Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA

I know I have a similar postcard on this site, but this one is postmarked 1909!

Water Taxi- Baltimore, MD

On our recent trip to Baltimore we spent a day using their Water Taxi service!

I think it was about $12 each to ride, and we were really happy with this!  You can catch rides to several of the trendy neighborhoods and to Fort McHenry national park!

The taxis came by very frequently, and we really didn't have to wait long for the next one.

In fact, we got on a couple of times just to enjoy making the rounds and seeing the sites.

Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, PA

Great landmark, and this postcard was sent in 1916!

Hodgenville and Abe Lincoln Historical Sites

In Hodgenville, you can see the actual sites of of the first two Lincoln Family homes.  Replica cabins are at both locations.  The two sites are just a few miles apart.

You can actually go and see the spring where our future President probably took his first sips of water.

Both sites are part of the National Park Service.  Unlike Mammoth Cave, another NP in Kentucky, you probably won't experience huge crowds here. 

The area is a bit out of the way, but it is still close to some of the sites on the Bourbon Trail, and its not too far away from one of my favorite stops when going across the state- old Talbott Tavern!

Fell's Point, MD

We took the water taxi to Fell's Point, a small artsy neighborhood in Baltimore.

The place is very cool, and we had a great time there.  They have a really nice indy music shop, a fair trade store, and cool jewelry shop that we enjoyed.  Oh, and we really liked the coffee shop, the Daily Grind.  Nice, cozy place.

I did quickly notice some cool Grateful Dead connections in this town!  Has anyone else noticed that a few businesses share the names of Grateful Dead songs?

We were looking over a map of places to stop for lunch when we noticed a place called the WHARF RAT!!!!  Then, we saw BERTHA'S!  Bertha and Wharf Rat are two of my all time favorites by the Dead.

At the advice of a local we went with Bertha's (see my separate entry on that great restaurant).

There were a couple of other things in town that made me remember my time at Dead, Rat Dog, and Robert Hunter shows.

Parkway, Showing RC Cathedral, Philadelphia, PA

This postcard went through the mail in 1926 and it still looks great.

USS Torsk- Baltimore, MD

While in Baltimore, we took a moment to tour the USS Torsk!  There are several ships in the harbor that you can tour, and we took a moment to see this one.

In 1945, the USS Torsk earned the honor of sinking the last enemy ship by the US navy during WWII.


There is something so fascinating about touring a submarine.  They are so impressive in size, and in what they can do.  Plus, you think about the fact that this one was built in 1944 and it still looks great!

The Torsk was very tight though and i think it would bother me if I had to spend too much time inside of such a vehicle.  Check out how close the beds are to each other.  If you had a middle bunk, you would have one of your shipmates sleeping just a few inches underneath one, and one just a few inches above you!

The doors are small too.  I have short legs and it was a bit of a task to stretch my legs to get over the wall area to go through the door.

Looking at the various controls and gears, I couldn't help but think about 60s and 70s sci-fi.  It almost seems like a set for a movie made long ago, designed by people predicting such a boat would exist.  The submarine still, in some ways, feels more fantasy than real to me.

I liked the shark face painted on the front.  That looked very WWII to me.

I was reading about how scouts can arrange to spend the night on the Torsk (and on the other boats here in Baltimore).  How exciting that must be for a group of scouts to get that experience!

Buffalo Run in Lincoln City Indiana

We stopped by Buffalo Run in Lincoln City Indiana recently.

We almost didn't notice the place, as it doesn't immediately get your attention.  The front is a bit unremarkable.

We did notice it though, and thought we should go in to check it out.  I love little gift shops and independent restaurants when we travel.

We went inside to a very quite gift shop, with some tables set up here and there.  The staff greeted us, and told us we could go check out the bison out back if we would like.

I thought they were kidding at first until I was assured they were not.  So, off we went to see the bison!

Bison were snacking at the front of a fenced in area, and you could pretty much walk right up to them.

After watching them for a while, we walked around a bit more.  There is an old cabin noted to have a connection to Abe Lincoln.

We went back inside of the little gift shop/restaurant and checked out the menu.  It looked good so we ordered.

They did have bison burgers on the menu!  Oh, and if you have ever ordered a bison burger somewhere else, you know they can be pricey, but they were very reasonable here.  In fact, the place had very reasonable prices in general.  Two of us ate for about $15 with tip.  We were really happy with what we had, and we were happy with the price.

The gift shop part had local jams, antiques, art and that sort of thing.  The selection was very folky and I didn't see much of the usual mass produced stuff.  They have some very unique items.

Also, Buffalo Run is located VERY close to the Lincoln State and National Parks, and to Santa Claus Indiana.  If you visit any of those areas, skip the fast food places and go here!  You will probably spend about the same amount of money, but you will have a more interesting time!

http://www.indianasabelincoln.org/buffalorun/

Hotel Sylvania

Lincoln State Park in Indiana

Lincoln State Park is pretty much walking distance from the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.

Unlike the National Memorial, the State Park does charge a small per car admission (I think $5-7).

We did enjoy our drive through the park though.  There are some very cool tributes to Abe and his family here.

We really liked the monument near the front entrance to the park.

Also, there is a church on the property.  The original church on the site was partially built by Abe.  His sister Sarah is buried in the cemetery there.

There was a very nice like on the property too that we liked.  We tried to go to the nature center on our day there, but it was closed.

Scottish Rite Cathedral- Indianapolis Indiana

The Lincoln Tomb- Springfield, IL

"Final Resting Place of Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States.

Two and one-half feet back of the cenotaph and six feet below the surface of the ground lies the immortal Lincoln.  Surrounding the Cenotaph are State Flags, where the generations of Lincoln have lived.  Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

To the south in crypts are Mrs. Lincoln and three of the four Lincoln children."

Hardrock Cafe Baltimore, MD