bellelameg baby blog

J. and I decided to start a separate blog to share the news about our upcoming project known as Straesser 2.0 or baby legume, whose expected date of arrival is December 10th. We are excited, nervous, excited and well nervous. At bellelameg baby blog, we'll be posting pictures and other news regarding baby legume. So check it out when you get a chance to.

4th of July Weekend

It's been quite a while since I've written anything for bellelameg. I've been enduring extreme tiredness for the last four months, that found me sleeping whenever the opportunity was available. I am finally getting back my energy and not feeling so sleep deprived and in about four and a half months, J. and I will get to meet the one who will make us a family of three, plus Jericho.

So over the 4th of July weekend, I met up with some friends for brunch and to see Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls public art installation. The waterfalls are located on the East River and are made from scaffolding. The water used comes from the river and is filtered through pools to assure that fish and aquatic life are not pumped through the falls. In addition, according to the website, the falls are run on 100% green power. The best place to see the waterfalls is at the South Street Seaport. You can see all four of the waterfalls from the pier. Here is one of the pictures I took with my camera phone.
This is the waterfall at the Brooklyn Bridge--the best picture my camera phone was able to take. From the South Street Seaport, we walked to the Battery Maritime Building to see David Brynes' "Playing the Building." The infrastructure of the building is used to create sound that is played through an organ. Below is Stacey and Matt discussing the building:
Side view of the organ.
A broad view of the organ and the building.
The sounds are activated through vibration, wind and striking of heat pipes, water pipes, metal beams and pillars. Everyone who visits has an opportunity to play the building. The line was a little too long for us and we all had a craving for Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, so we made our way back uptown. Playing the Building is up until August 24th.

Pictures Found on My Cell Phone

I recently discovered that I haven't deleted pictures from my cell phone for the last eight months. Going through the pictures I kind of relived some of the past adventures J. and I have gone on and other events in our lives. The majority were taken prior to our getting a new digital camera, yet, there are a few that are from after that point in time. It's so much easier to whip out your cell phone and take a picture, then remembering to bring your camera with you where ever you go. Or at least that is how it is for me. Here are some the images that I found, in no particular order.
J. and I went to PS. 1's 2007 Warm Up. We ended up going on the opening weekend and got there around 2pm. We were some of the first people to arrive, so the entire setting was quite pristine and untouched. The project was titled Liquid Sky and was designed by Ball-Nogues and was a canopy of tinted mylar petals. Here is a closer picture of the mylar petals:
We actually ended up spending the entire day in Long Island City and ended up having dinner at a pretty decent seafood shack right near where you catch the water taxis.

One Saturday in July, J. and I decided that we wanted to explore Roosevelt Island. Neither of had ever been there and we also wanted to ride the tram. The ride was fun, but short. Once out on the Island we walked from one end to other, which is really easy to do in less than an hour. Saw the crazy currents that collide at the north point of the Island, forming a whirlpool and momentarily thought about the possibility of moving to Roosevelt Island. Then we remembered the movie Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly; how our friends would probably visit us once a year simply for the novelty of coming to Roosevelt Island; that there was only one grocery store and a Chinese food restaurant and the architecture was mostly 1960s urban utopian style and kind of grim and we quickly forgot about that notion. At the south end of the Island are the ruins of the smallpox hospital. Roosevelt Island was known in the 19th century as Welfare Island and housed several hospitals, asylums and correctional institutions. Recently a portion of the smallpox hospital ruins collapsed. I'm trying to reformat the picture of the small pox hospital ruins we took. Instead here is a view of Manhattan from Roosevelt Island:
My problem is that I think I need photoshop in order to fix the pictures I downloaded from my cell phone. Very frustrating.

Tax Day & Protesting in New York City

I had to go to the mid town Post Office on tax day. J. and I filed online so I wasn't there to mail our taxes, but to pick up some priority shipping boxes for mailing some stuff we sold on Ebay. There were huge lines of people waiting to get their tax returns stamped "April 15" but what caught my eye was when I was leaving were the protesters on 8th Avenue. There were protest performers against the war; Grannies Against the War; people protesting taxes as actually "war taxes" and people in general protesting the federal income tax. The banners say "Whose Money?" "How much longer?" "In Whose Name?" It was definitely fascinating to compare the two scenes. Outside people were engaging in their first amendment right to assemblage, while inside people were willingly following the sixteenth amendment by paying their federal income taxes. It was like watching the Constitution in action.

Walk Along the Hudson River

Sights seen on a recent afternoon walk. Pictures were taken with my cell phone…

Shipwreck near the base of the George Washington.

Sorry for the upside down picture. For some reason it won't load properly but I really wanted to share this image.

What appears to be a Santeria ritual…basket with chicken legs. Real chicken legs.
An old New York City lamp post.
J. and I walked from 181st Street along the river to 125th to Fairway to pick up groceries. Right around 130th we were stopped due to filming going on. It looked like a cop show or one of the many Law & Orders or CSI New York, until we saw when they started filming a scene that it was Geena Davis and Rosie Perez walking towards a medical examiner car. Geena Davis towered over Rosie Perez. Needless to say there were a ton of real NYPD everywhere, so we couldn’t take any pictures. I went to the Mayor’s Office of Film ,Theatre & Broadcasting’s website to see if Geena Davis was doing a new film. According to the website, Geena Davis is filming a new pilot for CBS about a Chief Inspector who is a single mother with two children that she raising in the suburbs of Long Island. It is tentatively titled “Exit 19.” Don't think I'll be checking that show out if it makes it onto the fall schedule.

April 4TH, Shot Rings Out in the Memphis Sky

Today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. At 6:01 pm on April 4th in Memphis, Tennessee at the Lorraine Hotel, MLK was shot by James Earl Ray. MLK had been standing on the second floor balcony. The bullet went through his right cheek; smashing his jaw and then traveled down his spinal cord and was lodged in his shoulder. MLK was pronounced dead at 7:05 pm at St. Joseph’s Hotel. He was thirty-nine years old. MLK has been dead longer than he was alive.

The night before he had delivered what is now called his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Masonic Temple to sanitation workers who had been on a 65 day strike for the right to unionize. That day, MLK had been held up in Atlanta due to a bomb threat aimed at him on his flight to Memphis. The anonymous caller said “Your airline brought Martin Luther King to Memphis, and when he comes again a bomb will go off and he will be assassinated.” According to reports, the pilot of the Eastern Airlines flight announced to all of the passengers on board that the flight was being held up because of the bomb threat to MLK. In addition, MLK was struggling with his mission of non-violence in the growing support for the black-power movement and the furvor of the left and counterculture. Several biographers have also documented that MLK suffered from bouts of depression and was overcoming a season of estrangement from the White House because of his anti-Vietnam stance and the disillusionment from young Black activists who advocated more radical and violent measures.

On the evening of April 3rd, MLK tried to beg off speaking at the Masonic Temple but his friend and colleague Reverend Ralph Abernathy pushed him to speak. Reflecting on the recent threat against his life and perhaps attempting to lift himself out of the despair and doubt he had experience over the last year, MLK ended what would be his last speech with the following eerily prophetic words:

“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

As news spread of MLK’s assassination, rioting was reported in at least 110 American cities, resulting in $50 million in destruction and the death of 39 people. Over 22,000 federal troops and 34,000 national guard were dispersed to areas to assist local police. The worst riots occurred in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Many neighborhoods devastated by the riots have taken these past forty years passed to recover. You can still see the evidence in the burned out “riot corridors” of Chicago and Washington, DC.

MLK’s assassination was one of a series of events that occurred in 1968, a year that changed and as author Mark Kurlansky has said “rocked” the world. It was a watershed year where around the world people were questioning both their vision of their governments and their selves. Forty years later, we are still feeling the effects of 1968 and it is eerie to find ourselves in parallels themes and events from that time. Yet there doesn’t appear to be the outrage and frustration that is apparent in the writings and images from 1968. There is a desire for change, but there seems to be atrophy on the part of at least the American public. Or is that we aren’t looking in the right places? Are social and political changes being driven not by ideology but by economics? Is it because we are in a war that isn’t a war and that Americans haven’t been told they have to sacrifice their lives for in the name of democracy? I don’t mean to end an entry with so many questions, but the memorializing and speculation on the loss of MLK that is going to occur today is only the beginning of a year-long reflection that will occur over the next year on the year 1968. As revolutionary as 1968 has been betrayed, it was a year of much loss, destruction and set backs.

More complete historical coverage of the assassination and the life of MLK I highly recommend checking out the Atlantic Constitution Journal's website. They have really great images and photographs. Here's the link: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/martin-luther-king-index.html

The Whirling Dervish of Santiago

Jeff, Johnny Cruz and I were at an outdoor German bierhaus when a series of street artists all playing drums came to perform. The first one was a little boy, who must of been six or seven years old. The second one was a little bit older than him. The third was this gentleman who was about four times the size of the first performer. Watch him go and go and go and go! I'll post more about our trip to Chile in the days to come.

Ebay Italian Shoes-So how old was her mother in the '80s?

Over the last year or so, I've really gotten into buying vintage clothes and non-vintage clothes off of Ebay. I'm overwhelmed by the size and claustrophobia of department stores and often outraged by the prices for items that look like they were put together by a young child and which likely might have been. Thrift Stores and second-hand stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn are often completely picked over and I cannot afford the truly vintage stores. I don't even go into consignment stores because even at half the original price it’s still too much. I do like classically designed clothing and I do like designer wear, so Ebay allows me to indulge in my newfound love of Diane Von Furstenberg dresses and beautifully crafted European shoes-soft leather, wooden heels and soles that do not easily fall apart. Italian and Spanish shoes are designed to be worn forever. All you need is a good cobbler who can fix the heels and clean them up for you annually. So today while I was searching around on Ebay I came across this listing for a pair of Italian half boots. The pictures are decent but what struck me was the poster’s description "Inherited-my mother wore these in the 80's!" There is the combined sense of incredulity, like "wow, once ago my mother was cool" and "whoa, what was my mother doing when she wore those shoes!" and "where was she when she got those shoes?" I also wondered how old her mother was in the 80's when she wore those shoes, like 22? Did she have a geometric haircut? Did she pick up the shoes doing study abroad in Italy? Or was it New York? Then my next reaction was, why is their emphasis on the 80's, like it was so long ago; it wasn't that long ago. And then I realized that the 80s did take place over twenty years ago and that is one full generation that has passed. Then the 60s, which is when my parents were in their twenties and seemed to me was eons ago, is really a long time ago. And then I started thinking way too much about non-shoe related things. Anyway, check out the shoes and the buyer's description.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120239949267&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

Presidents Day 101

Happy Belated Presidents’ Day! I hope many of you had this holiday off but were not like I recovering from a terrible head cold—phlegm, snot, sneezing and sounding like Marge Simpson’s tsking Homer in her way. Misery loves company so I passed it on to J., who seems to have it worse than I did. Anyway, we have Congress to thank for President’s Day. Curious about the origins of this federal holiday as much as I am? To confuse us all, Presidents’ Day isn’t the federally given name for the holiday. It is actually suppose to be Washington Birthday Day. Congress passed in 1968 the Monday Holidays Act, which moved the official observance of George Washington’s Birthday from February 22nd—which according to the Gregorian calendar is his birthday, but more on this later, to the third Monday in February. George Washington’s Birthday has been celebrated since the 18th century as well as during his lifetime. President Chester Arthur signed a bill in 1885 making it a federal holiday.

It also happens that Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is on February 12th. Lincoln’s birthday never became a federal holiday, but became a legal holiday celebrated in many states with the exception of those that were part of the confederacy. After the 1968 passage of the Monday Holidays Act, many reformers wanted to change the name to Presidents’ Day—given that the third Monday of February always falls after Lincoln’s birthday and after Washington’s. Some states which celebrated both president’s birthday prior to the passage, proceeded to drop one of the holidays in lieu of having both president’s honored on one day. Thus the misnomer that it’s Presidents’ Day leading to the mistake that I made not too long ago that it was a celebration of all presidents. You could pick your favorite president and honor him in your own way. Like finding out interesting anecdotes such as when George Washington was born in 1731, Britain was using the Julian calendar. In 1752 they changed to the Gregorian calendar, jumping ahead 11 days and making January the first month of the year versus March. George Washington’s original birthdate was February 11th.

From elementary school on, we are taught much about the laurels and accomplishments of our 1st and 16th presidents—one the father of our country and as some would say, the other the savior of our country, but many of the other 43 are forgotten. Of course the twentieth century presidents have been dissected, analyzed and interpreted several times over—even President William McKinley, the first president of the twentieth century, who was also assassinated in office has, according to a search on amazon.com, nine books that were written on his three-year presidency. We know more about them then many of their predecessors. Try and name as many of the 43 you can, and I can guarantee, that unless you memorized all of their names as child in grade school or for some perverse pleasure of your own, such as it will come in handy if your find yourself on Jeopardy some day, you can name about five to six between Washington and Lincoln, and about three between Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Though there are those nine books published about McKinley, unless you are really into presidential history or have seen Sondheim’s Assassins several times, most likely you will not remember that McKinley was a president from 1897-1901. As long as there is a longing amongst the population for knowing the stories of great men who lead the nation through rocky times and put the country on a path towards a better future, there will always be a niche for biographies on Washington and Lincoln and they will be taught in classrooms. First essays will be written about them and as will the myth that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree and when confronted by his father told that he could not lie, that he had indeed chopped down that tree. I say we should take Presidents’ Day to remember both the minor and absolutely terrible presidents. To attempt to honor those men who regardless of their good intentions just couldn’t make it work and to serve as reminders of the past mistakes we have made as an electorate and to never, ever repeat again.

I have my personal favorites. Here are three to think about on the next Presidents Day:

William Harrison
The 9th President of the United States who served the shortest term ever: 30 days in 1841. Harrison died from pneumonia, contracted during what has been called the longest inaugural speech. At 8,444 words, it took Harrison 2 hours to read the speech on a cold and extremely wet day, wearing neither hat nor coat. Harrison was the first Whig candidate elected to office. The 1840 campaign was against incumbent Martin Van Buren, who was portrayed as a dandy and a champagne sipping aristocrat. Harrison was the son of a wealthy Virginian planter himself, but the Whig Party championed him as a frontier, Indian fighting, log cabin living, hard cider drinking American. The Whig Party handed out free hard cider in little bottles shaped like log cabins at barbecues and bonfires; something that probably wouldn’t happen in the modern political campaign. Harrison’s legacy can be found in his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States who served one term from 1889 to 1993.

Zachary Taylor
The 12th President of the United States who served sixteen months of his term, dying from gastroenteritis in 1850. Taylor earned the nickname “Old Rough and Ready” for his rumpled clothes and wide brimmed hat he wore during the Seminole War (1835-1842) and his willingness to share his troops’ hardships. Rising to the rank of general and a war hero of the Mexican America, Taylor became a national icon and clubs were formed in 1848 to draft him into the candidacy for president. Never having expressed his political preferences, Taylor was by then a wealth plantation owner with over 100 slaves, though anti-secessionist as a way to solve the growing national dispute of the expansion of slavery into territories and states. Taylor eventually announced that he was a Whig and easily won the party nomination and went on to defeat Democratic candidate Lewis Cass and Free Soil candidate Martin Van Buren. Of the portion of the term he served, Taylor was involved in debates on slavery that involved the proposals of the Compromise of 1850 resulting in the admittance of California as a free state and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, requiring that all US citizens assist in the return of runaway slaves, regardless of the legal status of slavery in the state that the runaway was found in. Though historians have noted that Taylor did not display very strong leadership in the heated debates in the Senate. Taylor believed that the President should stand above party politics. On July 4, 1850 after attending Independence Day celebrations, and reportedly consuming a mixture of cold milk, cherries and pickled cucumbers, fell ill. He died five days later. At the time of his death, his physician reported that it was a result of cholera morbus, a combination of diarrehea and dysentery, but since then there has been more speculation on the cause of his death, ranging from heat stroke to assassination by arsenic poisoning. The later theory caught on and in 1991, descendants of Zachary Taylor gave permission for his body to be exhumed and tested for any possible signs of death by poisoning. The findings were conclusive that the cause of his death was not poisoning and that it might have been simple as something that he ate on a very hot day.

James Buchanan, Jr
The 15th President of the United States serving one term from 1857-1861. Historians often cite Buchanan as one of the five worst presidents in the history the United States (the other four are often Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, Warren Harding and Herbert Hoover. I’m sure the sixth one will be added once his term has ended). Referred to as a “doughface”, a Northern Democrat who was aligned more with the ideology of the Southern Democrats than the Northern Democratic majority, Buchanan was not the leader that the United States needed at such a critical moment. He also gained his place in history as the only president who never married leading to much speculation that Buchanan might have also been our first homosexual president. For 15 years prior to his presidency, Buchanan lived in Washington DC with his close friend, Alabama Senator William Rufus King, and the two were referred to by their colleagues as “Buchanan and his wife.” Andrew Jackson called King “Miss Nancy” and “Aunt Fancy” (which is not surprising given Jackson’s machismo).

Buchanan had a distinguished public career having served four terms in the House of Representatives; Ambassador to Russia; two terms in the US Senate; Secretary of State in the cabinet of President James Polk and Minister to the Court of St. James. This last position took him to England from 1853 to 1856 and resulted in his drafting as the Democratic candidate for President in 1856. Democrats felt that because he was abroad during the Kansas-Nebraska debates, that he was untainted by the acrimony and bitterness of the growing controversy over slavery. Buchanan was portrayed as “Old Buck” the man who might be able to save the country from crisis. Unfortunately, Buchanan proved to be out of touch with the growing tensions between the North and the South over the issue of slavery and stayed true to the policy and belief that slavery was a matter of choice for individual states and territories. Hoping to avoid further conflict, Buchanan directed through his presidential authority the admission of Kansas as a slavery state. This resulted in the alienation of members of his party and angering the new Republican members of Congress. Time and time again, Buchanan sided with Southern Democrats in Congress and often providing them with his veto for anti-slavery legislation.

The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 triggered the call for secession by the Southern states. Buchanan was still in office when South Carolina left the Union, prompting him to do nothing. Claiming he couldn’t because of his lame duck stature, this only emboldened other states to leave the Union as well. His parting gift to Lincoln was a crumbling nation and on the horizon, Civil War.

NYPL: the newest Netflix Competitor.

I went to the New York Public Library website to check on the status of some books and dvds I had put on hold and on the front page was a message that you can now download movies and other selected programming for free!

"Introducing MyLibraryDV-a unique video-on-demand service created by Recorded Books and your library. You can download from a collection of over 1,000 movies, TV series and lifestyle programs 24/7 anywhere you have a broadband Internet connection. And best of all the videos are always available-there are never any holds on what you want to see!"

There is a twenty page pdf listing what is available so far. I'm sure this will be expanded over time. Though it appears that Sony Entertainment is probably the primary contributor/collaborator with MyLibrary, given that one of the subcategories for films is "Sony Pictures Entertainment." I know that they have a huge film library, given that they have seemed to inhale three-quarters of the previously existing film studios and their film libraries in the last couple of years.

To access MyLibrary you have to download their software and it takes up 1GB. You also have to have a valid NYPL card. Better make sure you paid all of those fines. I'm game to try it.

Here's the link:
http://mltv.permissiontv.com/channels/nypl_ny/premium_ph.html

Our Petite Dinner at Staunton Grocery

We took this picture the next day!

After our walk around downtown Staunton, we decided to check out the Staunton Grocery. I initially found the Staunton Grocery while attempting to search for a restaurant that was featured on an episode of PBS’ NOW that focused on the transition of tobacco farmers in Virginia to producing organic crops. Also included in the episode was a piece on Barbara Kingsolver and her family’s efforts to both grow and eat locally for a year that she wrote about in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. In the episode it was mentioned that her husband, Steve Hopp, who contributed to A,V,M owned a restaurant where the menu was entirely created around the idea of “farm to table.” Of late I’ve become more involved in attempting to decrease our carbon footprint and wanting to support more local producers and businesses. In researching for our stop in Staunton, I came upon an almost one-year old “farm to table” restaurant, the Staunton Grocery. Chef Ian Bodden, a former New Yorker who cooked at Judson Grill and Home in Greenwich Village, has a menu that is entirely composed of dishes from items from local producers. Above the bar at Staunton Grocery is a huge chalkboard that has listed all of the farmers and producers; the product they supplied and the location the item came from. You know the origins of every component of your meal.

J. and I started off with beer from a local microbrewery called Blue Mountain located in Afton, VA. We tried the Full Nelson Ale and it was very good. Our bartender told us that it was a new brewery in the area and gave us the cardboard bottom of the six-pack that had details about its location and directions. After spending a while reading the menu, we selected some hot appetizers for our mini-meal. We started with an amuse bouche consisting of a slice of clementine on pickled radishes. It was very fresh and a nice palate cleanser after the beer. We shared southern fried quail on a layer of greens and parsnip puree and a sweetbreads salad with pickled apples and arugula. Wow…both were so delicious that J. and I almost didn’t share. The sweetbreads were light and fluffy. The quail practically melted in our mouths. We were given a breadbasket with our dishes that was some of the best bread that both of us have ever had. It came from Newtown Baking, a local bakery, which we had every intention of going to the next day, but we just didn't make it. After wiping our dishes clean with bread, we decided we had to try a cheese plate. Our bartender brought us our cheese plate and joked with us that bartenders very rarely have to describe cheese plates, and this was her first time. Of the five cheeses, three came from Virginia; one was from New York and the fifth I think was from West Virginia or possibly a bit further away, like Wisconsin. I wish I could describe all of the cheeses, but I didn’t take notes that night, so I all I can say is given that we love cheese, we loved each and every one. We also shared a nice dessert wine that came from Virginian winery.

All through out our meal, we spoke with our bartender and told her we were from New York; how we found the Staunton Grocery; were on a roadtrip with our cat, etc. At one point in time she left the bar and this young fellow who looked like he was the chef came out to get some pints of beer for his kitchen. Of course, I geeked out and had to ask him if he was the chef, which he said yes. We complimented him on the great food and talked to him about leaving New York City; having what people call a “New York” attitude and his restaurant. Chef Boden said he spent a year meeting with farmers and cultivating relationships with them to supply food for his restaurant. He said that he was at the point where he could ask the farmers to grow specific produce for him and that with a few exceptions, such as some of the cheese we ate; olive oil and product such as fish, he could obtain everything from local sources. It was really nice to get to talk to the person who made your food and to also see a thriving restaurant based on the “farm to table” idea. He thanked us for coming and went back to the kitchen. J. and I asked for the check and with it was sent a plate with three mini desserts, compliments of the chef. Of course now I want to take a road trip back down to Virginia simply to go back to Staunton Grocery and try their tasting menu.

J. and I practically skipped back to the Stonewall Jackson with our lot of free used books and feeling pleasantly full. Virginia had definitely made us lovers that night. We found Jericho sitting on a chair looking happy to not be in the car, yet a bit perturbed that he was in a hotel room. We all nestled in for a good night’s sleep.

This was taken right after we got back to our hotel room. He only left that chair in order to eat, use his kitty litter and drink water. He had no desire to sleep on the bed with us. Jericho did give us, me in particular, a little bit of payback the next day in the car.

If you find yourself anywhere Staunton, VA, definitely check out the Staunton Grocery. Here is a link their website: http://www.stauntongrocery.com/

Also if you get a chance check out the NOW episode. You can watch it fully online: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/344/index.html

A Holiday Road Trip with a Diabetic & Geriatric Cat

Originally I was going to start this blog back in 2007, in order to share with our friends and family our adventures on the road with Jericho, our diabetic and geriatric cat. There are many accounts and tales of individuals embarking on car trips across the big ole US, most famously John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, with his geriatric standard black poodle. There aren't too many memoirs about people traveling with cats and when a hotel says it's "pet friendly" that doesn't always mean that cats are welcomed. Regardless, J. and I decided that we wanted to drive to his parent's home in Knoxville, TN, rather than fly so that we could take care of our 17 year old cranky, grandpa-like puss. Jericho does resemble a grandpa in all kinds of ways: he takes long naps; wakes up ridiculously early in the morning and when he eats he manages to get a lot of his food everywhere,including on himself.

Quite a few weeks have passed since our trip and the holiday season being officially over. Finally I've allotted time to recap our trip south mostly on I-80 South and our visit in Tennessee. But as with every trip, we'll start at the beginning. Planning was mostly done by myself with some input from Jericho.


We left on the Friday before Christmas with great expectations that we would do the first leg of the drive, six hours, and arrive early afternoon in Staunton, Virginia. Staunton, pronounced Stanton, is in the Shenandoah Valley, is a remarkably restored mill town; the birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson; home of the country music legends the Statler Brothers and is home to a great local food restaurant, the Staunton Grocery, that J. and I wanted to check out. The real reason why we selected Staunton? It is located exactly half way between New York City and Knoxville, TN. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a late start and didn't arrive in Staunton until 7:30 at night. Once we finally got on the road, we had some fun dashing through five states in one day.

Jericho sipping some water in the car.


Passing through state #2-we were so happy to leave NJ we didn't take a picture.
At the West Virginia Welcome Center there was a Boy Scout troop giving away hot dogs, coffee and hot chocolate for free. We had lots of smiles for W.VA even though we were in the state for all of an hour. Just a little bit longer than we were in Maryland. I was trying to keep Jericho occupied for the twenty minutes we were in Maryland, so that's why there's no picture of the state at all.

There weren't too many places for Jericho to hang out in the car given it was an economy compact car and was filled with gifts from us and J.'s sister's family. Hanging out by my feet was a momentary option, though not a good one ending up with Jericho being kicked by me. This is him pre-kicking.


So we finally arrived in Staunton. Our hotel was the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center and within walking distance of everything downtown. Unfortunately being a small town much was closed by the time we arrived. Though at night it reminded me of a film set for what would be perceived as the ideal 1950s town. Kind of like the towns portrayed in Back to the Future and Pleasantville.


Not wanting to simply hang out at our hotel, J. and I walked around downtown Staunton. We were practically the only people walking around. We did find a used bookstore that was going out of business and picked up lot of hardcover books for free. Originally we had reservations at Staunton Grocery and had to cancel them from the road because of our tardy departure. On a whim and my pleading and whining, we decided to see if it was still open, and it was. Having filled ourselves on gas station strip road food, aka, McDonalds, neither of us wanted to eat a complete sit down meal. Instead we headed to the bar and opted for some of the small plate courses. Our delicious meal will be the next installment of the road trip. But here are some more nighttime pictures of Staunton.

Looking sassy and walking by Staunton's railroad station. The station is still a functioning Amtrack depot but the physical station house has been renovated and houses a steakhouse; a pub and a few stores.

The spooky church graveyard! In one section of Staunton, we counted not only a church on all four corners, but within walking distance of each corner there were six other churches. Your neighbors would be for certain to know if you had attended church or not. This graveyard made me think of every zombie film I've ever seen and the Duran Duran video for "Waiting for the Nightboat." Though there were no boats or waterways nearby, I could imagine Simon LeBon running through the maze of tombstones chased by some ghoulish entities.

We certainly were in the South. The electric roof sign of the Stonewall Jackson Hotel. Confederate general and hero; considered the be one of the greatest tactical commanders in US military history, yet was accidentally shot by Confederate troops during battle; his left arm amputated though he died from complications from pneumonia. The hotel opened in 1924 and the name was selected from an open contest in the county. The runner-up was "Woodrow Wilson." The staff was warm and welcoming and even alerted us that we hadn't closed our trunk all the way. Luckily nothing was taken but this cool car was parked next to us.




Check out their website.
www.stonewalljacksonhotel.com