenelon Place Elevator Co. Even as I drove there, I'm again surprised at how hilly Iowa is in general, with some serious hills near the Mississippi. As I climbed aboard the elevator going down, I could easily understand why it was built because walking up and down on a regular basis had to be quite daunting. Had a great seat coming back up. Definitely not an attraction for anyone who has issues with heights.

[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="555,556,557,558,559,560,561,562,564,565,566"] I stuck around until after dark so that I could get some shots of the city scape from that vantage point. [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="568,569,570,572"] My original plan was to return to Grinnell sometime Sunday; however, I still had things to see and do. I also had some thought about returning to the Mississippi River Museum, this time near enough to its opening time that it would perhaps not be so busy. So, I closed out the evening by going to see Ben-Hur all by myself at the local theater. Very different than the 1950's version, so now I'm curious about which one was closer to the original book.

September 5, 2016 by traveler 0

Dubuque-Labor Day Weekend 2016, Iowa Trips

Three Days in Dubuque–Day One

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Grin2Dubuq.gif" alt="Grin2Dubuq" width="414" height="265" />On Thursday morning, it suddenly hit me that the Labor Day weekend was approaching, and I REALLY didn't want to spend it in Grinnell. The answer: a one-tank trip. Relatively inexpensive and not too far away.

I decided on Dubuque because my previous visits there had all been for conferences with no time to play tourist and because it was only 2.5 hours away in RB.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-03-11.40.29-300x225.jpg" alt="2016-09-03 11.40.29" width="329" height="247" />Got up early Saturday (well, early for me, anyway) and took care of some Star Trek party business--including picking up the party guest-of-honor and my new navigator, Trek Bear, before hitting the road around 11 a.m. Unfortunately, I didn't know that Iowa had a football game scheduled for that afternoon and, thus, I got caught up in it. I suspected it would only get worse as we got closer to Iowa City, so I got off in Williamsburg and got a manicure/pedicure. By the time my nails were dry, the traffic was back to Saturday normal, so the rest of my drive was uneventful.

My first stop in Dubuque was : //www.minesofspain.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mines of Spain--a recreation park with several miles of easy to challenging trails for hiking and waterways for canoeing. A couple had just gotten married in a shelter near the interpretative center. Fortunately, the Julien Dubuque Memorial sets in view of the Mississippi at the end of one of the easy, short trails, so I walked down and got some pics.

I drove through the rest of the park and enjoyed the fields of wild flowers. The park was fairly quiet considering it was a holiday weekend Saturday, but I'd bet it gets far more active over the rest of the 3-day holiday. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="518,522,521,520,519,524,525,526,527,528,529,531"]

It was then too late to really spend time in the museums on my list of places to visit, so I next drove to the : //www.cityofdubuque.org/573/Eagle-Point-Park#!" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eagle Point Park. The website describes it as: "one of the most outstanding parks in the midwest. One hundred and sixty-four acres overlook the Mississippi River and Lock and Dam #11, providing a spectacular tri-state view of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin." For once, I didn't think that type of comment was an overstatement. Loads of both outdoor--many with views of the river--and interior space for gatherings, plus an outdoor band shell. Only $1.00 charge to enter with RB. Watching all those folks eat suddenly made me hungry, so I quickly finished my tour and sought out a local eatery.

[gallery size="medium" columns="2" ids="533,536,535,534"]

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-03-19.57.03-e1473124821236-200x300.jpg" alt="2016-09-03 19.57.03" width="276" height="415" />I ended up at Catfish Charlie's, which specializes in,... well, I think it's obvious. And the enormous and wonderfully prepared plate of catfish that was set before me provided more than adequate proof of the restaurateur's skill.

Wish my evening had ended so well. Let me just say that the motel where I settled for the night left much to be desired and let it go with that. Looking forward to seeing more of the city on Sunday.

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July 16, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

The Home Stretch

I got the early start I’d hoped for that Sunday morning. There were only two stops in Little Rock: the historic Central High School, site of the first effort by nine African American students to attend the all-white school 59 years ago, and the President William Clinton Library. I still had a ten-hour drive home and had some hope of getting there with enough time to get some sleep before going to work the next day. Little Rock Central High School was situated in a quiet neighborhood that seemed at least predominately African American, quite different than it must have been in 1957. Its size surprised me as the primary building took up the entire block alone. I hadn’t arranged to get a tour of the school in advance, so I had to content myself with pictures of the exterior. I did, however, go across the street to the visitor…

July 14, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

Ghosts of Oak Alley Plantation

During my short drive through Vacherie, Louisiana, on Saturday morning, I wasn’t paying much attention to the green stalks rising from the roadside fields at first because I see so much corn growing in Iowa, I’d assumed this was more of the same. Then I noticed that their appearance was all wrong and guessed that this was, instead, a sugar cane field. If you know for sure from the pictures below, please let me know. Oak Alley Plantation was one of at least three plantations in the area. I chose it because they had advertised their focus on the role of slavery in the life of the Antebellum Era community. I wanted to see how this was exhibited and discover how I reacted to it and what I could learn from it. Even with my studies and museum visits with their historical displays of the American South’s “particular institution,” I…

July 14, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

A Three-Hour Tour,…

(Really, the trip’s only 45 minutes each way, but you get the point of the title–I hope–and if you don’t, you should watch more 60’s television.) Friday was thankfully another glorious day, this one in Gulfport, Mississippi. And I appreciated this because I’m traveling in an area that can get some very fierce storms at times. As Gulfport is, well, a port on the Gulf of Mexico, it seemed logical to see if I could get on one of the excursion cruises available. I waited until the last moment to buy a ticket–my vacation trips tend to be too “up in the air” to want to purchase any more in advance than necessary–so I was glad that I was successful in getting one for the noon trip out to Ship Island despite it being a mid-summer Friday afternoon. In addition to the island having tons of beautiful, sandy beaches, it…

July 13, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

Tamiami Loop,… and Tallahassee, Too

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Day-9-266x300.gif" alt="Day 9" width="315" height="355" />One thing I learned from my past visits to national parks is that some are not entirely civilized--or more accurately, near civilization's accoutrements, such as gas stations, stores or restaurants. One should not enter these parks or even go near them without a full tank and refreshments on hand. So, when I saw what I suspected was the only gas station and hotel within the approximately 50 miles of the Loop Road that was my destination, I decided it was wise to stock up and wait until Wednesday morning to head in. This worked out to be a good decision because there was no gas or anything else but beautiful scenery.

I didn't have an exact address to give the GPS, and the National Park Service welcome center didn't open until 9 a.m., so I fumbled around a bit. Finally got the correct directions from a ranger at the center, plus bought a new medallion for my walking stick and some postcards for the family.

The Big Cypress National Preserve's : //www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/upload/BICY-Loop-Road-Scenic-Road-FINAL-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Loop Road Scenic Drive is approximately 24 miles of nature. Mostly unpaved, it allows one to take in its beauty at a relaxed pace--in fact, the speed limit is 15 miles per hour on the gravelled portion. I had the road nearly entirely to myself, so I spent over 2 1/2 hours driving slowly and stopping regularly to take pictures. Was not lucky enough to see any alligators or other larger wild life, but there were plenty of biting bugs that seemed to have a voracious appetite for people driving by with their car windows open to take a picture. A small selection of the pix is below, while the larger selection is available at https://www.flickr.com/gp/singinone/L8LeuZ:

[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="363,358,357,356,355,354,353,352,351,350,349,348,359,347,346"] Upon finally leaving the scenic road, I stopped by the Ochopee post office, the world's smallest, and mailed the post cards so that they would have its postmark. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="365,366"]

My destination for the night was a former colleague's home in Tallahassee, some 320 miles north. My GPS said I should get in about 8: 30 p.m., but it didn't account for two extended traffic incidents in the Tampa. I arrived a little after 10 p.m., and my friend kindly waited up for me despite having an early workday on Thursday.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Day-10.gif" alt="Day 10" width="532" height="163" />

BTW, if you have ever driven through or visited various parts of Florida, you surely would have found the differences between the peninsula and the panhandle striking, almost as if visiting two separate states. Certainly for me, with my only prior knowledge of Florida consisting of "Miami Vice" episodes, driving into Tallahassee my first time was a stunner. There is a reason why some have called the panhandle "south Georgia with a north Florida zip code." Anyway, back to the present day. I wanted to wind down a little before the stretch run ending of my vacation, so the only thing I had scheduled for Wednesday was to visit my old grad school stumping grounds at Florida State University. I had an enjoyable lunch with Sarah at a new restaurant (it used to be a Hardee's in my student days) before actually going on campus.

As I suspected, none of the faculty were around, but the halls were full of my 20+ year old memories. I spent a couple hours doing some research in the music library, and then it was time to head out before the evening rush hour began. Of course, I got a few pictures of the music buildings:

[gallery size="medium" ids="372,373,374,375,376"]

Made good time getting into Mobile, Alabama, just in time to find some dinner. My mistake was not investigating the area's BBQ before buying a dinner consisting of it. In one word: ACK!! It was only 7:45 p.m. when I gladly left the restaurant, so I decided to see if I could make Gulfport, Mississippi, before calling it a night.

In doing so, I crossed my 47th state off my US-states-to-visit list:

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016-07-07-21.16.08-1024x576.jpg" alt="2016-07-07 21.16.08" width="415" height="234" />

As I've blogged previously, while Mississippi has one of those "Bathroom Laws" in place, I'm not going to spend my tourist dollars there. I'm making an exception with Gulfport because it, like Charlotte in North Carolina, is vehemently opposed to that law. I'm planning on having a fun day in Gulfport.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/loudmusic-e1465435175950.jpg" alt="loudmusic" width="358" height="340" />The music in my playlist finished the C's on Wednesday while driving down the Loop Road. Thankfully, because the D's--especially the disco sounds of Donna Summer--got me into Tallahassee. I started feeling the many hours of driving well before I got there. The drive across the Florida panhandle and eventually into Mississippi saw the end of the D's and was just beginning the E's: Ella, Elton, and Elvis, plus others.

Still haven't made up my mind which part of the playlist is my favorite. Guess I'll have to listen to it a few more times to decide.

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July 12, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

Singin’ in the Right Keys

For unintended reasons, I continued to rise early and was on the road pretty early. I left Islamarada and headed west down the Overseas Highway. Fortunately, rush hour traffic wasn’t bad, so I made very good time, reaching Key West around 9 a.m. I didn’t have a specific destination in mind, only knew that I wanted to get out as far south and west as RB could take me. I soon saw a pair of cruise ships in port and by heading their way, happened upon Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Since I had nothing better planned at that point, I decided to see what there was to see inside the park. Past the fort just a short distance beyond the park entrance was a beautiful beach that I learned was bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the transitional waters of the Gulf of Mexico. An area…

July 11, 2016 by traveler 0

ST-Last 3 States, Summer 2016

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy….

Like every other day in Miami Beach, the 4th of July started as a warm and sunny morning. I began gathering my things so that I could vacate the room I’d been using the four days while in town. Wimbledon men’s tennis was playing in the background, of course. Since I didn’t plan to go to Day 4 of Supercon and had purchased a ticket for the 5 p.m. Duck tour, I didn’t leave until 12:30. Unfortunately, RB’s battery troubles had reached a head. She didn’t even have enough power for me to unlock the doors or trunk. AAA to the rescue! The technician did a check and determined that the battery should be replaced. Thank goodness it wasn’t the alternator. He showed me the old battery after removing it, and even I could tell the way the plastic body bowed outwards was not normal. Oh, well, one does what…