The Wandering Disciple

Port Charlotte, Florida: Professional baseball has returned to Charlotte County with the inaugural spring training game for the Tampa Bay Rays. The memories of 2008 filled the stadium as the American League Championship trophy was on display in the team store, the championship flag was raised in left field and the roster was stocked full of the players that made the championship run possible. But unfortunately the Rays fell to the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 in the opening day of spring training. Cincinnati broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Ramon Hernandez, Jacque Jones and Willy Taveras singled to load the bases for the Reds. Then Jerry Hairston Jr. cleared the bases with a grand slam. Adam Rosales then reached base on an error to put another runner aboard. Darnell McDonald drove Rosales home with a single to center, giving Cincinnati a 5-0 lead. The Reds posted two more runs in the ninth inning. Daryle Ward singled to center with two outs to get things started. Then Adam ...

St. Petersburg, Florida: The Tampa Bay Rays are a major league baseball team in St. Petersburg. They play in the East Division of the America League. The team entered the league as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as part of the 1998 league expansion. The club plays its home games at Tropicana Field, one of the last few remaining dome stadiums in the league. The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 at Tropicana Field against the Detroit Tigers. Then they reached another major milestone in 1999 when Wade Boggs collected his 3,000th career hit on August 7th. The Devil Rays struggles through the early years, finishing in last place of the division every year of existence until 2004. In 2004 the club finished 70-91 and in fourth place of the division, a first for both (first time winning over 70 games and first time not finishing in last place). But the club returned to its usual basement dwelling the following season and remained there for the next few years. Following the ...

Port Charlotte, Florida: Charlotte Sports Park is a baseball stadium located in Port Charlotte, Florida. The 7,000 spectator stadium is home to the Tampa Bay Rays and Charlotte Stone Crabs. Originally built in 1988, Ranger Stadium was the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Florida State League Charlotte Rangers. The complex saw many historical moments in baseball during its time with the Rangers including the signing of Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jordan playing baseball for the White Sox and the announcement of Nolan Ryan’s retirement. At the end of the 2001 season, the Texas Rangers determined that the stadium could no longer accommodate their operations and moved the team to Arizona. The stadium was renamed Charlotte County Stadium following the relocation of the Rangers. The stadium remained without a professional team for several years. During this time, it played host to amateur baseball, concerts and fairs. In 2007, the stadium became home to sanction baseball once ...

Washington, DC: Located outside the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall lies the Sculpture Garden. The garden is a mix of artwork and native plants that makes it a tranquil setting amongst the hustle and bustle of busy DC. Opened in 1999, the gardens is home to the Gallery of Art’s contemporary sculpture collection. The seventeen exhibits are scattered among six acres of native American trees, flowers and shrubbery. In addition to the permanent sculptures, the gardens are also homes to several exhibitions throughout the year. The centerpiece of the Sculpture Gardens is the water fountain. The fountain offers a place for guests to sit and relax while enjoying the wonderful views the gardens have to offer. During the winter, the fountain doubles as an outdoor ice skating rink. There is also a café inside the fences of the garden. The Pavilion Café is opened year round and offers views of the gardens along with a menu consisting of sandwiches, salads and more. For more...

Washington, DC: On the south side of the National Mall lies the most popular of the Smithsonian Institute’s museums. Accommodating over nine million visitors annually, the National Air and Space Museum is home to over 50,000 aviation related artifacts ranging from helmets to actual aircraft and rockets. The museum’s existence began by an act of Congress in 1946 declaring the need for a national museum to house the growing aviation collection. President Harry Truman singed the act into law, establishing the National Air Museum as a branch of the Smithsonian Institute. During the early days of the museum, the exhibits were housed in the Smithsonian Arts and Sciences building. In 1948, the museum received possession of the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer, the keystone of aviation history. The aircraft collection continued to grow and in 1958 President Dwight Eisenhower approved the planning of a new facility. It wasn’t until 1972 before Congress approved the funding to construct the faci...

Washington, DC: President’s Day marked the final day of our Washington DC Trip. The day began with me taking a solo stroll through the National Mall, photographing the monuments along the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Along the way, I stopped by the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. The fact that I was already walking for over an hour and my family was waiting for me to return with breakfast kept me from finishing the circle through the remainder of the monuments. After breakfast, we toured the hotel and the museum inside the hotel prior to checking out of our room. We checked our baggage at the hotel so we could make a few more stops before flying out of town in the evening. We hailed a cab and took the ten minute cab ride over to the National Air and Space Museum. The three story museum had exhibits from throughout the history of flight both on earth and in space. The museum was definitely a hit for our son. After finishing the museum, we cro...

Washington, DC: Madame Tussauds in the heart of downtown Washington brings history to life. Here guests can mingle beside a mix of historical figures and current celebrities along with a few interactive exhibits along the way. The story of Madame Tussaud begins in France during the late 1700’s. Tussaud learned wax working from Dr. Philippe Curtius. She created her first wax figure in 1777, a figure of Voltaire. She continued to create figures of many prominent Revolution era citizens. The death of her mentor led to the creation of the traveling museum as she hit the road with to works created by her and Dr. Curtius. Tussaud established her first permanent museum in London in 1835. Marie Tussaud passed away in 1850 and the control of the collection went to her family. Today there are museums in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hollywood, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Shanghai and Washington, DC. The Washington DC museum opened to the public in 2007. The vast majority of the exhibits on dis...

Washington, DC: Located on top of Mount Saint Alban sits the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, more commonly known as the Washington National Cathedral. The cathedral is the sixth largest in the world and the second largest in the country. It is the final resting place for many well known Americans and has been the site of some of the country’s historic moments. The idea of a National Cathedral was a portion of Pierre L’Enfant’s master plan for Washington DC. The plan commissioned by President George Washington called for a “great church for national purposes.” In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison signed a charter to establish the cathedral. Reverend Henry Yates Satterlee then purchased land on Mount Saint Alban in 1896 and the project was in motion. The cornerstone was laid on September 29, 1907 in a ceremony by President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bishop of London. The eighty three year construction of the cathedral would be the longest construction project in DC...

Washington, DC: Inside the lower level of the historic city post office lies the National Postal Museum. Here guests can learn about the history of the postal service from its inception in 1775 through today. The collection of stamps by the Smithsonian Institute began in 1886 with a donation of Confederate postage stamps, this was the beginning of The National Philatelic Collection. From 1908 to 1963, the collection was on display at the Arts and Industry building. In 1964, the growing collection was moved to the National Museum of American History. The collection continued to grow and expanded to include the history of the postal service, mail delivery and stamp production. They collection began to outgrow the exhibit space at the American History museum and was in need of a dedicated museum. In 1990, the Smithsonian Institute entered into a joint agreement with the United State Postal Service to operate a National Postal Museum. The National Postal Museum opened to the public i...

Arlington, Virginia: Spanning from the Lincoln Memorial to the Hemicycle, Memorial Drive is not only the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery but also a symbolic link between the Union and Confederacy. Memorial Drive was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover in 1932. It begins with the Memorial Bridge. The symbolic bridge spanning the Potomac River connects the North and South into one nation. The eastern entrance of the bridge is guarded by the “Art of War” sculptures, Sacrifice and Valor. On Memorial Drive between and the cemetery gates lie several monuments that are not officially a part of the cemetery. These monuments include: • Seabees Memorial • Armored Memorial • United Spanish War Veterans Memorial • Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Monument • 101st Airborne Division Memorial • 4th Infantry Division Monument Once you pass through the memorials, you are now at the Hemicycle that makes up the western boundary of Memorial Drive. The walls of the Hemicycle make up the Women ...

Washington, DC: Day three started with breakfast at the hotel. We enjoyed room service breakfast before beginning our day of touring the city. After breakfast we hopped on the tour bus at the stop in front of our hotel and began the bus tour. We traveled the bus tour through northwest DC, Embassy Row, Georgetown and out into Arlington National Cemetery. We rode the tour until it reached the south side of the National Mall where we disembarked for lunch. Lunch was at the food court of the Air and Space Museum. We ate at the cafeteria and sampled some space ice cream. We browsed a few of the first floor exhibits before heading back out on the street. We did not go into detail in the museum since we planned on retuning tomorrow. We headed on foot towards the US Capitol, taking in the sites along the way of the Supreme Court, Library of Congress and the Congressional office buildings. We continued walking towards Union Station and the National Postal Museum. We then toured the Nat...

Washington, DC: The National Museum of American History houses some of the artifacts that helped shape the American way of life. From the original Star Spangled Banner to the Ruby Red Slippers from the Wizard of Oz, the museum covers our country’s history and culture from its inception to present day. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized $36 million dollars for the Museum of History and Technology. Construction of the 750,000 square foot museum began on August 22, 1958. The museum opened to the public in 1964. It contained three floors of exhibition space that showcased our nation’s history from the Revolutionary War to present day. In 1980, the name was changed to the National Museum of American History as the exhibits focused solely on the experiences of the American people. Today the museum houses the following permanent exhibits: • Invention at Play; interactive activities. • Julia Child’s Kitchen • Science in American Life; Ira Remsen laboratory, Gilbert chemis...

Washington, DC: The Museum of Natural History is one of the most popular museums of the Smithsonian Institute. Located along the National Mall in Washington DC, the museum is home to some of the natural wonders of the Earth. Here you can catch a glimpse of the rare Hope Diamond and marvel at life sized dinosaur skeletons in Dinosaur Hall. The collection of specimens began back in the exploration era of the 1800’s. The National Museum was formed in 1858 and the collections were house in the Smithsonian Institution Building. As the collection grew, they were moved into the National Museum Building in 1881. In 1911, the collection moved again into the newly created National Museum of Natural History. The museum continued to expand and today houses over 126 million specimens of animals, plants, minerals and other natural artifacts. The following permanent exhibits are on display: • Birds of DC; collection of bird species that can be seen in the DC area. • African Elephant; large el...

Washington, DC: Across the street from Ford’s Theatre is the Peterson Boarding House. The Peterson House will always have a place in history as being the house where Lincoln died following the presidential assassination in 1865. Built by William Petersen in 1849, the boarding home entered the national spotlight following the assassination of President Lincoln. It was within the walls of this home where the president took his last breaths. Following the shooting at Ford’s Theatre, doctors feared the President was too weak to survive the trip back to the White House. Boarder Henry Safford directed the attendants into the boarding house and the President was placed in a second floor bedroom. The house quickly filled with political powers of the Lincoln cabinet. The boarding house became the center of the country. Mary Lincoln and family grieved in the front parlor while Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and other members of the cabinet conducted the investigation and ran the country f...

Washington, DC: Once one of the top production theaters in DC, Ford’s Theatre became the site of one of the darkest days in American history, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Built in 1833, the building was home to the First Baptist Church of Washington. The congregation eventually moved out and in 1861, John Ford purchased the building and turned it into a theater. The theater suffered a fire in 1862 and had to rebuild. The rebuilt theater was reopened in August of 1863. The theater continued to entertain the citizens of DC, packing the theater full for the presentation. The plays even attracted presidential appeal as President Abraham Lincoln saw the theater as an escape from the stresses of life. But history forever changed on the night of April 14, 1865. President Lincoln and his wife Mary decided to visit Ford’s Theatre to see the play “Our American Cousin”. The President tried to make a quiet entrance into the theater but when the orchestra saw him enter, th...

Washington, DC: One of the best ways to see the sights of Washington DC is aboard the double decker buses operated by Open Top Sightseeing. Operating 26 stops throughout DC, the buses are one of the easiest ways for tourists to get around the city. The tour headquarters is located inside Union Station. Here you can purchase tickets for the hop on-hop off double decker bus tours. The passes are good for two consecutive days and provide unlimited on and off throughout the day. There are 26 stops on the route that allow easy access to many of the cities tourist destinations. The stops in the order they appear on the route and the main attractions they service are: • Stop 1; Union Station, Postal Museum and National Japanese American Memorial. • Stop 2; US Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Botanical Gardens and Sewall-Belmont House. • Stop 3; National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of American History, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, Old Post Offi...

Washington, DC: Day two of the trip got off to an early start. We hit the streets walking to the Grand Hyatt Hotel at 11th Street and H St for breakfast. On the ground level of the hotel is the Grand Buffet, an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with made to order omelets, and the usual breakfast items. After breakfast, we hopped on the Red Line at Metro Center and headed to Union Station to begin our tours for the day. At Union Station, we met up with Grey Line Tours and picked up our two day passes for Open Top Sightseeing, a double decker bus tour of Washington DC. We began the bus tour at Union Station and rode the bus tour to the Ford’s Theatre stop. We toured the Ford’s Theatre and went across the street to the Peterson House where President Lincoln spent his last few hours before he died. We then took the short walk from the Ford’s Theatre to the National Museum of Natural History. The highlights of the museums were Mammal Hall, the dinosaur artifacts and the Hope Diamond....

Washington, DC: Unless you are lucky enough to go on a school trip, be a political power house or crash a state dinner like the Salahi’s, the White House Visitor’s Center is the closest the average American will get to being inside the White House. Located inside the Department of Commerce building, the center features White House artifacts from past presidencies. The Visitor’s Center opened in 1995 provides an insight look into life at the White House. It includes exhibits in First Families, Symbols and Images, White House Architectures, White House Interiors, Working White House and Ceremonies & Celebrations. The exhibits include actual artifacts from within the White House like china, invitations, Preisident Roosevelt’s radio microphone and many more. There is an informative movie that depicts life in the White House. There is also a gift shop to purchase White House souveniers. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, regular public tours of the White House ha...

Washington, DC: Located north of downtown DC in Rock Creek Park lies the National Zoo. The zoo has been entertaining visitors for years with the variety of wildlife that call to park home. The zoo was formed in 1889 by an Act of Congress, identifying the need for species conservation and place for recreation. The zoo became under the control of the Smithsonian Institute in 1890. The design of the zoo came from Samuel Langley, William Temple Hornaday and Frederick Law Olmsted. The 163 acre zoo provides a refuge for the wildlife and great public viewing for the guests of the zoo. The main functions of the zoo was conservation and education, a philosophy that still exists to this day. This was evident in the 1950’s as the focus of the zoo shifted from being just a wildlife attraction to more on long term conservation of the animals with the hiring of a full time veterinarian to provide specialized care for the animals. During the 1960’s the efforts moved into the breeding of threa...

Washington, DC: Two blocks from the White House lies a hotel etched in the history of Washington DC. The Willard InterContinental has entertained thousands of guests including heads of state, writers and average Americans while also serving as a playground for powerful politicians. There has been a hotel on the site of the Willard since 1816. Henry Willard bought the property in 1850 and established the Willard hotel. Willard merged several row houses together to form a 100 room hotel. The hotel began to attract politician including Franklin Pierce. The Willard Hall became a centerpiece in Washington’s nightlife. PT Barnum’s act Jenny Lind performed regularly and attracted many visitors including President Millard Fillmore. The hall was also the first place in Washington DC to see a motion picture. The Willard continued to gain popularity among the political class. In 1859 a ball was held for Lord Napier and over 1,800 guests attended. The guest list included Sam Houston, Jef...

Washington, DC: Lying between the United States Capitol and the Potomac River is the National Mall. An open area lined by museums and packed with monuments and memorials, it is one of the top tourist attractions in the capitol. The original plan of Washington DC designed by Pierre L’Enfant called for a vast avenue that extended from the Capitol to a statue of George Washington south of the White House. The avenue was never created, but the area set aside for it later became the National Mall. By the mid 1800’s, the Mall began to take shape. Andrew Jackson Downing designed a landscape plan and several parks were created. The Central Market opened along the railroad tracks and museums began to open along the perimeter of the Mall. In 1901, a plan was enacted to redesign the Mall into what we know today. The buildings and train tracks were removed for the center of the Mall and replaces with wide open grassy fields lines with elm trees. A dirt pathway was created down the middle o...

Tempe, Arizona: The sixth largest airline in the United States, US Airways is a major player in travel aviation. Together with their code share partners, US Airways performs 3,000 flights a day to over 200 destinations worldwide. US Air was technically born in 1979, however its beginning goes back several decades before then. The timeline leading up to US Air actually begins with the DuPont family in 1939. They founded All American Aviation in 1939 to service the Ohio River valley. The company grew and later became All American Airways in 1949. Then as the airline began to focus solely on passenger traffic, it changed names to Alleghany Airlines in 1953. Alleghany Airlines grew by leaps and bounds through the 60’s and 70’s. They merged with Lake Central Airlines and Mohawk Airlines to become one of the largest airlines in the Unites States. It was then that the front office changed the name of the airline to US Air.  The airline continued to grow through the 80’s, ...

Washington, DC: We departed Tampa International Airport on Friday morning enroute to Washington DC for President’s Day weekend. We flew non-stop on US Air from Tampa to Reagan National Airport. Upon arrival in DC, we took a taxi ride to our hotel, the Willard Intercontinental. Our room was on the fourth floor of this luxurious hotel. After dropping off our luggage we hit the city running. We headed up town enroute to the National Zoo. We traveled on foot, past the White House and up to the Farragut North Metro Station. While there was closer Metro Stations to the hotel, the first priority was lunch and we were heading to Potbelly’s on L Street. Lunch was great, great food and atmosphere. With full stomachs, we continued our trip to the Metro Station. We boarded the Metro Red Line and headed north to the Cleveland Park station. From here we continued our trip on foot to the National Zoo. The National Zoo was fantastic. We spent several hours touring the zoo and watching the...

Venice, Florida: Located at the southern tip of the island of Venice, lies a haven for shell seekers. Caspersen Beach attracts thousands of visitor’s each year hoping find some of the rare gems that wash up on the shore each day. Sarasota County took possession of the land in 1968 when the Caspersen Family deeded the property to the County. The land was transformed into a public park with beach access. The family later sued the county to prove the need for the land as a public park and the county won in Federal Court and Caspersen Beach was here to stay. Today the park is 177 acres of freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangroves and tidal flat along with over 9,000 feet of beachfront. The beach is one of the best places to find sharks teeth, a tradition that has called Venice the Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World. There is also a 1,000 foot boardwalk and a 1/4 mile nature trail. The far southern end of the beach has been preserved in its natural state. The clear waters of...

Venice, Florida; The train depot under the Venice Avenue bridge is one of the last remaining pieces of railroad history in Sarasota County. The newly restored Venice Train Depot and the Coakley Railroad Park offer visitors a look back at the railroad that brought residents into the region. Seaboard Airline Railroad decided to extend their route to Venice in 1910 by an order by Mrs. Potter Palmer, who demanded the railroad be extended further south as a stipulation to her purchase of land in Sarasota County. The railroad agreed and the rails were extended to a mark in which the real estate broker designated. The line was opened in 1911 and tickets were sold out of a freight car. Venice prior to the extension of the railway was a small town with only about 50 families residing here at the time. The city had no schools, churches, stores or paved roads in the area. Travel through the area was done by mules or boat. It wasn’t until the railway was opened that Venice started to grow....