Fort Sumter and Las Vegas

Blog Post February 27, 2014
 Fort Sumter

We took a ferry over to Fort Sumter. It was a sunny February day with a bit of chill in the air. We expected it to be cold out on the water for the 45 minute ride, but we could only find seats down below and they were well protected. We were not too happy to see two different hordes of elementary school children board.

One group was very noticeable by their lime green t-shirts. There were, I found out later, 142 of them. You could barely hear the boat announcer asking that they be quiet so that others could hear the history talk being given on the way over. We never heard anything of the talk. The ride over cost $17 per person. Peg wanted to ask for some of her money back, the part which paid for the history we never got to hear. I envy the kids their energy. I wish I could bargain with them , to trade some of their energy for some of my focus and self-control.

At first glance Fort Sumter is not very impressive. It is a low structure in the shape of a pentagon on a small island in the middle of Charleston Bay. It takes up most of the land of the island and was designed to protect the harbor from attack coming from the sea. The designers did not anticipate attack from the land. What does not seem impressive at first becomes more impressive once you understand that what is still standing is a mere remnant of the fort that once stood here, and that what you are seeing is all that remains after intense bombardment and destruction.

 That destruction is brought home to us by the ranger who gave the history of the opening shots that began our Civil War.
On Friday, April 12, 1861, at 0430 the first shots of the Civil War were fired upon Fort Sumter. The fort surrendered on Saturday, April 13.

I am not a Civil War buff. I barely remember the history that I was taught in high school. I never read about it afterwards and never saw the Ken Burns series. When the group was asked by the ranger what Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution was, I didn't know. I don't think anyone else did either. As a born and bred Northerner the War is very vague to me. We fought, we won. We abolished slavery. Hurrah for us!

It does not take one a long time down here to realize how much more that history permeates. It's almost tangible. It's in the ground, the buildings, the names of people and places in a way that it is not in other parts of the country. The closest I can come to appreciating it, as a Massachusetts native, is the way we might feel about the Revolutionary War: Bunker Hill, Paul Revere, Concord, Lexington. But the feeling is very different. We in the North don't think much about that war, and only trot it out on certain holidays. And part of it, no doubt, is that it is a fight we can be proud of.

Maybe it's just me being a sensitive outsider, but the Civil War seems much closer to home down here, much closer to the surface. It's more thoughtful, with a sense that there are still unresolved questions about states rights and the way the South was treated after the war. And ultimately, it is not a fight to be proud of. Charleston is a lovely city, the Holy City because of all its churches, and a foodie's delight with all the James Beard Award winners who flock to open restaurants here. They take pains to preserve the physical buildings of the past and the memories of the past. It is so unfortunate that such a lovely culture was built almost entirely through the labor provided by slavery. I almost can't write the word, it is so despicable. And that it was defended, vociferously and violently, only adds  sadness to what you see.

Explaining Slavery

The children are oblivious, and I am somewhat thankful for that. Too much pain in the world is caused by the burdens one generation passes to the next. The children love to climb cannons. They ignored the order given on the boat to not climb the cannons. Of course they couldn't hear it through all the noise they were making. Every once in awhile a ranger will call out "Please don't climb on the cannons."

We are only given an hour to explore before the ferry leaves, and that is not really enough time to absorb all the information presented. There is not much left of the fort to look at, but in the museum there is plenty to look at and read. I recommend that you spend most of your time there if you visit.

Fort Sumter was followed by Las Vegas. Talk about extremes.

Four days of non-stop. Our room was once again in the Flamingo Hotel. But this time instead of facing the  relative quiet of the flamingos in their pool...

 we faced out onto an alley, called The Linq, being turned into shops and casinos. From somewhere came the sound of recorded music. We never identified the source, but it was constant, even at 4 a.m. We heard it on the 16th floor. It would stop occasionally, but that was only to fool you into trying to sleep. But who sleeps in Las Vegas?

Nice view, but kinda noisy

Here is the Ferris wheel, from our room.

It's called "The High Roller". It is the largest in the world. Each car holds 40 people and will take 30 minutes to go around. The entire complex, including wheel and shops leading up to it is estimated to cost $500 million. It is behind schedule, but slated to open this year.  They expect it to make money. Seems doubtful, but I don't bet against Las Vegas.

We were there for a gathering of the cousins.

The cousins

We ate. And drank a little.

Dinner at Battista's, overpriced tourist trap. Avoid.

Prime rib dinner at Ellis Island Casino. Excellent dinner and value.

$5.99 breakfast at Cheeseburger (that's their name)

We all remember when you could get a decent meal at a bargain price here in Vegas. Not anymore. Anything on the Strip will cost you, and may surprise you. How about breakfast for 4 for $73.00. Or fish and chips for about the same, for 2 people. $10 for a beer. Ellis Island at least had the decency to include the beer in their $15 prime rib. They also have great BBQ chicken and ribs. You have to be able to stand the smoking, though. And it's that way everywhere in Vegas. I think it's the only place in the country where you can still smoke in doors in public.

We did stumble upon a Garrett's Popcorn in the Miracle Mile shopping center. If you don't know their popcorn then you are lucky. You won't become addicted. And you won't feel like a fool when you're in Chicago in the winter standing in line outside just to get popcorn.

Here is Hula Girl, standing outside of Cheeseburger.

Bill asked for lots of half and half for his coffee. He got this.

Of course there was shopping.

We met up with Susan and Bill, who came out of their way to see us on their way home from California. Jere and Paula surprised us by showing up for a Celine concert. It was wonderful to see them all and made us feel like we were home, or close to it. We enjoy the travel, and enjoy meeting the people we do meet, but we also miss our friends back home. This was a nice reminder of their importance to us.

Finally, another cow for Gail. Don't ask me to explain it. It's Vegas, baby.