2014 Day Five/Six

Thursday, July 3rd

Just about two and a half hours into the state, we arrived in Montgomery Alabama.  From our past travels and lessons in history we were aware of many important Civil Rights triumphs which occurred here.  It really is amazing how these areas have changed since the 1960s.  Again, the city appeared so depressed.  At this point we were used to seeing places like this.  Our primary stop here was at the Dexter Parsonage museum.  The site was the Baptist church where Martin Luther King pastored between 1954-1960.  The house next door was also his home during this time.  We were able to tour the home.

There were no pictures allowed from inside the home.  Most of it was left the way it was when the King family moved out from here and back to their home in Atlanta.  Some of the furniture in the rooms was donated by late church members.  Our tour guide was a woman whom had worked with Dr. King during this time period, and whom spent many days at this home.  She pointed out one remaining hole in the porch from when this building was bombed.  Her story was quite interesting.  I have never felt closer to history than at this time.  At the corner from this home was where the bus picked up Dr. King for the first time after they ordered the integration of the bus system.  Did you know that the clauses of the order to integrate buses were not only that African Americans could ride and sit anywhere, but also that the drivers had to be curteous to them and they would have to offer them jobs driving buses as well.

After this tour we were ready to grab a bite and head out.  As I mentioned before most of the town wasn't very welcoming in appearance.  We happened to stumble upon one additional landmark though.

This was the site of the first Confederate White House.

Off we were.. to Georgia.

As soon as you enter Georgia from the west, the time zone changes, so we lost an hour.  It was only another two and a half hours before we were in Atlanta, but it was already getting late.  Unfortunately our adventures in Atlanta were quite brief.  I saw some of the widest highways in my life here though.  Apparently the traffic can be nightmarish, but we were lucky not to hit any.  I guess the holiday sent many people out of town early.

Dinner at Tin Lizzy's midtown.  Pretty awesome.  Outdoor space with excellent live music.  

I feel a little sad that we had only such a short time in Atlanta this night.  After dinner it was already getting a little late.  We did a little walking, hit a few bars, but then it was just time for bed.  From what I understand there are several "downtowns" to Atlanta, so I feel like it deserves another visit.  We did enjoy that of the city which we did get to see however.

Friday, July 4th

Back on the road...  This was our final day, our "return trip" although our return was only back to North Carolina for the weekend.

Crossing the river into South Carolina

Again, pressed for time, we really didn't stop in South Carolina.  Our route didn't have us passing through any real major areas anyway.  I did happen to notice that it was quite cooler through this state than most others.  So refreshing!  The 90-100 degree weather was getting to us!

Our only and last stop on this road trip was in Greensboro, North Carolina.  It's a pretty nice small city.  There happened to be a street event going on for the 4th of July.

This was the real reason for our stop:

F.W. Woolworth's.  This was the site of the first restaurant sit-in in 1960, now a (another) civil rights museum.  This ended up being the theme to our trip, since most of the historic sites in the South surround the struggle for equality in this nation.

There were no pictures allowed inside again, however the original lunch counter is still there and is part of the museum.  It was roped off in most parts so you were only able to stand in the middle of the room, but it was still a great experience.  That was a huge lunch counter!

So ends our road trip for this year.  I kind of got used to being in the south for so long, I almost started to pick up the accent.  We saw a few great little cities on this one.  I do wish we had a little more time to spend in some places.  But you learn as you go, these road trips are unpredictable.  I think Memphis, New Orleans, and Atlanta really deserve another visit.  Nashville was fun enough to merit going back at some point, maybe with someone who can appreciate the capital of Country music.  I think quite interesting was the gulf coast in Mississippi.  I could see retirement there some day...

I reiterate from last year how much there is to learn and see right in this country alone.  Still, every place is so different than New Jersey or New York (city) that I don't think anyone knows what to expect if they went somewhere else.  If you've ever wondered if you should live somewhere else, this is certainly one way to find out.  For me, I guess I'm still pondering.  Perhaps the USA still holds more surprises I've yet to see.  Maybe 2015 will reveal.  Thank you to everyone for sharing this experience with me.