Blogs from United States, North America - page 20

There is more to Annapolis I would like to share. First, the population is only about 41,000. Second, Annapolis is home to the United States Naval Academy, founded in 1845. It is also the home of St. John's College, founded in 1696 as King William's School (the third oldest institution of higher learning in the US). From the city's website: Walk along the old brick sidewalks much as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson did in the days when Annapolis was the Capital of the United States. And amazingly, if you squint your eyes, you will see a city which looks remarkably similar to what our Founding Fathers saw in their day. Architecturally, Annapolis boasts some of the finest 17th and 18th Century buildings in the country - including the residences of all four Maryland signers of ... read more

For me, I would say the biggest change is using Uber instead of cabs and buses. I still prefer public transportation whenever it is efficient, timely, and convenient. I love using the metros/subways in places like NYC, DC, Chicago, Paris, Athens, Munich, Seattle, SF Bay Area, London. I also value time over money, in most cases. Why spend half a day or more to get somewhere, when an easy one-hour flight will work, for a reasonable price. I still enjoy the train, especially in Japan and Europe. Tour guides are valuable resources when hitting a new city. They seem to know enough inside information to help me get to the "next level" of enjoyment, food, and culture. Apartments and Air BnB allow for more room, washers and dryers, even decent kitchens for some easy meals. But ... read more

Day 4 – Rawlins to Green River. So Bill had to do it. Kate and I were willing to lighten up on all the offroading but even after desperately seeking and finding a rest room at Rock Springs (great old Western town), we were getting dangerously close to sunset as we got close to Green River. We made the grand entrance to Green River via the old road (with I-80 tantalizingly close to the south) at about 8-10 miles per hour. It was a beautiful but teeth jangling descent into Green River, a bustling mining burg. We came in to town via the cemetery, kinda spooky! Amazingly we were the last people to check in at the Hampton Inn which was full of mining contractors. This was our favorite Hampton Inn – the staff was friendly ... read more

I'm always on the lookout for local historical sites. While driving in western Fairfax County, I spotted one I had not visited previously, the Frying Pan Meeting House. The former Baptist church dates to 1791. People have asked me about the term "meeting house." In colonial Virginia, the Church of England was the established church. Only it could have "churches". Eventually, Dissenters, as they were known in those days, were permitted to hold worship services, but not in churches. So, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Quakers met for their worship in "meeting houses." The term remained popular among many congregations after American Independence. Frying Pan Meeting House was built by a Baptist congregation between 1786 and 1791. Elder Richard Major organized a Baptist congregation at nearby Bull Run in 1775. They petitioned prominent Virginia landowner Robert Carter III, ... read more

Aloha! We both woke around 4am this morning and sat on our balcony watching the sunrise and it was beautiful. There was a break in the water so it looked like a ship was flying across the ocean. Like an alien ship. Ha I took some pictures and tried to capture the situation. I swear I’m going to post tons of pictures someday soon. I walked to Starbucks to get an iced tea and Kamie decided he wanted breakfast. We had a fantastic breakfast at Bali Restaurant here in the village with a gorgeous ocean view from the back and lagoon view from the side. It was good food and good conversation. Something happened yesterday that cracked me up and I forgot to share it. As we were walking into the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center this ... read more