Today was kind of a weird day that turned out to be mostly good. We left Philadelphia and headed across the Delaware River into New Jersey. Our hotel didn’t have a continental breakfast (first one on this trip), so our first mission was to find somewhere to eat. Downtown Philly was just too stressful – narrow streets, one-way streets, construction and road repairs, etc. Turns out, it is damn hard to find someplace where everyone can eat what they want – i.e. a Denny’s or IHOP. Finally settled for Dunkin’ Donuts (which are everywhere here in the East), and no, we didn’t have donuts. They do breakfast sandwiches now I guess.
After breakfast, we drove to Harleigh Cemetery where one of my idols is buried. Walt Whitman, who lived mostly in New York, Washington, DC, and Camden, New Jersey, has a family tomb here. We didn’t have a map of the cemetery, so it took us a while to find him. Eventually we did, and we paid our respects. It might sound weird, but I thanked him for his poetry. He is always one of my favorites to teach, and although he was out there – “a Bohemian” he liked to call himself – inside, he was a true American original. His early poems dealt with the self – mind and body – and of his love of this great country, which was growing larger and stronger during his lifetime. He is also one who, like many Americans, was devastated by the effects of the Civil War, and his later poetry reflected his fears, his despair, and ultimately, his hope for America’s future.
Next, I told the boys we were going someplace different – and it was a surprise. They were intrigued, but that was all. That’s okay because I knew they would like it. After looking at several things lately which mostly only interested me, I researched our route from Philly to Providence, looking for something that would be a good change of pace. I found it last night, in Orange, Connecticut. There, is the location of the PEZ factory and visitor center. I loved (and still love) PEZ candy, and I knew the boys would find it interesting. Unfortunately, the factory is only in operation Monday-Friday, and since today was Sunday, only the museum and store was open. That was totally okay because it actually turned out to be a cool stop. Not a huge place, it was packed with just about every PEZ dispenser ever made (which was a lot!). For $5 each, you get $2 back on any items in the store. You also get a cool lanyard, and a PEZ dispenser. We used our $2 vouchers to buy a bunch of PEZ candy to go into our new dispensers. Before we knew it, we had spent an hour and a half there!
From Connecticut, we continued on to Providence, Rhode Island. Besides crossing Rhode Island off the boy’s state list, I got to visit yet one more grave of my favorite authors. Providence is the final resting place for Howard Phillip (H.P.) Lovecraft. I got into his writing many years ago when I was a teenager, and I read an article in which Stephen King (I guy I read a lot as a teenager) said that “H.P. Lovecraft stories scared the shit out of me!”. Well, I just had to read some of his stories! Lovecraft is very much a bridge between the gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe, and the macabre modern day creations of Stephen King. He also gave rise to the Cthulhu stories, which have been very influential, including to this very day. He’s not very well known, unless you’re into this kind of writing. Nolan has read some of his stuff, and is a fan. Nathan had no idea who he was, except that dad liked him.
The graveyard, Swan County Graveyard, is a very large place. Again, we didn’t have any sort of map, so it took us a while to locate his grave. We got out, took our pictures, and got back in since it was getting kind of late. I don’t know what it is about the graves of famous people, but I have always been fascinated by the idea that I am right next to these famous people. Yes, I know they are dead and not (probably) aware that I’m standing next to them, but in a way, I feel closer to them, and to me, they almost feel more real – and just a little bit alive. I know, weird, but these won’t be the final graves of famous people that I will visit on this trip.
Well, that’s it for today. Tomorrow we go to Boston, and there is a lot to see and do there. Not sure what we can fit in to one day, but I know it will be a lot! The boys have been real troopers so far.
One last thought:
- Again with the road tolls. Maybe someone can explain to me why they exist. If they pay for the roads, well, I have yet to see any city where the roads are even somewhat good. Today we came across two different tolls while driving from Philadelphia to the New York/Connecticut border. The first toll, on the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) cost $11.25! To drive on a road! Then, to cross the George Washington Bridge, from New Jersey into the Bronx, New York, it cost us $15.00! FIFTEEN DOLLARS to cross the bridge into New York. $26 to drive, not very far, on a road. I suppose I could have taken alternate routes, but that would’ve added up to anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes more to our drive. Also, not being familiar with the area, I’m leery getting off any of the main freeways. It has really been pissing me off on this trip, and the $26 from today just took the cake.
- One more thought (or rant, I guess): The traffic, even on a Sunday, was horrible. From Philadelphia to Providence was bumper to bumper for much of the way. No accidents or stalled vehicles, just lots and lots of people. It took way longer than I anticipated to get to where I wanted to today. We pulled in over one hour later than I had planned (and I plan things very well). Hopefully, the farther north we go, the less traffic we will encounter. Tomorrow, in Boston, I plan on parking somewhere and taking a trolley bus to get around town to all the sights. We’ll see how that works.
Good night from the East Coast! Take care and see you tomorrow!
The Great American Road Trip 