This blog post (written by Sue) follows on from post 64, “Impressions Gleaned from a Bus Journey through Autumn – New England”, as we continue our trip towards our final and main goal, our visit to Mystic itself, which Sue had left in 1963 and hadn’t been back to since.
On the final day of the bus tour we set out from Newport, Rhode Island, the yachting capital of America, where we had driven along the famous “Ten Mile Drive” to view the grand estates along the shore, some of the most expensive real estate in America. From R.I., the last leg of our journey took us through Connecticut, where our final stop of the 11-day tour was at Mystic Seaport. Here I was able to refresh my memories, although it was not quite as I remembered it. It has since cemented its place as the nation’s leading Maritime Museum, with new exhibition halls and reception areas and a state-of-the-art Collections Research Centre, which provides easy ways for scholars and researchers from around the world to access its renowned archives. The attractions and activities offered have also increased, all helping to support its reputation as the state’s leading tourist attraction.
From the seaport we travelled on to New York City, arriving at 5:00 pm in torrential rain and Friday afternoon traffic chaos. Those of us who weren’t headed for the airport were dropped off in front of the hotel in the centre of the city, the point from which we had eagerly departed those 11 days earlier. And, amidst all the confusion on the footpath (with normal foot traffic as well as ourselves), we were grateful to retrieve our suitcases and join the queue for cabs, which seemed to stretch forever.
By this time, water had filled the gutters and was splashing onto the sidewalk. However, there was entertainment amidst the chaos, with a few people resorting to unusual forms of transport (e.g. an upmarket looking “tuk-tuk”), and the drama playing out was helping to ease the discomfort of the situation. That is, however, until it was increased as far as we were concerned, with the cab driver we did finally get greatly overcharging us and then dropping us in an exposed area, a full block away from the railway station entrance which we were seeking.
By the time we got ourselves and our considerable luggage into the station, we were well and truly drenched. And there was one further hurdle facing us – getting that luggage down two sets of escalators to the platform which we needed. Nevertheless, the end result was that we felt we could deal with anything after we had achieved that! Also, we did enjoy the funny side of it all, including the picture I made with my drenched hair, which I later dried under the hand blower in the railway restrooms, to the entertainment of the locals.
We were on our way to Georgetown, a charming historic neighbourhood in Washington DC, where we were to spend 3 nights, enabling us to get a quick impression of Washington itself and, also, to explore Georgetown, which we were looking forward to doing on foot. Again, however, our relief and amusement were to be shortlived.
After waiting for some time for a taxi when we did finally arrive in Washington, we didn’t get to our hotel until sometime just before midnight, by which stage we were thinking longingly of bed. However, there was to be one last hurdle. Our very helpful cab driver somehow managed to relock the car as we all stepped out and it took another half hour, and bringing in extra help, before he could unlock the boot and get our luggage out.
Thankfully, by this time we were once again enjoying the humour in the situation, though we never did really understand how it could have happened. All this, and our very exhausted state, reinforced our decision to have a low-key day exploring Georgetown, once we had had a few hours of sleep. This, thankfully, proved to be one of our most successful days so far.
Our day in Georgetown couldn’t have come at a better time. After all the busyness of the bus trip and the drama following the end of it, we were eager to have time on our own, exploring this “designated historic district of Washington”. Fortunately, we had acquired a very informative and entertaining little guidebook titled “A walk through Georgetown – A Guide to Charming and Historic Georgetown” and all quotes here are from this booklet.
In order to appreciate the significance of Georgetown, it helps to understand its special relationship with Washington D.C. It is now a suburb of Washington but was in effect the “mother” city of Washington, being the older of the two. It was founded in 1751 as part of the colonial era and predated the establishment of Washington D.C. by 40 years, the latter being founded in 1791. In 1871 its charter of self-government was abolished, and it became a part of Washington. However, it is to this day a “remarkably intact example of a complete historic town with a rare ambience of antiquity and charm”. It has an 18th century atmosphere with stunning historic 18th & 19th century mansions and its character is now guaranteed by law. As a “designated historical district” you can still find “cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks, flickering gas lamps, quiet formal gardens and formidable mansions”. It is also home to some of the city’s top shops, restaurants and most luxurious hotels.
Understandably, Georgetown boasts an impressive list of former residents, who include Senator Ted Kennedy (whose family home we were excited to find), Henry Kissinger (during the later part of his tenure as Secretary of State) and John F. Kennedy who alone, and then with Jacquie, chose Georgetown as their home again and again during different stages of their lives. In fact, JFK went to his Presidential inauguration from his then house in Georgetown in 1961.
One last famous resident was Julia Child, who lived there from 1948 – 1961 with her husband Paul, and from where she completed and edited her famous cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Many books could be written about the former residents of Georgetown!
On our second day in the city of Washington itself, we did a bus tour, and while we didn’t achieve as much as we had hoped to, we did get a good overall impression of the Capitol. The main memory that remains with me was the sheer scale and style of the official buildings, with their marble facades, which for me were “mind-blowing”. Their style of architecture seemed to me to project an assertion of dominance and power, and I can’t now help looking at America’s position in the world today, wondering about its future.
The following day we were once more on a train, headed towards our final destination, the village of Mystic, where I hoped to revive old memories and to make some new ones. There will be more to come in a future blog.
Sue
P.S. Post 68, to be published on Sunday, 16 March, will be about Iran again and Pieter’s 1981 trip to that country.