New York 2020

In March of 2020, John and I went to West Point to visit our nephew who is a cadet there.  On that trip, we also decided to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and the FDR Presidential Library.  Our first stop was to this very small town right outside the gates of the academy.  

Town of Highland Falls, NY.  It was established in 1906 and has a population of 3,900. The main street in the town leads up to the gate of West Point Military Academy.

Thayer Gate - West Point Military Academy.

On the main street, there were several churches quite close to one another.  United Methodist Church was erected in the early 1800's as the Presbyterian Church.  

Sacred Heart Catholic Church was erected in 1875.

Church of the Holy Innocents.  Episcopal Church built in 1841.  The church is configured so that when looking directly at the altar, you are looking in the most direct line toward Jerusalem.

The West Point Museum.  This was a cool little museum that gave some of the history of West Point.  It was free.  

Tank outside the West Point Museum.  Both are outside the gates of West Point.

If you want to get on campus, you have to get your passes.

West Point Redoubt Four.  This was a strategic defensive position during the Revolutionary War due to the S-curve in the Hudson River.

Touring around the campus that first evening.  The tower of the chapel was lit up and could be seen from most everywhere on campus.

View of the Hudson River at sunset.

The barracks with the lit up chapel tower behind them.

That evening the West Point Black Knights were at home and playing the Lafayette Leopards.

So we went!  It was fun.  It was a small stadium with open seating so we got to sit up close to the action.

The next day we got to tour the campus.  West Point is the oldest continually occupied military base in the country.  It is located on the banks of the Hudson River.  The US has occupied the military post since 1778.  It was originally known as Ft. Clinton during the Revolutionary War.  It was the notorious Benedict Arnold that tried to turn the base over to the British.  In 1802, it was established as the United States Military Academy.  This is the parade grounds.

Campus buildings.  Candidates must apply directly to the academy and must have a nomination from a member of Congress.  Tuition is fully funded by the United States Army in exchange for an active duty obligation upon graduation.  Most graduates are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the Army but may also select another branch of service.

Once again, the chapel can be seen from the parade ground.  The list of alumni is incredible.  Almost the entire cast of generals in the Civil War attended the academy.  In fact, Jefferson Davis, also an alumni, would only allow West Point grads to be Generals.  There were several notable generals that came after the Civil War as well.  Douglas MacArthur, John J. Pershing, Dwight D Eisenhower, just to name a few.

Inside the beautiful cadet chapel.

More of the buildings on campus.  The library is to the right.

Most of the families stay at the Thayer Hotel, if they book early enough.  We did not book early enough but we spent some time there.  This is our cadet, Brendan Matthew Windsor.

We stayed in Newburgh, which was about 25 miles from West Point.  The drive to and from was amazing.  It's nothing like what you would see in Texas.

Our next venture was to Cooperstown, NY where the legendary Baseball Hall of Fame is located.  Getting to Cooperstown was no easy feat.  We envisioned a smaller version of Disney World.  Signs everywhere, huge parking lot to take you to the museum....

Welcome to Cooperstown, NY!  It was basically one main street.  In order to get there, you had to go through all these small rural towns and then through some woods that were next to a big frozen lake.  We really thought we were lost. The village was founded by William Cooper, father of James Fenimore Cooper way back in 1786. It's in Ostego County at the southern tip of Ostego Lake. In addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame, there is also the Fenimore Art Museum and the Farmer's Museum.

We were here for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And this is it!  We drove right past it not realizing that this was the building we were looking for.  The place was deserted, which was nice in that we don't like crowds but it was odd.  The experience starts with a short movie that gives a little history of baseball.

Then you go into the museum itself.  In preparation for the trip, we watched the Ken Burns documentary on baseball.  It's a great documentary if you haven't seen it.  Lots of history.  The first big exhibit is The Babe.  I hadn't realized he was initially a pitcher.  

There was a whole section on the Negro league.  Jackie Robinson's jersey.

There really was a league of their own!

This cornerstone of Ebbets Field, the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It was located in Brooklyn, New York.  The first game was played in 1913 against the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Dodgers lost.  The Dodgers left New York after the 1957 season.  The field was eventually demolished in 1960.

In one exhibit, they had lockers for all the teams.  John in front of the locker for his team, the Texas Rangers.

Statue of Buck O'Neil representing the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.  He played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro league.  He also coached.  His contributions to baseball spanned eighty years.  Buck was the first recipient of the lifetime achievement award that was named for him.  He died in 2006.  He played a prominent part in the Ken Burns documentary.

Entering the hallowed hall of fame.

In this part of the museum, all the inductees have plaques.  It is pretty awe inspiring.  Lou Gehrig.

My mom's favorite, Mickey Mantle.  All in all a very cool trip.

Our last adventure in New York was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York.  The drive here wasn't bad.  

Franklin and Eleanor greet you right outside the visitor's center.

The main attraction is the house, Springwood.  FDR lived here most of his life.  It was his mother's home but once he got married, he moved back in.  As his family grew, he added on to the house.

A side view of the beautiful veranda and the back stairs.  

The house has an amazing view of land.  I imagine in the spring, this is beautiful.

John looking into the snuggery, which was used by FDR's mom.  At the end of the hall was his office.  FDR would wheel himself in there over rails that could be hidden (where the plexiglass is).  He would then be helped into the chair behind his massive desk.  The wheelchair would be put away and only then would he receive visitors.

FDR had polio.  This was the elevator that took him upstairs.  He would pull himself up in the elevator by pulling on the rope.  He had a lot of upper body strength.

This was FDR's boyhood room.

Outside the museum.  It was an amazing day.

This is the actual library/museum.  

When FDR took office, the country was in the Great Depression.

The swearing in of FDR.

The New Deal created several programs that helped the US out of the depression.  There were reconstructions programs for public works that created jobs.  Social Security was created and banking reform was passed as well.

FDR had intended to make his office here once he left the presidency.  This is the study that is part of the museum where he planned to work.

In his fourth term in office. FDR died.

FDR and Eleanor are both buried here on the grounds of Springwood.

This was an amazing trip.  More so because it was right as the COVID pandemic was beginning.  We had no idea how close we were to the epicenter of the breakout.  We were very lucky in that we left New York without being exposed to the virus.

Boston 2019

One of our pleasures and passions is baseball.  This year we decided to work on one of our bucket list items.  That is to see a game in all of the baseball stadiums.  For our first foray into this area, we chose Boston.  

I love this city.  It is rich in history and quite beautiful.  We'd been here before and last time we staying in the very luxurious Boston Harbor Hotel.  I looked into that for this trip and that would have tripled our cost so we settled to the not quite as luxurious Hilton.

The hotel we chose was in a great location.  We were kind of in the middle of things and all destinations were more or less walkable...which was good because we didn't rent a car.  Nor would we want to try and drive in this city.

This was a long weekend and it was centered around a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.  Last time we were here, we took a tour of the park but that was when baseball season was over.  In reality, it was over for the Sox at this point as well but we could still go and enjoy a game. 

View from our room at the Hilton/Faneuil Hall.  We got upgraded to a top floor room and had this gorgeous view of Boston Harbor.

Our room at the Hilton.  Clearly, one of us is very excited to be on vacation.

First order of the day was food.  We'd eaten on the plane but that was hours ago and...it was plane food.  We got a recommendation from the concierge and walked over to this place.  The Barking Crab.  It was only about 4 when we got there and it was already hopping.  

We had to try the crab dip.  And we were not disappointed.  It was really good.  

John got a lobster roll that was excellent and I got scallops that were melt in your mouth good.

We walked around the neighborhood for a bit and saw this climate change demonstration going on.  Greta Thunberg has been everywhere spreading the word.  Not sure if she was here but the Bostonians got the message.

One of the things you can do in Boston is take a cruise around Boston Harbor is this ship.  

This is the arch that leads to Boston Harbor.  On the right of the arch is the Boston Harbor Hotel.  We have great memories of that place.  If you have the chance to go, you should.  It's decadent.

There it is.  Fenway Park.  Home of the Boston Red Sox.  The park was completed in 1912.  The first game was April 20, 1912 where the first pitch was thrown out by Mayor John F "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (grandfather to JFK).

This is before the game.  Nothing is happening.  People are just gathering and beginning to go into the stadium.  We went into the souvenir shops to see what was to be had and then joined the queue to get into the stadium.

Little did we know that at a certain time, the entire street was closed off to non-ticket holders.  Street vendors and food trucks were aplenty.  It was a party.  I wish we'd realized that once the game started the street vendors went away.  There was some good looking food there like the monster dog.  Huge mistake.  Huge!  By the time we got to the concessions, they were almost out of food.  I kid you not!  We were able to get Italian sausages but not the footlong or the monster dog they'd had available earlier.  Learn from me:  Eat as soon as you get to the game so you can get what you want!

The visitors were the Baltimore Orioles.  It was a meaningless game for both teams but a great time for the fans.  During the 8th inning stretch, they sing Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond.  It brought tears to my eyes!  It's been played during every game since 1997 and mid-8th inning since 2002.

Well, when in Rome....

And, the Orioles start the game!  Boston did not do well.  In fact, they lost.  9 - 4.

The next day we went on our own tour of Boston.  Quincy Market is a big food hall that has a little bit of everything.  The market was built in 1826 as an indoor pavilion with vendor stalls.  It was named in honor of the Mayor Josiah Quincy, who arranged the construction without incurring debt or using tax money.

Can't go to Boston without having Chowdah!

New State House (aka Massachusetts State House) at the top of Beacon Hill.  Started in 1795 and completed in 1798.  Built on land once owned by John Hancock. The dome was gilded in gold leaf in 1874.  During WWII, it was painted gray to prevent the city from being bombed.

Town Crier.  Next tour is in 10 minutes!

Park Street Church was built in 1809 as a Conservative Congregational Church.  With the steeple rising up to 217 feet, it was the tallest building in the US until 1828.  In the 19th century it was the first landmark that visitors to Boston would see.   The church is a stop on the Freedom Trail.

Next stop on the Freedom Trail is the Granary Burying Ground.  It's the 3rd oldest cemetery in Boston, founded in 1660.  Several of the Revolutionary heroes are buried here such as Paul Revere.

John Hancock and Samuel Adams are buried here as well.  They were both signers of the Declaration of Independence.  

This stone is a little difficult to read but it's Mary Goose.  Mary was married to Isaac Goose and had 10 kids!  When she died, Isaac married Elizabeth who had 6 kids.  It was Elizabeth Goose who published nursery rhymes in the paper (Mother Goose!)

King's Chapel. The original chapel was built of wood in 1686 and was the first Anglican church in New England.  The stone structure was started in 1749 and completed in 1754.  It was built around the original wooden structure.  When the stone church was complete the original wooden church was disassembled and removed through the windows of the church.  It's currently a Unitarian Church.

Old South Meeting House was a congregation church built in 1729.  In 1773, a meeting was held here to debate the British taxation.  It was here that the plan for the Boston Tea Party was hatched.  In 1775, when the British occupied Boston, they gutted the inside of the meeting house, destroying and using it for horseback riding practice.  When the British left, it was restored.

The Old Bookstore.  The site previously belonged to Anne Hutchison, who was expelled from Massachusetts for heresy.  The house burned down and this building was erected on the site in 1718.  It was originally an apothecary.  In 1828, it was turned into a bookshop.  It was a meeting place for famous authors of the day such as Nathanial Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others.  In 1864, it became a publishing house.  Then something went terribly wrong and it became a Chipotle.

Old State House built in 1713 was originally the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798.  

The original was constructed of wood in 1657 burned in 1711.  

Paul Revere's house.  The site was originally the Second Church of Boston's parsonage home where Increase and Cotton Mather lived.  That structured burned in 1676.  This house was built in 1680, which makes it the oldest house in downtown Boston.  Paul Revere owned the home from 1770 to 1800.  The structure was renovated by Paul Revere's great-grandson in the early 1900's.  90% of the structure today is original to the house built in 1680.

Sacred Heart Italian Church.  The original Congregation Church was built in 1649 and burned in 1678 and then again in 1770.  The current building was built in 1830 and was the Seamen's Bethel where sailors would worship.  In 1884, the church was purchased by Italian immigrants from the Saint Mark's Society.  It was renamed Sacred Heart Italian Church.

Old North Church was originally built in 1723 as the Christ Church of Boston.  It's the oldest surviving church building.

On the eve of the American Revolution in 1775, Paul Revere laid a plan to notify the patriots on how the British were planning to move.  If there was one lantern in the window, that meant the British were coming over Boston Neck.  If there were two lights, that meant the they were coming via short cut by rowing across the Charles River.  On that night, two patriots climbed the tower and held two brightly lit lanterns in the window for sixty seconds.  Then the lanterns were extinguished.  But, that was enough time to alert the patriots so that when the British came ashore the next morning, the patriots were ready.

That was the end of the Freedom Trail for us.  

We love, love, love the city of Boston and hope to go back again.