US Airways - May 2013 - (Page 76)

Must Read or marker. Nothing. I set my camera somewhere around this place.” a whim-driven folly better suited for bag on the ground and suddenly bolt “That’s amazing,” she says. I tell the young and not a man nearing his upright. I take a step back and realize her I think so, too. forties. I’m on top of a giant cast-iron map of By this time I have to race to All the more reason to go. It’s the New Jersey and Manhattan waterPenn Station to catch a train for Washdecided. fronts. I must have walked over it a ington, DC. As I’m dashing off I glance From the outset I need to establish dozen times since I’ve been here. back and see the woman conversing my terms. Words like “forgotten” and Looking closer, I find little boxes amiably with two other people as all “overlooked” are, admittedly, subjecof text by their respective points of three are looking intently at the map tive; what might be unfamiliar to one interest. One states: “July 30, 1916 under their feet. person is another’s area of expertise. — Ammunition trains and barges Many of the stories I’ve colexploded at Black Tom Wharf. lected in those 24 filing cabiI TELL A CURIOUS The shock wave was felt as far nets were referenced in obscure WOMAN THAT WE ARE away as Philadelphia. Many magazines and journals or cited STANDING RIGHT ON TOP in footnotes and parenthetical believed it to be the work of saboteurs.” Another reads: asides from out-of-print books. OF A TREASURE TROVE “1954 — ‘On the Waterfront’ They haven’t permeated the OF HISTORIC PLACES. filmed with Marlon Brando.” popular culture and, at best, I search for the Exchange Place only hazily ring a bell to some itself on the map, and the only little people. It’s not the most scientific My epiphany comes minutes after box near it says, “You are here.” There’s Amtrak Northeast Regional 137 rolls criterion, but part of the reason for nothing about Booth and Lincoln. visiting the sites — along with conout of Manhattan: I will search for Over the next 20 minutes or so, firming that they’re not marked — unmarked sites across America that not a single soul looks at the map. is to ascertain how well they’re have been forgotten over time. One I start photographing the folks on the known to those who live nearby. I trip, all regions of the country. And not platform, all of whom seem (as I was) want even the locals to be surprised. only in major metropolitan areas, but oblivious to the bounty of historical Every spot must also be nationally small towns and communities from information directly beneath them. significant and represent a larger coast to coast. Historic sites aren’t just It’s possible that they’re all long-time narrative in American history. clustered in Beacon Hill, Greenwich commuters well familiar with the map Ideally, I plan to cover the full Village, Hyde Park, Fisherman’s and its inch-long boxes, but I doubt this Wharf, and other big-city neighborsweep of our nation’s past, from the is true for everyone. first Native Americans, Spanish hoods. They are everywhere. “I hope you don’t mind my asking,” explorers, and Pilgrims who set foot ***** a woman says to me, “but I was just on this land, to the pioneers, patriots, wondering what you were doing.” inventors, soldiers, artists, and activBack in Washington I pull from my Far from minding, I’m happy to tell ists who transformed it. Not every bookshelf a road atlas purchased years her that we’re standing right on top of story can or will be epic in scope, ago that has sadly gone unused, and I a great cartographic treasure trove of but the impact of each protagonist flip through the pages. My mind behistoric places, and no one appears to should reverberate beyond any one gins racing as I contemplate the sheer notice. “So I was photographing them state or region. logistics of such an undertaking, of not noticing,” I say. Priority one is to plot out where researching and pinpointing so many She looks down and reacts exactly I’m going and what I hope to find, little-known sites, finding historians as I did, instantly stepping back as if and by that I don’t just mean the and experts to guide me along the way, the ground had vanished and then actual sites. This journey must be and coordinating countless airline, reappeared before her eyes. “I’ve been more than a grand sightseeing train, and bus schedules. With limited commuting from here for almost a adventure. Along with searching funds and time, I’ll have to maintain a month, and I’ve never seen this before.” tight schedule. There’ll be no margin for the physical places, I want to I point out a few favorite spots and explore why any of this matters. for error. Ultimately I estimate it will then repeat the Booth/Lincoln story. require five to six months to plan the “Right where we’re standing?” trip and then at least as long to visit Here Is Where: Discovering America’s she asks. every site on my itinerary. Great Forgotten History will be avail“I’m not sure if it’s here exactly, but This is madness, I start to think, able on May 14. 76 may 2013 usairwaysmag.com http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - May 2013

US Airways - May 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Full-Service Hotels
Hub Crawl: Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Wine & Dine: Virginia Wines
Great Tastes: Old Town Tortilla Factory
Diversions: Anheuser-Busch
Great Escapes: Santa Monica's Fairmont Miramar
Great Escapes: Aruba
Golf: Colonial Williamsburg's Golden Horseshoe
Adventure: Heli-Hiking in British Columbia
Great Escapes: Granada Hotel & Bistro
Adventure: Glasgow, Scotland
Adventure: Dipsea Trail
Great Escapes: Iberostar Hotels and Resorts
Gear Up: Gardening
Travel Feature: Hungry in Key West
US Airways: Painting the Past
Chefs Tell: Smith & Wollensky and Robin's
Must Read: Here Is Where
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: Miles for Good
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - May 2013