oh brother are you gonna leave me

Number one word during the tour of Independence Hall: compromise. The park ranger telling us about the drafting of the Constitution used it five times in the span of three minutes.

"Compromise and barter," was his exact phrase, describing how the delegates of the Continental Congress worked together to draft the document that has shaped America. Not everyone got what they wanted. Some conceded that the Constitution still wasn't perfect. All agreed that it would need to be changed and molded to deal with whatever issues the future held for their fledgling nation.

So how have today's politicians lost site of this? Surely they've taken a history lesson or two? Today they are so quick to jump on any little issue in a bill as a reason for voting against it. They seem to want perfect legislation to hit their desks before they'll approve anything. Compromise is a dirty word; a sign of weakness.

Congress needs a field trip to Philadelphia. Make them pass through security to enter Independence Hall. Stand in the hot sun for their tour to start. Listen as a NPS ranger gives them a refresher course in American history. They surely need a reminder.

the time has come for one and all to play ball

During this trip one thing has become abundantly clear: Most of my knowledge of baseball comes from pop culture.

Seinfeld fills most of my brain; everything from Keith Hernandez's "magic loogie" to the cartoonish exclamations of "George Steinbrenner." To me, Joe Dimaggio was part of a Simon & Garfunkel lyric before he was a Yankee slugger. Ted Williams: the guy in the Nissen Bread commercials. The "Miracle Mets" are a piece of the puzzle Will Smith and Josh Brolin are trying to solve in Men in Black 3.

So while the Baseball Hall of Fame was a quasi-religious pilgrimage for my fiance-- a huge baseball fan-- for me it was another opportunity to quote television and movies.

I gleefully reminded him that "there's no crying in baseball" while viewing the Women in Baseball exhibit (which displays costumes from the movie alongside actual All-American League uniforms). I imitated the Phil Rizzuto "Holy Cow!" key chain George Costanza lost while jumping a pot hole. I did my best impression of Will Ferrel doing an impression of Harry Caray ("It's a simple question. If you were a hotdog, would you eat yourself? I would, and I'd be delicious!").

Thankfully, my fiance finds all of this as hysterical as I do. He laughed at my suggestion that there should be an exhibit dedicated to the many loves of Alex Rodriguez, and agrees that Rob Lowe's rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" from Parks & Recreation should be played on a loop somewhere in the building. While visiting the HOF was serious business, he somehow didn't take it too seriously. It's just a game.

Next time we're in an art museum, I'll try to act a bit more like him and not take it too seriously. I know he's not as into art as I am, and he's just trying to entertain himself. He'd much rather be watching sports, but he's with me instead. I should reward him by laughing at his jokes. (Just not too loudly.)



[My fiance is very proud of the number of baseball stadiums he has visited on this trip. Here's the list: Camden Yards, Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Stadium.]

my huckleberry friend

And so we come to what is, for me at least, the highlight of this trip: The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. Odd that this would be so high on the list, having visited what most people would agree are much more exciting sites. But for me this is very, very exciting. My fiance is just along for the ride.

Mark Twain has long been my favorite author. I freely admit that when I was much younger (10-early teens), I latched onto this curmudgeonly Missourian because I thought it made me seem smarter. More mature. My friends could read all the Goosebumps and Sweet Valley High they wanted; I was a true literary connoisseur.

A funny thing happened during these years. The more Twain I read (and reread), the more I genuinely liked his work. My appreciation of his novels, short stories, and essays grew as my knowledge of history, politics, and literature grew. I advanced beyond Tom Sawyer, reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Innocents Abroad, and the classic Huckleberry Finn. I reveled in his wit and wisdom, loving how he seemed to have a quote for every situation. I dreamed of traveling the world, and maybe even writing about my journeys, as he did.

But the thing I began to admire the most about Twain (and when my family reads this I'm sure a lightbulb will go off in their heads) is that he wasn't shy about sharing his opinions. He shared his thoughts on what he firmly believed was right and wrong in this world, and didn't seem to give a damn if someone disagreed with him. His works shined a light on the human condition, illuminating the hypocrisy and injustice that is so often ignored. And he did this so well, that even now his works ring true. (Which is sad when you think about it, only because that means the world hasn't changed much in the past 100 years.)

Visiting the home where Mark Twain wrote his most influential work was for me a sort of pilgrimage. A chance to peer into the private life of a personal hero. To see where he worked, where he told stories to his children, where he slept-- at the foot of the bed, so he could admire the intricate carving on the headboard.

this land is your land, this land is my land

Any foreigner who visits America and comes away hating it clearly did not visit any of the country's National Parks. I can completely understand how you could hate this country having only visited a handful of its cities, but how can anyone hate it after marveling at its natural wonders? Yes, most of them are off the beaten path, but I've met people who traveled thousands of miles to shop at Macy's. Surely some of that energy could be channeled into spending some time in the fresh air.

While I strongly encourage overseas tourists to visit the Parks, I also urge Americans to visit them as well. After all, the National Parks were established to set aside land for public enjoyment. Our tax dollars fund their protection and upkeep. They're more affordable than Disneyland or a trip to the movies. And to be perfectly honest, a lot of Americans could use a good walk.

That being said, I admit I was one of those Americans who had never visited a National Park.* It wasn't from lack of desire. I've always wanted to go, but could never get the the timing right between school, work, and family schedules. My exposure to the Parks has mostly been through National Geographic photos and Ken Burn's excellent documentary on the Parks system.

Well, I take that back. Apparently my parents did take me to Acadia National Park once when I was very young. I suspected as much as my fiance and I approached Thunder Hole, a narrow inlet of rock into which waves crash with a boom like thunder. Somewhere in the back of my mind hid a faint memory of walking down the stairs and watching the Atlantic Ocean rush in and out of rocks. But like my mom said, "it doesn't count if you don't remember it." (I'll remember that next time I go out drinking.)

So I am now a fully fledged visitor to the National Parks. I'm already itching to visit more. Our original trip itinerary was much longer, and included stops at Yellowstone and Yosemite. Those will definitely be future trips. My fiance is thinking of a mini-honeymoon in Hawaii, so I'll be lobbying for Maui (Haleakalā NP) or Hilo (Volcanoes NP). My sister and I are always lamenting the fact that we've lived a mere days drive from the Grand Canyon and never gone, so maybe the next time I'm in San Diego we'll head over.


And of course I'd love to visit Acadia again. We spent only a few hours there, and barely scratched the surface. Next time I'll do some hiking. I'll ride the carriage roads. Maybe I'll even do a kayak tour. There's so much to discover, you just need to know where to look.




*By "National Park" I am referring to the 58 protected areas overseen by the National Parks Service. The NPS also oversees many historical sites and monuments, some of which I have visited on this trip (Gettysburg, The National Mall, Fort McHenry, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island) and others I have visited on past trips (Cabrillo National Monument, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial). Basically, I'm talking about the wilderness-type parks.