The Road Trip, Part IV

We concluded our big road trip from Vegas to Ann Arbor, Mich., by waking up amid the Springfield cornfields. Again, there's a Flickr slideshow player at the end of this post or you can watch it here.

As Amy and the dogs relaxed at the hotel on Thursday, I headed to the splendorous Illinois Capitol, where I ended up on a tour given by a fellow who could not have been less interested in giving a tour.  When I asked if there was any way to get to the top of the dome, as I had the day before in Missouri, he claimed asbestos and bird poop prevented such things from happening. It didn't sound very credible to me.

He also seemed not to notice that of the three of us on his tour, two wore hearing aids. When he was asked him to repeat himself, he seemed absolutely aggravated by the chore and frequently dumbed down what he had said before. It wasn't that we were stupid, sir, we just didn't hear you because you muttered and didn't wish to be there.

That said, the Springfield capitol is very impressive and extremely historic. But a few things struck me. First, the Abe Lincoln obsession is totally understandable, but there are other U.S. presidents with significant Illinois ties such as Ronald Reagan (born in Dixon, Ill.) and Barack Obama, the former state senator. I had to ask when we were in the Senate chamber where Obama sat. Roughly, it was here:

That was a seat in the back, denoting how junior a member of the body he was. That furniture was not used by him as the prior stuff was replaced a few years ago. His old desk was destroyed. "We didn't know he'd become president," the guide wryly remarked.

And I think that's my takeaway from Illinois, that that building and that whole scene is yet another reminder of just how totally unlikely it was that this guy was ever going to become president, let alone within the decade. He was one of so many legislators, and he served in a building that is a monument to so many incredible historic figures. It doesn't matter what you think of Obama; his path to this office is just extraordinary and almost without precedent in American politics.

Illinois is also known for having several recently convicted governors. I wondered how they'd play that here, but they just put up their portraits nonetheless, as seen by the one here of ex-Gov. George Ryan. 

The guide said "the controversial Gov. Rod Blagojevich's portrait will be here someday, too." OK, then.

I'm often asked what's the difference between one and another capitol, and they do blend together. But stopping in on those in Illinois and Indiana on the same day really hit home the differences. Illinois was gorgeous and artistic, a monument to the affairs of the public and our way of life. Indiana? Meh.

The Springfield dome was amazing, Indianapolis' perfunctory:

The legislative chambers in Illinois were august and dramatic...

...and Indiana's was decidedly not.

 One state takes good care of even its restrooms. The other doesn't care.

  The entryway for Illinois is grand and imposing, Indiana less so.

The artwork and sculpture throughout in Springfield was first-rate, relevant and historic. This is how Indianapolis has left Christopher Columbus' bust desecrated by pigeons:

Gross! Lord only knows what Columbus' relevance to Indiana was to merit him as a major piece of art, but if they do have it they kinda owe it to him not to look like he just participated in a gay gang bang.

I also have never seen an informational marker that ran out of space as this one did:

You may also wonder who the hell else does this hobby. Actually, loads of folks:

And here's the page I signed for, perhaps, the last time as a Las Vegan:

On the drive, Amy and I debated the proper spelling of "capital" v "capitol." So you know, the city is a capital, the building is a capitol. Google Maps didn't know that, either, though:

There's much more, including more terrific puppy pix, in this Flickr slideshow of this segment of the trip, which did conclude in Ann Arbor. I'll get into that in another post. In the meantime, here's the fourth slideshow, which begins in the cornfields of Springfield, takes us to the capitol, then on the Indianapolis before one last car shot of we road warriors. Enjoy!

LVW Col: Leaving (Out) Las Vegas At The Capitol

As many of you know, I have a thing for visiting state capitols. So I was surprised to find this when I was in Carson City. Enjoy. -sf

Nevada’s Capitol ignores sin and our city, but we can change that

By STEVE FRIESS

If you wander around the Nevada Capitol in Carson City, you can learn quite a bit about every rock that was ever pulled from the earth anywhere in this state. You can read about several significant laws created and Supreme Court cases decided there from its 1871 opening until legislative and court buildings were constructed nearby to house those branches. Heck, you’ll even find out that the fence around the faux-silver-domed structure was built to keep animals out because the Real Housewives of Early Statehood didn’t cotton to grazing their skirt hems in dung.

Here’s what you won’t find out about: Gambling. Or Las Vegas. Or legal prostitution. You know, the three things that make Nevada interesting to the rest of the world.

Among my list of peculiar hobbies is a fetish for state capitol buildings. I’ve visited 34 of them so far, including those in Lansing, Des Moines, Lincoln and Cheyenne in the past year.

Last month, on a reporting trip to Reno, I realized I’d been to Carson City on assignment many times but never to the Nevada Capitol. So I made my partner drop me off—he finds the whole nerdy thing endearing but dull—so I could see what my own state had to offer.

Read the rest at LasVegasWeekly.Com

An Extraordinary RI Statehouse Experience

Usually, these state capitol posts begin with an image like this:

...but the best photo taken at the statehouse in Providence yesterday was this one:


That's me up here...


...at the the spot where that chandelier is attached to the ceiling.

This time, I went to the Rhode Island statehouse as both a tourist and a journalist. The day before, I learned about a racino in Lincoln, R.I., called Twin River that is going bankrupt for a list of reasons that I'll get into in a later post. But I pitched a piece on it -- it was the nation's first racino and now they're trying to get rid of the racing part -- to the New York Times and the piece runs in Sunday's papers.

So when I went to the statehouse, I did so in part to check it out as is my thing but also to meet with the state officials and politicians. And when the governor's spokeswoman, Amy Kempe, agreed to take me on a private walk up a spiral staircase to the top of the dome, I could not possibly refuse.

This is what it looks like looking down:



Here's that staircase...


...and here's the first thing you see when you enter the secret door:


On the way up we were able to go outside and see the city:


That's the top of the dome of one of the two houses of the General Assembly. For some reason, I didn't take many photos of the Senate or House, but I did like these chairs in the Senate:


All in all, the Rhode Island capitol was among the most beautiful and impressive I've ever seen and I'm not just saying that because I got some nifty special access. Everything is sensational marble and design. Here's the entry landing and, yes, there was a tour group of Buddhist monks this time around. (At the Massachusetts statehouse, we ran into a gaggle of Chinese tourists!)



There was plenty of quirk. This was a nice sentiment... (click on image to enlarge)



...but why was it in the men's room?



This piece of artwork was from the people of Liberia...

...who thank Rhode Islanders in that little tag for their assistance during a civil war there. What did the Ocean Staters do, one wonders!

There were statues all over honoring the military, but this one honoring the Navy was one of the gayest looking things I've ever seen...


...and this one for the Air Force looks female even though it was gifted to the state years before women could be in the branch.


In one of the old meeting rooms, this sign was found:


One wonders if Dana gets a lot of calls from people unsure how to get out without opening the door!?!?!

And finally, I would agree with this book title, "Rhode Island: A Genial History,"...


...especially given that this is a state on the forefront of religious liberty and was the first place for Jews to live free in America as you can see...


...except that then I noticed that the Legislature is about to put a referendum on the state ballot to ask voters whether they ought to -- get this -- change the state's NAME. You see, the full official name of Rhode Island is...


"Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Why? Because apparently Rhode Island is made up fo two former British colonies. One was called Providence Plantations because, uh, it was sort of a clearinghouse for the slavery trade.

Who knew, huh?

Postcard from the Massachusetts Capitol

The problem with really big capitol buildings is getting a decent photo of oneself with it, especially when your significant other is driving endlessly around the jammed block in the mist in a maddening traffic city so you can run inside and indulge your nerdy fetish for such edifices. You're then at the mercy of friendly passers-by and it gets hard to be picky about whether the shot is any good. So this, above, is the best I could do for this entry of Steve's Capitol Adventures: Boston.

As many of you know, I have this thing for state capitals and the seats of government, the capitols. I believe I've been to at least 29 capital cities but only a few years ago decided that the goal will be to have photos of myself with all of them. Since this blog began, I've hit St. Paul, Juneau, Salt Lake City and Boise.

The Massachusetts capitol was beautiful and had some interesting quirks, too. From the outside it's large, sprawling and surprisingly modern-looking aside from the golden dome...


...but inside you're hit over the head with the region and the building's historic significance from Paul Revere to John Hancock to former Mass. Gov. Sam Adams.


The self-guided tour sheet was full of interesting information. There are double-doors, for instance, that I did not photograph but which are only ever opened on three occasions. One had to do with transporting flags, another was the last time the governor leaves the building at the end of his/her term (although the sheet said "his" which ex-Gov. Jane Swift probably doesn't appreciate) and, third, whenever a sitting U.S. president pops in. The last to do so? Taft. Isn't that strange, seeing how the 35th president was from the state?

Massachusetts is evidently very, very proud of its...cod. And why not! Both chambers, House and Senate, have cod statues hanging from their ceilings.

Here's the state Senate chambers and its cod...



...and here's the House and its cod:


One thing I found interesting and different about the Senate chamber was that the 40 senators sit in a circle, just like we did in Miss Laviani's 2nd grade class at Split Rock Elementary. Seriously, I've seen lots of these chambers and they're always lined up so the members face a lectern and a presiding officer. This seemed more equitable. I bet they get lots more work done and treat one another nicer, right? Take another look:


Here's the dome...


...and this hall they only built 19 years ago where they hang the flags from all the cities and towns in the state...


...and the Chinese tour group taking phoots of one another.


I was particularly crushed to realize it's been so long since I lived in China that I don't even remember how to ask in Chinese where they're from anymore. And yet I can still say, "Hello, Panda" and "I'm tired, very tired, extremely tired." Weird.

Also weird is that ex-Gov. Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic presidential loser, allowed such an unbecoming official portrait:


Badly hung, too. Couldn't find 2012 Republican presidential loser ex-Gov. Mitt Romney's portrait, though. Hmmph.

I did locate the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Room, which was comforting. No telling what goes on in there, but evidently it's always Christmas!


And, finally, the other kids in Miss Laviani's class would appreciate that I got a photo of Civil War Gen. Joseph Hooker and his horse.


Turns out, it's not as sophomoric as I thought. After I left, my pal David Steinberg, an esteemed journalist and president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, wanted to make sure I had taken that very shot. Steinberg said this really was the guy who gave his name to the world's oldest profession. Alas, that appears to be the stuff of legend. But it still makes a good endpoint.

Tomorrow, we'll check out the Rhode Island capitol! Can you even wait???