Cape May, NJ 1939

Time Square, New York

"This is Time Square which is the heart of New York's theatrical district with the New York Times Building marking the division of 7th Ave. from Broadway. Within the radius of 10 blocks are scores of theatres. The tall building with clock houses the Paramount Theatre, one of the leading motion picture palaces. Next to it is the Hotel Astor."

The Boardwalk- Coney Island New York 1929

"The Boardwalk, Coney Island, NY.-

 

The wonderful 80 foot board walk extends two miles from Seagate to Ocean Parkway a promenade overlooking a beautiful beach which is now long enough and wide enough to accommodate almost the entire population of New York at one time."

 

Sent from Brooklyn in 1929.

Riverside Church, Grant's Tomb, New York City

Riverside Church, Grant's Tomb, Riverside Drive, and George Washington Bridge

Gatlinburg- TN

Pioneer Playhouse- Danville Kentucky 2013 Season

Don't forget that the season at Pioneer Playhouse in Danville Kentucky has started!

Their season only runs through the end of August, so make sure you get out there soon!  Plus, with only half a dozen plays each season, you want to make sure you get out there at least every couple of weeks....

I made it out for the first play this year and will probably be out for all of their others.  I do enjoy an evening in Danville, watching a play outside.

http://www.pioneerplayhouse.com/

Statue of Liberty- New York, NY

Niagara Falls by Illumination

The top postcard was postmarked from Niagara Falls and sent in 1947. A couple is writing to another couple about their trip to the Falls. They comment that they are much bigger than they originally thought.

Niagara Falls 1939

The top postcard was postmarked 1939, the middle 1940, both sent form Ontario.  The bottom one was never sent or dated.

Rockefeller Center at Night, New York City

"This interesting photograph shows the 70-story RCA Building, Rockefeller Center, New York City, flood lighted. In the foreground may be seen the Prometheus Fountain in the Sunken Plaza directly in front of the RCA Building."

This great card is postmarked May 17, 1943 sent from New York City by a husband to his wife. He talks about missing her, and how he wishes she was there with him.

Aero Cable Over Whirlpool Rapids, Niagara Falls

Ice Mountain from Foot of Falls, Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls postcard sent from Canada in 1946.

Statue of Atlas, Rockefeller Center, NY

New York City has a population of over 7,500,000 people and is known everywhere as the "Sky-scraper City." Radio City, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Woolworth Building, are some of the tallest and largest buildings in the world and form an integral part of New York's famed skyline.

Steel Arch Bridge, Niagara Falls

Wallace Hartley Violin at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Recently, we made it down to Pigeon Forge to check out the Titanic Museum.  Right now, they have the Wallace Hartley violin on display!

AND, they have a VIP ticket you can get that gives you some very personal access to the violin and it includes a guided tour of the museum with a crew member (ask for Jodi if you go, I am sure everyone is great, but we LOVED Jodi!). 

We got to the museum at 8:30 am, the start time for the VIP tour but still half an hour earlier than the actual time the place opens.  We were greeted with much enthusiasm when we came in.  In fact, the staff was so friendly we felt a little embarrassed!  My wife and I both felt like VIPs (and blushed a little) when the men in their dressy White Star Line uniforms saluted and the ladies in their black dresses curtsied as we walked into the museum.  That alone was a sweet and special experience.

We were given our boarding pass with the name of a person on the Titanic.  At the end of the tour, you got to see if the name on the pass survived or not, and you could get more information on their life.  I was excited to see that, for the day I got to be Captain Smith, though I was also a little let down, as I already knew of his fate.

Once inside, Jodi escorted us to the second floor for a private viewing of the Wallace Hartley Violin.  Photos are not allowed inside of the museum, but you are allowed to take pictures of the violin if you purchase the VIP ticket.

There is something very exciting about taking a photo of a legendary relic yourself.  Sure, you still get to see the violin with the standard ticket at the Titanic Museum, but it was very nice getting to see it up close before the museum officially opened!

ALSO- This is simply one of the most exciting museum pieces on display anywhere right now!  It will be at the Pigeon Forge site until July 27th and it will be in Branson for two weeks after that.  Then, it will be auctioned off.  After that, it may never be shown publicly again.  Think about that!

The fact that this violin exists at all is also very special.  We all know the legendary story of the band playing as the Titanic went down.  Well, this instrument produced the last sounds some of those individuals heard.

I could go on and on about this exciting and emotional item.  You could hear whispers in the museum calling this the last survivor of the Titanic.  I personally think there is something to be said for a musical instrument having a soul.....

After we took photos and admired the violin as long as we felt appropriate, we started our tour of the entire museum with Jodi back on the first floor.

We would have bought the VIP tickets even without the personal Wallace Hartley Violin experience!  Having a knowledgeable guide at this fantastic site was mind blowing!  We are still digesting all of the information!  Our tour lasted about 3 hours and Jodi told us tales the entire time, only stopping during the 6 minute film and when other guides did their presentations.  I tried to stump her with tough questions but she answered them all!

The Titanic Museum did not disappoint when it came to actual relics from the ship.  My favorites included a couple of stuffed animals associated with children on the ship. 

I also appreciated the attention to detail in the displays.  Many items had mirrors behind them, so that you could see back detail- like an engraving or a postmark on the back of a postcard.

Some of the displays not related to the actual ship were amazing too.  Of course there are many movie props.  I enjoyed the wall sized enlarged photos showing where the Titanic was built.  It really gave a feeling of being at that spot on Queen's Island.

At the end of our marathon tour with Jodi, we were exhausted, but we wanted more!  Even though we have visited the travelling Titanic exhibits 3 times and know a good amount about the ship and its fate, we realized there was still more to know.  In fact, there is still a lot of room for research.  There are still mysteries surrounding many of the passengers, and mysteries about the wreck itself that researchers in the future might discover.

As Jodi told us the stories of various passengers, I told her I felt that another movie, a FACTUAL one could be made to top any previous film.  She suggested an entire series.  At various points on our tour we joked "there's ANOTHER episode"!

Before leaving the museum, we picked up some books in the gift shop AND a limited edition (of only 250) poster that was included with our VIP ticket.

So make sure you get to see the Wallace Hartley Violin while you can and pop for the VIP ticket!  It is a special experience.  Though, now that I have been there for the violin, I am excited to find another excuse to go again soon!



Whaleback Steamer Christopher Columbus passing through Milwaukee

Sent in 1923 to a friend in Illinois.  This postcard shows a Whaleback Steamer, The Christopher Columbus going through Milwaukee.

This particular whaleback was scrapped in 1936 and it was the only whaleback made for passenger service.

Middle Falls and Gorge, Buttermilk Falls State Park, NY