Baltimore Call to Tour

Mike and grandson Killian (13) are on a bike ride.  Brenda and granddaughter Claudia (16) are on the boat doing their own thing.  Today we are "chillin'."  We're taking a breather.  We're relaxing in the memories of the past few days:

On Mike's return trip from Seattle back to Velsignet (docked at Anchorage Marina, Baltimore MD), he went through Minneapolis to bring back with him grandchildren Claudia  and Killian.  Our first day together (Sunday) was spent exploring the downtown of Baltimore.  We spent a rainy Monday at the excellent Baltimore Aquarium.

While Mike was in Seattle, Brenda was at Anchorage Marina with Looper friends, David and Penny.  This is David readying the lines for their departure towards New York City.

This is Penny in their VERY NICE dinghy for "Southern Cross."  She's checking things out before their departure. 

On Tuesday, the four of us visited the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site.  Fort McHenry was key in defending Baltimore during the War of 1812.

Fort McHenry's battle against the British Navy in the War of 1812 inspired a lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key to pen out words to describe the scene of the battle.  Key was negotiating a prisoner trade with the British and was held by the British to witness the battle until its conclusion. His poetry spread throughout the United States quickly and later became our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."  A reminder to never underestimate the "power of one!"

These are beds in one of the Fort's bunkrooms for its soldiers.

Fort McHenry's grounds include the pentagonal-designed fortress and space that has been used for military training, as well as a site where hospitals were built to treat soldiers who served in the World Wars.

Every morning and every evening, there is a flag ceremony at Fort McHenry whereby the flag flown in 1812 (15 stripes and 15 spangled stars) that flies during the daytime hours is replaced with our traditional flag (13 stripes; 50 stars).

We participated in a flag talk by one of the Fort's rangers.  During the 1812 War, Colonel Armistead commanded a flag be built "so large that the enemy cannot miss seeing it!"  

At the end of our afternoon, we were ready for our Uber driver to take us back to Velsignet.

Our mornings are usually low key, a time for Mike to catch up on PSMW business, Brenda to plan for the day's food needs, and the kids to help out where help is needed.

....and there's always cleaning to do on Velsignet!

Our alarms went off at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday to make a 7:30 a.m. bus ride to New York City!

By 11 a.m., we were in the Big Apple.  First stop...

...was the Empire State Building.  This was a great way to introduce the kids to the city's layout.

As we made our way towards Central Park along 5th Avenue, we stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral to take in its beauty.

While Mike and Brenda awed at the church's stained glass windows, intricate woodwork and art, its history and architecture, 13-year-old Killian said he's been in a church before.

Claudia took in the beauty of this Holy Place.

We enjoyed our sandwiches and chips in the courtyard of the New York Library.  The weather was a perfect 73 degrees for enjoying this amazing city.

In recognition of our U.S. president, we checked out the Trump Tower Building.

Once at Central Park, we gave our feet a rest and toured the part via pedicabs.  Besides being knowledgeable and funny, our guides were from West Africa--which gave Claudia the opportunity to practice her French!

After checking into the St. James Hotel and enjoying takeout from "Bucca de Peppo," we took in the Broadway Show, "Beattlejuice."  This was a great show that kept us fully awake and entertained from beginning to end!

Time Square was between our hotel and theater.  There's nothing like Times Square in the evenings:  Batman, the Statue of Liberty, BumbleBee Transformer, and even 4 body-painted nudies! 

After a hearty pancake breakfast at a next door joint, we checked out of our hotel and experienced the subway to NYC's Financial District.

The rain didn't thwart the somber and reflective 911 Memorial.  Our grandchildren will want to go through the museum someday; for Mike and Brenda (we've done the museum), the memorial brings us back to that tragic morning in our country's history.

From the 911 Memorial, we walked to Battery Park where we would get on a ferry to experience Liberty and Ellis Islands.

Killian, Brenda and Claudia in front of  backside of The Lady.

The Statue of Liberty Museum holds the first torch of Lady Liberty.

Our ferry tickets included a self-guided audio-tour devices.  If you look in the photo, you'll see them hung around Claudia and Mike's necks.  Killian is holding his.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to commemorate the 100 years of US democracy (Actually, it was a joint project between the 2 countries:  The US provided the land and built the base; the French designed, built and installed the statue).  It also recognized the US in its stance against slavery.  

Ellis Island was one of several entry points for immigrants entering the US in the late 1800-early/mid 1900s.  Today, immigrants are more likely to enter the US via airplanes over ships.

We continued our touring via Broad and Wall Streets.  Here is the iconic bull...with Killian in the foreground.

"The Girls"

In the Trinity Church cemetary, we stopped to pay our respects to the graves of Alexander Hamilton, his wife Eliza, as well as Hercules Mulligan--all of them New Yorkers who played important roles in The Revolutionary War and our young nation's development.

We concluded our day in Chinatown, enjoying an authentic meal at a Vietnamese Restaurant.

"O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
 And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"