East Coast Tour
The East Coast tour has come and gone! Twenty-nine PACETAH participants, Social Studies Advisory Council members, and some (brave) spouses departed on Sunday, June 25 for 9 days of whirlwind activity in 3 states (Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virginia) and the District of Columbia! Although we didn’t have time to see “everything”, we certainly crammed as much into the 9 days as possible. We were able to overcome a couple of “glitches” with EF Tours in order to see everything we needed to see. (Who would go to Jamestown and Yorktown without expecting to see the “real deal”? Go figure… )
We traveled by air, train, bus, and for some of us, by sea! We missed the floods but NOT the humidity!! The USA Today, in its Friday, June 30 edition, listed ”10 great places to steep in American History.” We managed to see 6 of the 10: The Old North Bridge, Concord, Mass., the Old North Church and Old South Meeting House in Boston, The National Archives and American History Museum in DC, and Yorktown Battlefield. What did we miss? Fraunces Tavern, NYC, Independence Hall and Betsy Ross Home in Philadelphia, and Ft. McHenry in Baltimore. One teacher, with great foresight, carried a pedometer. Before we left Reagan Airport in DC to come home, it read almost 47 miles! We worked hard and we played hard, and I want to thank all of the travelers for being so congenial and for making the trip great fun!
The East Coast trip, Where do I begin!! It was AMAZING!!!!! I was one of the lucky ones that got to travel by bus, plane, train and sea! The tall ship trip was one of my favorite parts of the trip! I am so glad that I faced my fears and went on that boat! We got to experience a lot. Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Boston, Lexington, Concord, DC, Arlington National Cemetery, The White House, The Capitol, (NO Liquids/Food Allowed)…..”We’ve Been Everywhere Man, We’ve Been Everywhere!”
This was the best trip I have been able to take with the PACETAH Grant!! THANK YOU to all who SUPPORTED THIS GRANT!!!!!!!!!!!! It was AWSOME!!!
What a trip! I had an amazing time in Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia and D.C.! I didn’t think nine days would pass so quickly. It was fast and furious, but I learned so much! My favorite sight in Boston was definitely The Old North Church. The interior of the church was still in pristine condition…amazing since it was built in 1722. Our days were filled with sightseeing from Paul Revere’s house to Old Ironside to the Bunker Hill Monument. I never did adjust to the humidity and was happy a few of the grant participants felt the same! Our nights in Boston ended at Quincy Market where we found A/C and a cold drink! We visited the JFK Library and Plimouth Plantation…don’t forget the Mayflower replica! Did I leave anything out?
We left Boston and headed to D.C. on Amtrak. This was a first for me also. It really was a quick and smooth ride. Many jumped off at each stop to take pictures and stake their claim on “being in another state”. The train ride went quick with Dorothy’s jokes and Jim Bob’s stand up routine. I have never laughed for six hours straight…I think I am scarred from that ride!
D.C. was incredible. We saw many of the monuments that first evening and seeing Mrs. Hamm’s husband there with his Korean Veteran’s hat on and people coming up to shake his hand at the monument was very moving. We “RAN” around D.C. and went to the Holocaust Museum, National American History Museum, Air and Space Museum, Ford’s Theatre, a tour of the Capital and White House. We even saw President Bush’s dog! You can’t beat that! My favorite stop was Arlington National Cemetery. I am glad we stayed for the changing of the guards. Our next stop was Mt. Vernon and the long wait in line to see the estate was well worth it. The property is gorgeous and has a fabulous view of the Potomac!
Finally, on to Colonial Williamsburg. We were fortunate to be there so close to the 4th of July. The reenactments really made history come alive and seeing these people acting out everyday life in colonial times reminds you of the journey these people took. It makes you very thankful. We also went to Jamestown and Yorktown. Whew….the humidity! I had a great time…thank you Danna. I never thought I would be so happy to see the Panhandle’s wide-open spaces and big blue skies!
Where do I start? This was my first trip to the East Coast and it was better than I had even hoped. At last count I had 1800 pictures that I’m still trying to organize for Danna.
During the trip, one of the teachers made the comment about how awesome it was to visit Lexington and Concord where the Revolution began and to visit Yorktown where the victory was won within just a few days. I enjoyed Boston, even getting lost in Chinatown and riding the subway–we were lucky to meet some kind natives who helped put us in the right direction. Plymouth was beautiful and I wish we had had a little more time to explore the town. We accomplished a lot in 9 days!
I was shocked by the humidity in D.C. and I didn’t think I would make it up Capitol Hill!!! A nice lunch really helped and tons of iced tea. The Lincoln Memorial was so huge!!! Jefferson was beautiful especially in the sunset!! It was touching seeing Cecil at the Korean Memorial with his veteran’s hat. The capitol was impressive–what magnificent art work! The White House was something I’ve looked forward to ever since the trip was in the planning stages.
Arlington Cemetery was unforgettable. The changing of the guard was impressive. I stayed for the wreath-laying ceremony. A guardsman played “Taps”, that always chokes me up to remember the sacrifices made so we can live as we do.
I loved the Fife and Drum Corps in Williamsburg. Part of me wanted to grab a fife and join them or at least beat on one of the drums. The drums were totally awesome and I wanted to sneak one onto the plane. It was exciting to see the home of the House of Burgesses. Mount Vernon was another incredible spot. The mansion was beautiful.
There were so many wonderful experiences for me on this trip. To visit the places I had studied, read about, and taught, was unbelievable. To my fellow travelers, I enjoyed your company and getting to know you better. This was a great experience that I will never forget.
The East Coast….. we have seen these words in so many e-mails and memos and have spoken them endlessly for a year and to actually be loading the planes on Junes 25th was a awesome experience! We spent nine days exploring American history’s greatest landmarks.
I loved Boston and the Old North Church was my favorite stop off. I think my kids will really enjoy seeing the pictures of the Old North Bridge.
Next, Washington D.C… Washington was great but HOTTTTTTT! I loved the tour of the White House and actually seeing all the presidential and first lady portraits. The Holocaust Museum is something I will never forget, I think that is a land mark everyone should have experienced. I have never been so proud to be an American as when I was at Arlington. It was amazing and humbling to see the changing of the guard and to see Kennedy’s grave and it being surrounded by people from foreign countries wanting their pictures taken standing next to it. I was also amazed at the arrangements of crosse or tombstones. Everyone of them are in a straight line no matter which direction you look.
I have to say the most memorable landmark we visited in Washington was Ford’s Theatre and then visiting the house across the street where he was taken and where he died. It was a very erie feeling and I will never forget seeing the bed that Lincoln spent his last days in.
After D.C it was off to Williamsburg. That was a lot fun and definately a place that I re-visit. We also visited Jamestown and Yorktown. It was an awesome trip. Thanks Danna.
Our trip started with visits to Plymouth, Concord and Lexington. It ended with visits to Yorktown and Jamestown. That is an unbelivable experience. To stand at such significant sites was a thrill that can not be described. Dana’s efforts at puting such a trip together is beyond execlence in planning. My great times were every aspect of this trip. Not one dull moment. Some highlights for me were sailing in Boston Harbor, seeing Walden Pond (Thoreau’s little shack of simple living) , site of the Boston Masasacre, sitting in the old North Church, Standing on the site and looking up the street of the origional Plymouth, Kennedy Library, and Highspeed train ride to Washington. Seeing NY and Philidelphia from the train was neat. It is alway a thrill to see the Whitehouse, Miss Beasley did greet us after all. Williamsberg was a great learning experience. Sitting in the Jamestown Church and then sitting on the sea wall of the old site of the newly discovered stockaid of Jamestown had special meaning to me. I imagined Pocahontas teaching cartwheels for the young people of Jamestown. It was good to stand in Yorktown to see where the American Nation won their independance after a terrible war. I will use so much of this in the classroom. It gives an understanding of these places that I never had before. Thanks to all that went. I found you all be be great traveling companions
What a fanstastic trip to the historic East Coast. We had registration the last couple of days at Hereford Junior High and I told a few of my former students about all the places we had been. From the original Jamestown to the Capital at Williamsburg to the Boston Massacre site to Old North Church and Paul Revere’s house, to Lexington and Concord to Plimouth, to the surrender site at Yorktown, to Old Ironsides, New England and Colonial Virginia was most interesting. How often do you get to ride on the fastest train in the U.S. at up to 150 mph? I had not been in Washington since 1970 when I was stationed at Fort Belvoir and Fort Holabird, so things had changed. The Air and Space Museum was not in existence at the time. Arlington National Cemetery was most humbling, an important reminder that freedom is not free, but is quite costly. One thing of personal note to me was the view of the Manhattan skyline as we came on the train through the borough of Queens. The last time I had seen that particular view was in 1954 as we left our residence on Long Island with my father driving us to our new home in Tyler, Texas. It is not everday that you get to see the actual “Star Spangled Banner” as were able to in the Smithsonian, or take a tour of the White House and Capitol, or see the mast of the Battleship Maine. I got to shake hands with Mac Thornberry and have my picture taken with Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia at the airport. Thanks, so much, Danna for arranging this trip. ON TO COLUMBIA AND NEW YORK CITY!!!
The East Coast trip was a very enjoyable experience. Although it was extremely hectic! It was an amazing thing, for me personally, to walk across the Old North Bridge in Concord and stand where the American Militia prepared to attack the British regulars. I found Boston to be a city that one experiences rather than just sees.
Washington,D.C. is probably my favorite city in the world. I have probably been there 15-20 times in my life and never tire of going there. I think the highlight, for me, was the trip to Arlington National Cemetery to watch the changing of the guard. I found myself truly in awe at the site.
The trip to the Tidewater area of Virginia was very special to me. Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown all hold a special place in my youth. However, the best part of the trip was the day that I went to Newport News with my parents. We went to The Mariner’s Museum and saw the exhibit on the recently raised U.S.S. Monitor of Civil War fame. I think my mother and father and I were the only ones at the museum when the docent asked if we would like to actually touch a part of the ship. We jumped at the the chance and touched one of the large pieces of the ships siding. It was a great experience. Later, we went to Ft. Monroe and went to the church that I was baptized in. The church was built in 1852 and is still in use.
The trip was long and tiring. We were always on the go. I would jump at the chance to do it again. Thank you Danna for putting it all together!!!
The “East Coast” tour was a great success. I never knew you could see so much in such a short period of time–from Boston, to Washington, D.C., to Williamsburg, to Jamestown, and to Yorktown in 9 days is quite a feat. My husband also made the trip and was as equally pleased with the trip as I was. The highlights of the trip in Boston were seeing the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston Harbor; seeing John Hancock’s coat in the Old South Meeting Hall; walking through the Old Granary cemetery and Boston Commons; taking a clipper cruise around the Boston coast; and touring the Kennedy Library. We did make a day trip to Lexington and Concord. After taking an Amtrak trip to D.C., we spent a “fast and furious” walking tour of the Smithsonian Museums most notably the Museum of the American Indian, the Aerospace Museum, and the National Botanical Museum (most appreciated on a hot day). We were then priviledged to take a tour of the Capital courtesy of Rep. Mac Thornberry, our local congressman. We weaved our way through scores of tourists, both young and old, and were able to view alot of the “comings and goings” of our nation’s seat of government. The next day we went to Mt. Vernon, one of our nation’s shrines, and once again weaved our way amongst the many tourists.(This is of course a tribute to the importance of everything we saw.) I really enjoyed seeing the room where Washington died and his surveyor’s tools in his office–a neat connection to colonial history. After that momentous trip we made a tour of the White House. I was impressed with the Secret Service agents serving as tour guides–shows how vulnerable we as a nation have responded to the threat of terrorism. The “neatest” thing we experienced there was getting to see Mrs. Beasley, the President’s dog,
amble amongst the crowd as if she owned the place. Equally disturbing was seeing the gun implacements on the roof of the house and talking to the guards holding assault rifles. Despite it all, seeing the White House always inspires a sense of pride in me as a American citizen.
After our brief sojourn in D.C., we traveled to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. I have been to Williamsburg twice before, but I always enjoy the reinactments the “colonial” performances. Jamestown was disappointing for me. I liked seeing the surroundings where our first settlers made their claims to the new land, but I really expected to see more of the original houses. They just aren’t there, I soon discovered–happened too long ago, I guess, and no one preserved them before it was too late. Yorktown also disappointed me. It was only an open field, nothing to give you an impression of what the battle was like, where the troops and commanders were located. BUT, I was there where it all happened.
As you can tell, we did “alot”–all of it most inspirational, educational, and pleasurable. Thanks for a most memorable trip.
The East Coast Tour was incredible. Boston Harbor was a big treat along with The Old North Church. The ride on the train speeding through New York was an experience I thought I never would experience. The Arlington Cemetary and seeing the changing of the guard gives you a new understanding of the scrifices made for our country. This trip was busy, hot, and did I say we never stopped. The experience to see all the different historical places that I have only taught and read about was truly something I never dreamed of. This was an incredible trip. Teaching history is fun but more fun when I have experienced what I am teaching.
THE EAST COAST TRIP WAS THE HISTORY TEACHER’S DREAM VACATION. WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IT WAS TO FINALLY GET TO SEE ALL OF THE WONDERFUL PLACES THAT I TEACH ABOUT IN THE CLASSROOM. I WAS IN AWE AS I WATCHED THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS AT THE ARLINGTON CEMETARY. WHAT DEVOTION THOSE YOUNG MEN HAVE TO THEIR FELLOW SERVICE MEN AND TO THEIR COUNTRY. THE WASHINGTON MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS WERE AWESOME. THE KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL SENT CHILLS UP MY SPINE. I COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT EACH MAN WOULD HAVE BEEN THINKING AS HE WALKED THROUGH THE RICE PATTY. MOUNT VERNON WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. NO WONDER WASHINGTON WANTED TO BE BURIED THERE INSTEAD OF IN D.C. I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE END THE TOUR WITH YORKTOWN. AGAIN, I WAS MOVED WHEN I LOOKED OUT ACROSS THE BATTLEFIELDS. I THOUGHT OF THE LIVES THAT WERE LOST FOR ME AND OTHER FELLOW AMERICANS. WOW!!!!