Burke: Go east, and see the sights that helped make America
Published 1:30 am Monday, July 18, 2022
By Tom Burke / Herald columnist
“Summmertime, and the livin’ is easy,” wrote George Gershwin in an aria from “Porgy and Bess.”
But summertime is also a time, per a 1949 GM advertising jingle to, “See the USA, in your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call.” (And also a time for a column not about politics.)
And to help answer America’s call, here’s a very personal list of east-of-the-Mississippi places to visit. (Western destinations will be follow.)
As readers here know, cultural literacy is important to me and travel is fundamental to cultural literacy. And not just to say, “Been there; done that,” but to absorb the lessons interesting places offer.
So, first, do a modest ton of pre-travel research, then take the trip east and soak in the America many of us Pacific Northwesterners sometimes miss. (And if you can’t actually travel, do the research anyway, it’s stuff you really should know.) Let’s go:
Gettysburg, Pa.: Where the “Lost Cause” was lost as Robert E. Lee and the other insurrectionists were badly beaten on the battlefield. (Read “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara before you visit. The Ted Turner movie version, “Gettysburg” is good, but leaves a bunch out.)
The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, Pa.: Home of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. See the movie “1776,” (it’s a musical!), read “1776” by David McCullough, and the “Crucible of War,” by Fred Anderson if you want more than the fictionalized, grade-school history of the American revolution. (PS: It’s the only reason to visit Philadelphia, really.)
Pat’s or Geno’s Philly Cheesesteak: OK, these two places are the other reasons to hit Philly
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.: Where enshrined is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address belief that America is “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” So picture an “equal?” Marian Anderson singing to 75,000 there, because the Daughters of the American Revolution, who owned Constitution Hall, refused her their venue because she was black.
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C.: – The history of flight. And the history of everything else at the rest of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall.
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.: The Last Full Measure of Devotion. Acres of it. We owe them. Big.
The Mariner’s Museum, Newport News, Va.: The best maritime museum anywhere. Except maybe one other.
The Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tenn.: Visit both the original Ryman Auditorium and/or the new “resort,” but first you gotta watch Ken Burns’ PBS documentary “Country Music” before you go.
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Mo.: Read “Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West” by Stephen Ambrose to appreciate what the Arch stands for.
Fort Sumter, Charleston County, S.C.: The 1861 antecedent to Jan. 6t, 2021. Try “Battle Cry of Freedom” by James McPherson.
South Beach, Fla.: Sort of a year-round Pride Parade.
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Key West, Fla: Hang out, be entertained, and watch for the green flash. (www.thoughtco.com/green-flash-4135423)
Cape Canaveral, Fla.: “To infinity…and beyond,” but for real. Read Tom Wolf’s “The Right Stuff” first.
Florida’s Everglades: Even if you’re boycotting Florida, make an exception for this. Bring some “OFF,” a bird book, and a good pair of binoculars.
Kitty Hawk, N.C.: Where a powered, 12-second-120-foot-long-top-speed-of-6.8 mph flight changed the world. Read “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough to appreciate the brothers’ genius.)
Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md.: More than the birthplace of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Study up on the “Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814” by Anthony S. Pitch. Squeeze in a visit to Baltimore’s National Aquarium. Don’t miss the crabs (to eat, not to look at) at Faidley Seafood in Lexington Market; think Pike Place Market but 125 years older.
Acadia National Park, Baa Ha’ba, Me.: – If you be go’n Down East, go they-a, to LL Bean’s big stow-ah down Freeport way; ‘taint too fa.
Cape Cod, Me.: Quintessential New England shore and a lot cheaper than Nantucket or the Vineyard for a similar vibe. Visit P-town for South Beach north.
Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, Ct.: First watch Spencer Tracy in “Captains Courageous,” then the 1956 movie version of “Moby Dick,” then listen to the sea shanties on “Blow Boys Blow” by Ewan MacCall and A.J. Lloyd. Oh, and this is THE BEST maritime museum anywhere. I know, I said that about Newport News.)
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, New York City, N.Y.: There’s a lot to do in NYC, but the lessons here are critical to understanding how the “Mother of Exiles” welcomed so many of our forebears. And then stop, sit, and ask yourself, “Why do so many today reject these lines and vilify the people they were written about?”
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
What’s missing: Chicago (my least favorite American city, after Philadelphia), a bunch of red state destinations (can you say “boycott?), and hiking, camping, climbing, skiing and fishing spots ‘cause them that do them already know where to go. And do.
Today it’s harder (and easier) than ever to travel. But no matter the challenge, and despite the costs, the memories make it worth the effort. I can still recall, with amazing clarity, a frosty morning in 1956, at a super-retro-bungalow-style “motor inn” in southern Maine, smelling the pine and hearing the call of a white-throated sparrow, still my favorite bird all these years later.
Like Rick Steves says, “Keep on travelin’.”
Slava Ukraini.
Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.
