I'm still toying with the idea of seeing the country with my mom. It's still at the stage where I'm just entertaining the notion, playing with the sound of it, imagining it as a wistful "what if...." On a seriousness scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably at about a 2 or a 3. Not even halfway there.
But I'm far enough to start asking a question: Let's pretend that I were to actually do this. If I did, what do you recommend that my mom and I should see in your state? This would include the must-see attractions as well as the quirky things that never quite make it to the AAA Tour Book.
At lunch Sunday, before the movie, I asked one of my friends--who had just returned from visiting family in Nebraska--what there is to see in Nebraska. She gave me a dirty look, because she thought I was being unkind about her home state, so I had to convince her I was serious. Here's what she recommended in Nebraska:
The Black Hills spill into the western part of the state from South Dakota and are very nice.
In March, there's a migration of Sandhill Cranes that descend on the Platte River (a name I recognize from playing Oregon Trail on the computer with my kids when they were younger).
In Omaha, the Zoo has built ingenious indoor habitats for the various animals, since so many wouldn't be able to take the cold winters. She mentioned one building that has a desert habitat on the main floor, and the level below-ground has a dim, swampy habitat.
And of course, there's corn.
So, just in case you missed the question, what do you recommend that my mom and I should see in your state? And that includes you, if your state is California. I don't get out much.
Please post a comment. If we really end up doing this, we're going to need to know more than, "Kansas is a big rectangle."
12 comments:
Well, I have two states that I have called home, my current one in Indiana and my childhood home in Delaware.
Both are really, really flat and both have a lot of farmland (think corn and beans, no "amber waves of grain" there).
The obvious answer for Delaware would normally be the beaches, but since you live in CA., your beaches would be nicer and definitely warmer. Hmmmm....I'll have to give it some thought.
I'll get back to you on this one.
Skye,
I posted a reply to you this morning, but it never showed up. I must have spazzed. Again.
Yes, I have quite a few shy readers.
It took my growing up, and even more my divorce, before I realized what a treasure I had in my dad. I'm glad I had plenty of time with him. (BTW, thanks for the link!)
As for New Jersey, my ex-husband was from there and Ohio, and we went to NJ once to visit family, but didn't do any sight-seeing. I was really surprised by how beautiful the state is. I had imagined it would be an industrial wasteland, the way people make fun of it.
Aren't there some historical places from the Revolutionary War or the Colonial period? I love history.
You don't need to tell me about any super-duper roller coasters, though, because God didn't make me to go upside-down. My daughter would love the roller coasters, but my mom and I wouldn't.
I'm glad you stopped by.
Christina,
You'd be surprised about the beaches. We get nice sand in California, but the water is cold (the prevailing currents bring the water to us from Alaska). I've heard that your ocean water is warmer than ours, coming up from the Caribbean.
Like New Jersey, if there are any historical things to see, that would be cool too.
Charlie,
Thanks! I've been to the Grand Canyon (got a speeding ticket on the way there!), but the other two are new to me.
i am here via skye's page. i live in NB canada,and we have lots to see in the "picture province". the longest covered bridge in the world is in hartland. it was built in early 1900s and is still used to this day. we also have what they call the flower pot rocks at hopewell cape. we have St. andrews by the sea, a great vacation spot. you can drive an hour in any ddirection from the capital and see something different. i have nejoyed your page and if it is ok, i'd like to add you to my blog roll. thanks poet
Poet,
I hadn't considered Canada, but we can drive in New Brunswick just as easily as we can drive in New Jersey. Good thing for us you folks drive on the right side of the road.
NB sounds great! And that's fine if you want to add me to your blogroll (you'll notice I haven't figured out how to do that yet--I like words, not technology).
Ohio boast the home of more US presidents. Also we are the true home to aviation with the Wright Brothers bicycle museum and the home to Goodyear rubber and the blimp. Let's not forget football. Akron-Canton is home to the Football hall of fame and the Inventors Hall of Fame. Into music? Cleveland is home to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
Cincinati, Columbus and Cleveland have outstanding zoo's and Cleveland has a Rain Forest within it's zoo.
Ohio sounds like a winner to me, but that's just one buckeyes opinion.
Janice,
Ohio sounds good to me too. I've been to Cleveland to visit family (my cousin was blown down the street one time and was rescued by a cop, who caught her--Cleveland is in fact windier than the Windy City), but no sight-seeing there either.
I've always had a soft spot for Akron, because I love the movie Harvey (Dr. Chumley would have Harvey take him for two weeks to Akron, where he would drink cold beer and a lovely young woman would say to him, "Poor thing. Poor, poor thing."), so now I have even more reason to see that mythic town.
So far, we've got New Jersey (just not sure what to see there yet), Indiana and Delaware (also unsure of what to see), Arizona, New Brunswick, and Ohio. Not a bad start...
Okay, so I did a little thinking about what is in the state of Delaware. (I actually have a couple Eastern Shore of Maryland suggestions too, since I lived on the state line.)
If you want to visit a rather nice quaint beach area, I recommend Rehoboth Beach, DE. Check out this link for more info: http://www.beach-fun.com/
Rehoboth Beach is also home to a nice outlet mall, if shopping is your thing. Plus, it is worth noting that there is no sales tax anywhere in Delaware.
If you're looking for something similar to Atlantic City, minus the gambling, try Ocean City, Maryland. It boasts a nice beach area, boardwalk and lots of fun touristy attractions. The link also includes info on a smaller nearby island that is actually a national park, called Assateague Island. The beach area has beautiful sand dunes and beach front and is known for the wild horses that roam the beach. It's a much quieter beach scene. The link for both is: http://www.ococean.com/
If you're a seafood aficianado (did I spell that right?) there is an abundance to be had. I recommend the Maryland crab cakes. Best anywhere...period.
That's about all that comes to mind for Maryland/Delaware. I'm still thinking about Indiana. I've only lived here for 9.75 years now, so I need a bit more time for that one. Chris could probably recommend more than I could.
Christina,
Thanks! Delaware and Maryland sound good too.
I love crabcakes when they're good. Too many places that serve them don't understand the concept of flavor.
Hey -
I tend to agree, your writing style is nice. I would love it if you could address television these days....I am trying to raise a child and even cartoons are absurd these days. Summer is here - how can I ensure that my child is not watching inappropriate material WITHOUT throwing away the television altoghether.....
Anonymous,
Sorry, you're asking the wrong blogger about kids and TV. My kids are 19 and 21--long past cartoon-watching age. I have no idea what's good or bad in the cartoon world.
In California, I recommend Rancho Buena Vista and Rancho Guajome Adobe. Old Town in San Diego is pretty cool too. I definitely recommend you avoid Imperial County, though. Probably the best way to describe it would be "interminable hellish wasteland".
Wherever you go, be sure to bring your cell phone.
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