Annapolis, MD

Coming soon

Dover, DE

Coming soon

Columbus, OH

I am back up to my old tricks again. This time, I brought myself (actually my sister drove) to Columbus, Ohio via a trip to Pittsburgh to visit my sister (aka driver). After a short, flat drive, we arrived in a very friendly and unexpectedly hip town.

Ohio has the MOST extensive museum in the basement I have ever seen...




























It was quite a shock. I learned a little about Ohio government and the biographies of a few of its governors. I believe I have also since forgotten everything I learned. We skipped the gift shop and the formal tour and stomped around the grounds outside.

The state house is tucked in the middle of a business district and dwarfed by large high rises. My favorite view was of the tall mirror building reflecting the state house and McKinley.

Big tall building... little tiny reflection...

... and now off to Short North for shopping.

Augusta, ME

First, I heart Maine. Could it be more quaint with hardy folks? Augusta and its neighboring towns that I got lost in are super cute. Every toll booth worker (in Maine only) asked me how my day was and wished me a safe trip. Thanks, Maine, my heart pitter patters for you.

And then, there was the state house... According to the state website, Maine's capitol deteriorated with age and has been rehabbed over the years.












It's looks great. They must have done a ton of work. Although it is an old building modeled after Boston's capital, it seems pretty modern with the changes.












There is a capitol park across the street. To my surprise, I arrived on day when they were hosting a dog show in the park. Many, many dogs with lots of accessories and attentive owners were about. Oh my. I would have snapped some pictures, but I thought it best to keep my distance from these Mainers. I spook easily.

After hanging around Augusta for a bit, I drove an hour south to hike in Bradbury Mountain State Park. I had a lot of fun exploring Augusta and the park. If you haven't been to Maine yet, GO. It is a beautiful state.

Baton Rouge, LA

Woohoo, what an amazing capitol!

It is huge - 34 stories. It was built during the Depression (a big thanks to super corrupt, politically rich, and assassinated, Gov. Huey Long). When I saw this, it reminded me how fun it is to see what each state does to show its governing dominance. Way to go, Louisiana!





Also, a big thanks to my traveling companions - Lisa, Beth, and Chris - for humoring me as I took a gazillions pictures. I don't usually drag a crowd with me. I'm sure they feel like the lucky ones; right, y'all?


For reference, this is the old capitol. It is a little shorter, but still distinctive. You can't see it in the picture, but the old lady that stopped me on the street really thought the best feature was the rod iron fencing that was being replaced. I could give you the history... yawn.. that she gave me... but... zzz... snore... zzz

Montpelier, VT

Last summer, I went to Montpelier to visit friends who recently moved into town. It was my first trip there, and I was amazed. It is the cutest little town. Everywhere in New England in summer is bustling since we can finally get outdoors without kicking snow out of our way. Montpelier was no exception. It has a busy market and downtown shops with people strolling by casually enjoying the day. On the right is a view from a hilltop observations tower we hiked up. Somewhere in all that green lushness is the town. I think you can see one roof top if you squint.

My favorite picture of the Capitol is this one. The building looks fantastic against the green hill and the beautiful sky. It inspires all of the typical feelings of greatness and intimidation. What I like best though is tucked in on the left side. The small gray building is the old Capitol. I like that they didn't tear the history down, and I like to compare the difference in scale. Government had such humble beginnings.

Hartford, CT

Hartford is a quick drive from Boston, and we had a good excuse to cruise by - my friend Amy was having the reception that followed up her destination wedding. The party was about thirty minutes from Hartford, but isn't everywhere in Connecticut thirty minutes from Hartford - or so I hear...

We had extra time, and it was a beautiful day, so we took a detour into downtown Hartford. The building is gorgeous and overlooks a public park with a carousel. We spent some time walking around the little pond, and I even convinced Dennis to get on the carousel. Who doesn't love a summer time carousel ride?!

I must admit before I spent time visited, I pictured Hartford as a yucky, desolate downtown, but that did not seem to be the case when we passed through. There were families in the park and kids playing. There were people relaxing and throwing bread crumbs out for birds near the pond. I am glad we had the extra time to hang around instead of snapping a picture and speeding along.