Monthly Archives: May 2022

Thursday 25th May 2022 Today was going to be a day exploring some of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, a temporary building was constructed around a large masonry water tank that had survived the fire on the site now occupied by The Rookery. Following a campaign by a British MP large numbers of books were donated to the city to replace its lost library, including 6,000 from Queen Victoria herself. As Chicago had not previously had one, space had to be found for this new facility and the water tank was converted into the city’s first public library: the top of the tank was made into a skylight, and bookshelves made to line the curved walls. City Hall also operated from another part of this building which was nicknamed “The Rookery”, partly because of the number of crows and pigeons that roosted there, and partly because of the corrupt politicians it housed. It was close to the fire department which kept horses there ready to pull the fire engines and so the birds may have been attracted to the grain which was used as feed. The Rookery Building which replaced this temporary […]

Wednesday 25th May 2022 We had originally hoped to start the day by going up the Willis Tower but the weather had different plans. The forecast did not indicate much improvement for tomorrow so we will need to save this for a return visit. As Chicago is a major railway intersection, and Robert is planning more transcontinental train trips here we will hopefully return. Instead we decided to see the city from lower down and booked an Architecture Boat Tour along the Chicago River. Our tour guide said that he had found the perfect job as he never stopped talking. He was certainly very knowledgeable and the tour proved to be most informative. Here is just a small selection of the things we learned, not all of which have accompanying photographs. The white glazed terracotta tiles on the Wrigley Building, which we admired on our first fleeting visit to Chicago, are fire resistant but will not stand up to power washing so have to be hand cleaned by people suspended from the building. The curvaceous Marina Towers complex [seen in the video below right] was built in 1968 at a time when not many people lived by the river so the […]

Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th May 2022 Our hotel is opposite the famous Peabody Hotel which opened there in 1925. Jefferson Davis, the former President of the Confederacy had lived in the original 1869 building. By far the most famous residents now are the Peabody Ducks who march through the lobby daily at 11:00 to swim in the fountain – more of them later. We walked across the road to see if there were any restrictions on the number of people who could come to see the waddling procession and Matilda was pleased to find out that all are welcome. As an added bonus the ducks were still swimming in the fountain as they remain there until 17:00. We planned to return for the 11:00 duck parade the next day. We then set off to see some of the sights of Memphis, one of the most famous of which is Beale Street [see Selfie of the day] which is known as the Home of the Blues. Metal quavers on the pavement here celebrate famous musicians and Matilda obviously chose this one to photograph. Robert would have you believe that he took this photo to show the typical style of architecture […]

Monday 23rd May 2022 We had originally planned to make our own way to Graceland when we docked but the house is about nine miles south of the centre of Memphis and so we felt it was too far to walk there and back. By booking on the disembarkation tour from the American Queen we found we could have our luggage delivered to the hotel opposite ours and get transport out to Graceland and back. The other advantage was that people on the tour from the boat were to be allowed into Graceland earlier than the general public. Unfortunately, there had been some confusion over the number of guides needed for coaches and our driver spent sometime trying to sort this out. We did manage to bypass the introductory video and eventually, although we were not let in early, we were some of the very first visitors of the day. The social distancing notices were obviously specially commissioned. The address of the property is 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard also known as Route 51. Visitors are given a pair of headphones and an iPad so that they can listen to the commentary at their own pace. A minibus takes visitors from the […]

Friday 20th to Monday 23rd May 2022 The hop-on-hop-off tour for the day was to Vicksburg but since we could see the first stop from the boat we decided to walk straight there. This time we seemed to avoid the crowds by being the only people who were choosing to visit the Old Depot Museum. To give the building it’s full title, the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railway Depot was built in 1907 at a cost of $60,715. At that time it was the busiest railway station in the state and 22 passenger and freight trains passed through every day. Now it is a museum housing model railways and railway artefacts as well as a diorama of the Siege of Vicksburg. Inside we were welcomed by a fellow rail enthusiast who may not have had many visitors for some time and who took us through to the exhibits. He had two hand held devices which Matilda thought initially were to count visitors but in fact he turned each model railway on remotely as we walked round the room so that we always had trains in motion to attract our attention. The exhibits included maritime models and we were surprised to […]

Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th May 2022 Yesterday morning had been taken up with laundry but on Wednesday we booked places on the daily ‘hop-on-hop-off’ coach. This takes passengers into the closest town for sightseeing and you are provided with a map of the stops and the local places of interest. Our destination was Point Coupée, which is apparently one of the oldest settlements along the Mississippi River. As we boarded the coach staff, presumably from the local tourist office, handed out environmentally friendly reusable bags branded with the town’s name in the hope that people would spend some of their tourist bucks here. The name Point Coupée is derived from its position on an oxbow curve and means, unsurprisingly, ‘the point of the cut off’ in French. Someone at a garage/petrol station, now closed, clearly was a Pixar fan with a sense of humour. The lake which was created here by the oxbow when the course of the river changed is called False River and there were some attractive lakeside properties, many with their own little jetties. The stops on the hop-on-hop-off coach were not very far apart and we walked between them rather than waiting for another bus, […]

Tuesday 17th May 2022 One of our top priorities on our first full day on the American Queen was to get some laundry done. Since we have found hotel laundry services to be expensive everywhere except India so far, we had found out in advance when we would be able to do washing for ourselves during this trip. We then worked out approximately how many pairs of trousers/shorts and tops we would need to reach these keys points and by packing sufficient underwear accordingly [and with Robert kindly putting a pair of shoes and one of Matilda’s toiletry bag in his suitcase] Matilda could manage with a cabin luggage sized bag. Making a ‘guesstimate’ about the size of the machines, Matilda had divided the dirty washing into a light and a dark load before we went to bed. When we woke quite early, she swiftly went up to put a load on, realised both machines were free and went to get the ’dark’ wash to put in too. She had just done this when another woman appeared and was clearly disgruntled that both machines were in use. If Matilda had been a little more awake she would have dissembled and […]

Monday 16th May 2022 The American Queen is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. Completed in 1995, she is a six-storey recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat. At 418 feet (127 m) long, 89 feet (27 m) wide and with 222 state rooms she can accommodate 436 guests and a crew of 160. Having settled in, there was little to do other than familiarise ourselves with the layout. Going up stream along the Mississippi River, one side of the boat is bathed in sunshine whilst the other is in shade. A champagne reception was provided on the fore deck as we were leaving New Orleans. Later, a slightly delayed safety drill covered the sound of the alarm signal and the crew checking we could put on our life jackets and stand outside our cabin but did not tell us where we should muster in case of an emergency. This was helpfully printed on our personalised room keys. On our deck the cabins were named after states and we had been allocated New jersey. Currently this is the only state which Robert has visited which Matilda hasn’t, as he is fond of pointing out. She hopes to remedy this later in the […]

Sunday 15th and Monday 16th May 2022 Our first stop on Sunday morning was to be Coterie, the place where we were recommended to have breakfast. We both opted for Eggs Benedict and were not disappointed [see Dish of the day]. We were required to have proof of an independently verified negative Covid test before we would be allowed onto the American Queen for our Mississippi River paddle steamer cruise. The easiest option was to take advantage of the testing service organised by the cruise company which meant we had to present ourselves at the Hilton Riverside Hotel at any time between 14:00 and 18:30. We also needed to transfer our luggage as this would be our hotel for the night before we sailed [or paddled] but we would still have the morning to see some more of New Orleans. We had walked the length of Bourbon Street and Royal Street several times and Robert decided it would be a good idea to walk the side-streets methodically, so we did not miss anything out. These are some of the things we found. This pedestrianised street which was particularly lovely and uncharacteristically quiet. The buildings on Royal Street did seem to […]

Saturday 14th May 2022 Bourbon Street was considerably emptier and much quieter when we set off on our sightseeing walk the following morning. This makes it far less hazardous when you stop suddenly to gaze upwards and admire the beautiful buildings and balconies although we did have to avoid stepping on a few revellers who were still sleeping it off on the sidewalk. The delicate ironwork on galleries and balconies in the French Quarter is apparently a later addition from the mid 1800s and is derived from Spanish architecture, designed to mimic the delicacy of Spanish lace although the French fleur-de-lis is also a common motif. By contrast, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is housed in a typical early Creole cottage, believed to be the oldest structure continually used as a bar in the south of America. It was built in the 1720s and supposedly served as a front for slave trading, contraband and other illegal activities. There are no electric lights so this bar is especially atmospheric lit solely by candlelight. Robert planned a return visit after dark, just to be sure the descriptions were accurate. The French Market spans six blocks from Café du Monde downriver from Jackson Square […]

Friday 13th May 2022 We had better views of the mountains from the plane than we had had on the Empire Builder as we flew from the north west down to the south east. But Robert deems flying to be cheating in this respect. We had pre-ordered our in-flight meals and Matilda was pleased to be able to sample more of Beecher’s Homemade Cheese [see Dish of the day]. New Orleans is the party capital of the world and, even though this was not Mardi Gras, we had arrived on a Friday and as we went to check in the lobby was full of students starting weekend breaks. The receptionist made a point of telling us that he had given us a room in a different part of the hotel. Matilda had been alerted to the fact that it was World Cocktail Day, so having deposited our luggage, we walked round the corner from our hotel onto Bourbon Street in search of a suitable hostelry. There is nowhere quite like Bourbon Street [see also Video of the day] where the nightlife starts at midday. We found the Crescent City Brewhouse where Matilda had a Weiss Driver [based on a screw […]

Wednesday 11th to Friday 13th May 2022 A friend has recently visited her daughter who relocated to Seattle before Christmas so we were able to ask for their recommendations of places to go. Ruth Jewell suggested that the Space Needle was a good place to start as it would help us to orientate ourselves. We were pleased to be able to see the Space Needle from our hotel room and set off through the streets of Seattle towards this iconic building. Seattle Tower, formerly Northern Life Tower, was completed in 1928 and was the first Art Deco skyscraper to be built in the city. At 27 storeys, it is now dwarfed by many of its neighbours, but it is nevertheless a striking building with a distinctive ziggurat design, based on the stepped rectangular towers of ancient Mesopotamia. Seattle Art Museum, commonly known as SAM, is spread over three sites including the one downtown which has a sculpture outside called the Hammering Man. He hammers silently four times a minute between the hours of 07:00 and 22:00 but rests his arm overnight. From here we walked down the Harbor Steps and realised that Seattle is has far more hills than the other […]

Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th May 2022 The Amtrak service between Chicago and the Pacific northwest coast is called the Empire Builder which seemed a strange choice of name to us having spent several days in Boston learning about the American struggle to escape the shackles and restrictions of the British Empire. Empire Builder was however James J. Hill’s nickname. This gentleman acquired several failing railroads and reorganised them into The Great Northern Railway described as the ‘only successful attempt at a privately funded transcontinental railroad’. The first ever Empire Builder was inaugurated on June 10, 1929 and named after James J. Hill – the company’s founder. We had again booked a roomette. Cody our charming sleeper car attendant greeted us as we boarded. This time, however, there was no personal toilet in the roomette so it was marginally narrower with a little less space for changing and undressing once the beds were made up. One of the dining car attendants went through the train to confirm what time people wanted to have their evening meal. We had a momentary trans-Atlantic mis-communication when Robert asked for the ‘half seven’ sitting. An international incident was avoided when we realised we needed to say seven thirty […]

Monday 9th May 2022 We arrived at Chicago Station, which like so many we have seen, is grand, gorgeous and very clean. It was designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in May 1925. Once again we were able to use the Metropolitan Lounge and so could leave our luggage and spend a few hours acquainting ourselves with Chicago. We were not sure what to expect and used GPSmyCity to find a short route we could accomplish in the time we had available. We went into the Willis Tower, previously known as the Sears Tower, and down to the basemen to ask about tickets to the observation deck. It did not seem as though there would be any difficulty in simply turning up as a walk-in when we returned. The elevated railways seem so familiar from films and TV shows. Lasalle Street is home to iconic Art Deco office buildings. But our route took us to the Rookery Building at one end, the oldest standing high rise in Chicago. We will walk down the rest of the street on our return. On one side of DuSable Bridge we passed a bust of Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable who was born in Haiti and […]

Sunday 8th May 2022 Having travelled on the Amtrak Acela train from New York to Boston, today we started our coast to coast trans-American train journey. Over the next three days we will be taking two trains to travel the 2,911 miles from the east to the west coast of the USA. The journey starts at Boston’s South Station. As a sleeper passenger, prior to your journey you may use the facilities in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge inside the station – a glorious spacious room with splendid ceilings. There are complimentary snacks including crisps, chocolate and soft drinks. Robert’s planning meant we had arrived early at the station so we left our luggage at the Metropolitan Lounge and went for a final walk around Boston. On our first day in Boston Matilda was surprised when she pressed the walk button at a road crossing and it told her sternly to ‘wait’. Matilda felt now was the time, perhaps childishly, to get her own back [put sound on]. We had heard about the nine bronze duck statues and made our way to see them. They are apparently based on a popular American children’s book by Robert McCloskey, Make Way for Ducklings about a […]

Saturday 7th May We had remembered using the GPSmyCity app during a visit to Madrid and decided to try inputting all the places we still wanted to visit to generate a route for the day. Our first stop was to be the Mapparium at the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Christian Science was founded in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy [1821 – 1910] with the publication of her book Science and Health, following her miraculous recovery from what were deemed to be fatal injuries. The Mary Eddy Baker Library is next to the church. The Welcome Hall is imposing and there are various exhibitions to wander through as you wait for your timed entry to the Mapparium. Only guided tours are permitted. The Mapparium was intended to show the countries of the world in an accurate geographical relationship to each other. It is described as “a mirror-image, concave reversal of the Earth, made of stained glass and viewed from the inside”. And, yes, it is slightly surreal. Its architect, Chester Lindsay Churchill intended it to be updated as borders were redrawn by international events. However, it is understandable that there never seemed to be a good time to make revised glass […]