Don't fake it, because you won't make it

In mid-December I found my mind coming across an interesting fact: in January, it will have been two years since my feet left American soil. Of course this was unacceptable, so I booked a trip to Spain. These are my antics. Nah. You're going to have to hear a little bit more about my philosophy on travel and money before you get the run down of what happened to a History Geek during two weeks in Spain. For new readers or readers that don't know me in real life, it's a reaching aspiration for me to be paid to travel one day. To a degree my dream is already there with work paying for travel, but I don't mean domestic, large cities, and 80% of my visit in a windowless defense contractor office. I mean pay me to grab my back pack and wander the scenic byways of the world. It's really part of the reason I write this, to hone my craft to even at its root see what kind of travel writer will I be? Will I go to the deepest darkest trenches of the world? Stand on my head at a mountains' peak for a new perspective? Write poetry from strong emotions taken out of viewing architecure? I really do not know. But I do know a few facts that have decided what kind of traveler I am: I have a job but still essentially live pay check to pay check. I'm single and do not have offspring yet, although I know one day I want both of these facts to change. Taking two weeks off from work is bold and is probably the maximum amount of responsible leave I would take at this point. These three facts have lead into today's rambling: what kind of traveler you are. I looked at what my life is and what I want it to develop into, and then I assessed prices and available tours, followed by deciding where I even wanted to go. Note, that the "where I wanted to go" really was a third option in my mind. I am a lonesome traveler. I enjoy taking in what I am seeing and being very internal about my thoughts, taking photographs, living the local culture, and not really sharing my experience with others. My list of approved travel buddies is maybe five people long, and I do not think of myself as a lonely person. I just truly believe that you are not yourself when you travel. Nor should you be, you are there to experience something different. On a random Monday I'm not going to call a friend to check out the Cathedral in Baltimore followed by cracking a dozen crabs and smoking some hookah while slamming back a few Natty Bohs. But on a travel Monday, this is totally me, just replace crabs with local fare, hookah with local activity, and Natty Bohs with a regional wine. However, I know I live in a rather unsafe world so I have come to trust Contiki. Contiki is NOT paying me to write this, but on my two tours with them I have always ended up in a safe hotel and enjoy the flexibility of the day (and night) with the safety net of a group of fellow travelers to fall back on. And if I decide that the "lone wolf" traveler thing isn't for me one day, I can find a new person to go with. After looking at my work schedule I saw that Contiki was offering a few tours during the time I felt comfortable leaving work for such an amount of time. What it finally came down to was flights, and this is how going to Spain for two weeks was finally born. I had started a savings fund for this trip and tax returns were around the corner, so I came up with a financial plan while putting this trip on a credit card.

My itinerary really took me all over Spain and that is for another post, but this is the way to do Spain. I feel Americans think we're special because state boundaries dictate culture. I'm Jersey-raised so I fist pump and Baltimore adopted so I love Old Bay on everything. Spain is so much more diverse. I'm probably going to make one long post on two weeks in Spain because to me it is an experience not to be shortened. 

Brown v. Board of Education NHS

Day Two of my Kansas weekend. I opened my National Parks Passport Book and found one more site within driving distance, and its a period of history that interests me. Double win. The Brown v. Board of Education site is in the former Colored Elementary School (Monroe Elementary) in Topeka, KS. What is to be noted is that Topeka had the "Separate but Equal" thing kinda down, with the exception that separate but equal was total crap. Anyway, kids that went to Monroe were getting about the same education as the child that went to the white school. But Civil Rights Activists thought they had a better chance of getting their agenda to the Supreme Court if they went to a more equal, less racist school district. They were less likely to win in a state like South Carolina where Jim Crow was strong. So, Brown v. Board of Education began. The auditorium is now an interactive film about civil rights with several stories screenwritten as a grandfather talking to his granddaughter. Along with the film, there are displays and a few statue type things. The Park Ranger will direct you to one exhibit first (Education and Justice), and that covers the time-line of civil rights with other assistive tools about what was segregated and civil rights leaders you may not have heard about. One thing that should have been very serious but ended up not being executed too great is a tunnel of insults that were recorded when the first students broke segregation barriers. It just didn't really flow. The second part of the exhibit is entitled The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education and it covers what came before and what has come after Brown. The time line really struck me because how many race related events have taken place not only since Brown, but even in my life time. This was a great exhibit. The one thing I would have done differently was I would have started later. Note for my future travelers: Nothing is really going on in Topeka before 1pm. After I finished at the site, it was about 11:30 and I wasn't about to just hang out, so I just drove the hour and a half back. Still, a great morning.

The Negro League Baseball Museum

Disclaimer: I love baseball and I love museums. This museum however fell third in a three museum day. I approached the door of the two museums on 18th and Vine in Kansas City, MO. No camera, no backpacks, no cell phones. I completely understand that there are copyright problems and some times the easiest solution is to just not allow cameras. So...a walk back to the car and a trip back in (with my iPhone slipped in my pocket) and I was on my way. The museum opens with a quick film covering a basic history of the Negro Leagues and the eventual integration of baseball. Following that, the exhibit is laid out in a timeline fashion from the Emancipation Proclamation to the dissolving of the Negro Leagues. The information is clearly laid out and there is an interesting amount of ephemera to support the displays. One thing about the ephemera is that most of it was reproductions, but that's okay, if the real stuff is being kept safe somewhere. The exhibit covers those who helped break the color barrier and those extremely talented players who just were too old by the time the Major League became integrated. Obviously Jackie Robinson is a very important player in this picture, but I truly enjoyed that this wasn't the "Jackie Robinson Museum". Players that I have never heard of were covered more than him. There is a small hall of fame in the back and a very cool exhibit with baseballs signed by as many Negro League Alumni they could find. It's a decent place, but the one major problem I had was not in the content, but the structure. The exhibit is dim for effect and preservation, I'm sure. But I'm young with half way decent eyes and I was having a lot of trouble. I've got to be honest, in most museums I would take my phone out and flash the flashlight on it, but I didn't want to be so brazen with how I was breaking the rules of the museum. If you had to choose between the World War I Museum or this one I would say go to the World War I museum. One benefit to this place is that there is a jazz museum across the way that can be purchased with a combined ticket. So if you enjoy jazz and baseball, this little corner of Kansas City is for you.

National World War I Museum

Stop two in my Kansas City adventure was the National World War I Museum. This museum is something locals have a lot of pride in and I was told by several people this was not to be missed. The museum itself is subterranean and co-located/under the Liberty Memorial. Parking is abundant and the museum itself is easy enough to find. Going down into the museum, it needs to be noted that there are heavy metal doors, albeit clearly marked, and that leads you in. The museum pulls at heartstrings early with a field of artificial poppies, and a docent will tell you each of the 9,000 poppies represents 1,000 warfighters lost. An introductory film filled me in on the years leading up to the war. This film does a great job telling many sides of the story, and is necessary unless you're a World War I historian. The exhibits are broken up into two parts with another film in the middle. The first exhibit starts where the film ended: European powers have all started playing the blame game and everyone is getting on their best traditional uniforms and heading to the battlefield. There were impressive exhibits logically put together, including more of the flamboyant uniforms before the war really got started, and other items that were useful in the trenches. Most striking was the trench that ran through this whole part of the exhibit. Each portion of the trench was a little different and produced an interesting view of trench warfare. Of course there was tons of ephemera in the display cases that were all over the exhibit on this side, and I would say my favorite thing was a "Hate Belt". Several different countries' soldiers had them, and they were basically belts that they picked off medals of killed soldiers and put on their belts. The exhibit did not fail to ignore the prisoner of war factor, nor the medical care factor and I thought that was great. Outside of the trench, the other thing that was very well done was the way the curators presented the information graphically. Their uses of numbers and representation truly made some of the information understood. The second part of the museum starts when the United States entered the war. It's highly comprehensive, and there again, is a lot of stuff in it. While the museum did a good job of hitting a lot of relevant points, I felt that it concentrated on three things: new ways of treating the wounded, the war at home, and equipping the warfighters. A few display cases touch on the new technology to World War I and the new standards of care that sent a lot of fighters home whereas they would have perished in the past. The war at home covers the US personality of the war being "Over there" to having true respect for many playing their part. Taking care of and respecting the war dead are covered (as well as families rights for assistance after losing a son, brother, husband, or father) in a way that as a viewer, I respected this was something the US hadn't dealt with in large amounts before. Some mothers just wanted to stand in the place that their son was killed, and private organizations with the blessing of the State Department helped that happened. Finally, there were several walls about how the US started the daunting task of equipping so many soldiers in such a short period of time, and how they decided was most important for soldiers to have on them. The people that told me this museum was not to be missed were spot on. It was a unique perspective on a war that is overshadowed by a bigger second war. I highly recommend it for any visit to the Kansas City area.

Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum and Library

When I found out I was coming to the Kansas City, Missouri area, I looked to my National Parks Passport book to look for entertainment. Much to my happiness, there was a Presidential Historical Sight, and these are generally my favorite! But the story doesn't start there. I looked up the address, put it in my GPS, and then saw signs. To save battery on my phone, I started following the signs. To note, these signs WILL NOT take you to the NPS sight but my accident was a good one. The museum was a $12 entry and upon getting in, the docent directed me to the introduction video. I was told it was twelve minutes long and not knowing much about Truman, I figured it couldn't be the wrong thing to do. Twenty minutes into the video and just starting on his second term I decided it was cutting into my day too much. What was learned in that video was good to know over the course of the museum. As with most Presidential Libraries, there was a replica of his Oval Office. Unlike most libraries, Truman voiced over what was in the office and it was like he was tugging my arm like someone truly excited to show me all of his cool stuff. This Oval Office was the first time I spent more than a few seconds admiring the contents. To put you in the museum, there was the Oval Office in one part, a gallery on Truman as a president, and a gallery on Truman as a man. This was something I had not seen really done before and although I lost some element on Truman's life before Washington, DC, I was able to remain focused on his job, then gain focus on him as a man. Plus, sitting through the first bit of that introductory video helped a lot. Going into the main floor exhibit, you're hit with FDRs death, and Truman taking the Oath of Office. The first room took me through his first four months using front pages of newspapers. One of the first things Truman did remains to be his memorable moment for many Americans: dropping the Bomb. This is touched on in the right chronological moment and is indicative of the weight of the event but doesn't stress on it. After all, this is a Truman Museum, not an Atomic Science Museum (a little plug for an earlier blog). The next exhibit nicely ties in how the "Happy Days" image of the 1940s-1950s weren't quite that, before leading into the Cold War. Next shows Truman's decision in recognizing the sovereign state of Israel, and at first I was thinking "This stuff is pretty cool and interesting, but why here?" Then I remembered, in the video, Truman almost lost the election on two tenets; integration of the troops and recognition of Israel. The curators wisely decided that before the election of 1948, all sides of these arguments had to be represented. Downstairs there is an exhibit showing Truman as a man as he grew up in Independence. There is a lot of ephemera in the exhibit, and later I read that Truman found it most important that all gifts he received as President belonged to the American people and had a place in his museum and archives. All in all this was probably the best done Presidential Library I've been in. I love that they separated the man from the office because it made Truman truly human to me. Obviously there were tons of things I learned about Truman too, but kudos to the curators for their arrangement. Finally back to my little screw up. If I would have left the GPS on, I would have never made it to the Library. The GPS was taking me to the NPS visitors center, where tickets can be bought for a tour of the Truman home. However here is also where I was able to get my Passport Stamps, so it's a good thing I got there, but still, I doubt my satisfaction would have been half as present if I had only gone to the NPS site. Very rarely do I walk away from a museum or exhibit exclusively about someone and am just in awe of their personality. This is one of those exhibits. Understanding that the museum is made to make the person look awesome, Truman appears to be a man of true American Values. I can imagine him, Franklin, and I sitting around having a beer talking about baseball.

Fort Leavenworth, KS

Once again, my employment takes me somewhere I've never been before. Fort Leavenworth is one of the oldest installations I've ever been at and it caught my attention from the first trip through. Although not active today, the former US Disciplinary Barracks now house where I am spending my time (so when I get back home, I can say I did time on the other side of the prison wall). It's a daunting structure and as I pulled in that first day, I even texted a friend that "My class is in Shawshank" but the historical significance that is still present in the former prison is impressive. They have successfully taken a former use for a building, kept its rich history intact, but still completely useful for todays purpose. I had the pleasure of walking through the museum on post the other day. As I walked through, there were prompts to call and enter a number to hear a brief history. It created the illusion of having a tour guide without having one right there with you. The history of early Leavenworth takes about fifteen minutes to get through. This first exhibit provides a great 30,000ft view of Fort Leavenworth, General Leavenworth, and early struggles in its founding. Around the corner there is a mini exhibit about the Army General Officer School which leads to a small display about the National Museum on the Fort. I would have been much more satisfied with the museum if they would have extended these two parts. However, I understand not everyone is as obsessed with schools and education as I am, but the cemetery is so unique I'm surprised it was one small display. This being said, there was a large Lewis and Clark exhibit that took up a large portion of the gallery space. It was detailed, modern, and relevant and I wish I had more time to go through in more detail. At the end of Lewis and Clark was a history of the very unique groups that have called this fort their home. It was well done and well organized, but there was so much big stuff there is just over beared on my experience. The times for the museum aren't the greatest, especially if you are there for work. By the time I got out most days the museum was long closed, but if I can go into detail at one small part per time, I will likely get much more information in. The staff did organize a good driving tour that I will try to do on a warmer day. These pamphlets are readily available all over the fort.

BAHSTAN!

For the fifth (?) time in my life I entered Beantown. Rather unwittingly however never unwillingly. It all happened with a chance conversation with a college friend, when he mentioned he had airfare credit he didn't want to lose. I was fresh off a great Habitat for Humanity trip to New Orleans, and I only had one less than rememberable night on Bourbon Street. The next week we booked flights and the hotel. Hurricane Isaac had different plans. We debated a replacement city with a combination of cost to get there, cost to stay there and ideally a place we had never been, which between the two of us is becoming increasingly difficult. Finally we decided on Boston, which happened to be a city we went to together five years earlier. We arrived at our hotel (Residence Inn, Cambridge) which was practically on the MIT campus, a part of the city I had never really experienced. We made it to the USS Constitution, and the freedom to stay organized or wander about the area was great. We elected to wander about the new museum and the boat before heading into the city proper. We headed to the opposite side of the city to go to the Sam Adams Brewery Tour, which we went on the last visit, but it made for a great photo op five years apart. Afterwards we ended up getting dinner at the Barking Crab, which had a reasonable but still expensive lobster dinner. The next day we started with a Super Duck Tour, which departed from the area by the USS Constitution. This duck tour was so much better than I ever thought it would be and I'm happy we took the time and money to partake. After that we went to the area with the Mother Church for Christian Scientists. According to my Lonely Planet guidebook, an awesome but frequently overlooked attraction lays in the Mary Eddy Baker Library, the Mapparium. For lack of a better description, when inside the Mapparium, one feels like a fish in a giant fishbowl that happens to be stained glass to a 1935 geopolitical map. At a modest fee, admission included a guided tour (the whole visit was less than an hour) and a light show across the glass shows the shifting boundaries since 1935, which is especially interesting in Africa with the shift from colonialism to sovereign rule. Our payment to enter included a walk through the Mother Church which we "what the heck" took a tour of. The sheer size of the church is so impressive and to think it's full on Sundays is hard to think of. I've been to a lot of churches all over the world and this is one of the few architecturally awesome buildings that also accounts for a massive number of seats to accommodate the flock. My travel buddy is a teacher so we had to take an opportunity to take pictures of things around Boston that would be useful later in the school year. This adventure showed me just how handy Boston's Public Transit really is. We ended the day at a bar called Miracle of Science practically on the MIT campus. It was a very friendly atmosphere and although there weren't many tables and seats, we were able to sit and chill there for hours. And the menu looks like a Periodic Table of Elements, which was reason enough for me to go. Boston is a city that grows with you, I guess in that statement most cities are. The first time in Boston, I barely left the three block radius with the hotel, the second time we were on tight budgets and if it wasn't free we had to debate if it was really worth it, and honestly, we were more concerned about getting totally sloshed every night. This last time, its not that money wasn't an object, but it wasn't tight. Staying in the city was a great experience and I couldn't imagine staying in a suburb again. And the goal of the trip wasn't to get sloppy drunk at every stop in the city. Before we left, I made my travel buddy to make a pact, that in five years, wherever life finds us, we'd go back to Boston. We'll be in our early 30s and I can't wait to see what the city feels like then.