Friends to visit, things to see, opportunities to improvise.
Valley Forge- I promised my former landlady that I would visit on a week-end so we could see more of Philadelphia. This time instead of plunging into the middle of town we headed over to the much more peaceful Valley Forge. For all the associations with the hardships that Washington's men endured (exaggerated slightly to build support for the Revolutionary cause) it's a beautiful place. It's also pretty big. It had to house the entire Continental army and provide a deterrent so there's a lot of room. Many of the old buildings have been preserved and there's the obligatory Visitors Center and educational programs. Mostly I just appreciated a beautiful stretch of land in the middle of the greater Philadelphia suburban sprawl like the joggers making the five mile loop around the park.
Newseum- I promised myself I'd go the next time I was anywhere close to Washington. It's a museum of American News in its various formats mostly since the 1800s. There was the every newspaper from everywhere collection, obviously much too big to spread out. Front pages spread along the street would have to do. It was some of the smaller exhibits that were more interesting. Daniel Pearl's travel gear. The accounts of those who lost their lives because of their reporting. The Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. The wall of headlines from 9/11 facing a piece of the wreckage from the World Trade Center. 
Natchez Trace- I first saw this listed on a map of National Scenic Trails. It's not really a trail at all but a parkway run the National Park Service. Think Blue Ridge Parkway without the mountains (or the Merritt Parkway without any cars). That being said it's a lovely drive down a beautifully cared for route that stretches from Nashville to Natchez and was once a trading route to bypass taxes levied by the Spanish. The other interesting feature is the Native American mounds that date back to around the years 800-1300 of the common era. Their function seems to have been both religious and political. I couldn't help but notice a sign that listed their religious objects as crude when European art around that time still had a way to go.
Graceland- When a friend invited me up to St Louis I couldn't go through Memphis without visiting the Rock N Roll shrine known as Graceland. With Paul Simon and the Talking Heads ringing in my ears I shelled out more money than I had for the Newseum and braced for the kitsch-fest. It was actually much more normal than I expected. The outside of the house is a beautiful neo-colonial while the inside looks like a comfortable time capsule from the 60s. A few extras to be sure but Elvis generally hired people to design his rooms for him and he chose well. The throngs of visitors assemble at a kind of Elvis mall across the street and take shuttles up to the mansion. This allows for some control over the flow of visitors as well as providing opportunities to sell stuff (an Elvis clothing store-genius). Even the music was better than I expected. Instead of the over-orchestrated later songs it was pretty much straight ahead Rock N Roll from his earlier period that dominated the play list while I was there. I've never been a big fan but I came away pleasantly surprised.
And Finally...The Arch- Gateway to the God knows what in my case but very impressive when seen live. I'm sure I frightened more than one motorist trying to snap pictures from my car on Interstate 70 before plunging into the bowels of East St Louis to try and get a picture from across the Mississippi.
For more entries check out Carrington's Shameless Blog