EXIT 148 I-95n To:  Marine Base Quantico


Ok Road Trippers, Attention!  You are passing Marine Base Quantico.  As you drive north look 2 clicks to the east. You can see the roof of the  United States Marine Corps Museum.  Does it remind you of something?  Pointed and slightly  tilted?  Lifting skyward? ​

The roof purposefully evokes  the famous Statue of Marines raising the American Flag in Iwo Jima.   As the Marine song says, The United States Marines fight our country’s battles on the lands and on the seas, and it also says — kinda a dig at the other military branches — If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven’s scenes, They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines!


Harsh right?  But not really.  A lot of that tough love is embodied by the Marines. Doing Mean tasks for just causes. The Marines are often the first Americans deployed to provide security and aid to catastrophes all around the globe.  In fact Marines are tasked with protecting our embassies.  So yes, the Army and Navy are generally greeted by Marines when they land anywhere — including Heaven.


There is a theater dedicated to Medal of Honor winners as well as an exhibit dedicated  to War Dogs. One such pooch saved his platoon and is standing proud on his 2 legs. He lost his other legs in the battle.  Best of all, you will meet real Marines past and present who love to share their stories. ​

As Hans Von Spakovsky wrote in the “NATIONAL REVIEW” Magazine , this Museum provides an informed and frankly emotional tour through the storied history of the Marines. You can’t help but get a taste of the toughness, professionalism, and go-for-broke style of the Marines as soon as you walk in the door.  There, carved on the wall of the high atrium that is the center of the museum, are the words of a legend — Sergeant Major “Dan” Daily: “Come on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”


Daily yelled those famous words as they were charging the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War One.  In that battle, the Marines defeated a much larger German force while losing more men than had been killed and wounded in all of the prior battles of the Marines combined since their founding over 240 years ago.


Throughout this museum there are artifacts that tell the story of the Marines. ​

Most visitors to Washington spend their time visiting the Smithsonian Museums not realizing that another terrific museum is just a short drive away.


Why not get off the Next Exit and check it out.  In fact, do it — and  do it NOW.


That’s an Order, Grunt!




#Quantico #Marines #MarinesMuseum #NationalReviewMagazine #DanDaily #IwoJima #USArmy #USAA #USNavy #UnitedStatesMarines ​

All Right Road Crew,  now it is time for a deal and a very charitable deal at that. Do you love pasta?  I mean who does not love pasta?  Every kitchen cabinet is stocked with pasta and pasta sauce.   If you tap the Deal Radar button on your smart phone... ...and  say "Deal Radar get me the Deal," you can get 1 free pasta sauce from Newman's Own, with every 2 Newman's Own products purchased.  ​

 This socially conscious product line is in every supermarket. So stock up on "Newman's Own" because no other company gives its profits to kids in need. And that is what Newman's Own does.  ​

During World War Two back in the spring of 1945, shortly before the Battle of Okinawa, as an aerial gunner on a torpedo dive bomber, the young Paul Newman was ordered aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill. But his pilot was sick. The pilot's ear infection kept their two man plane grounded at base while the rest of their squadron continued onto the aircraft carrier. Days later a kamikaze blasted the ship. All their unit died.  No doubt Paul Newman's story would have died that day as well. 

​​In the 1950’s Paul became a major movie star co-starring opposite such greats as Jackie Gleason and Elizabeth Taylor.  

Another major milestone was that he met then married actress Joanne Woodward. As movie stars, their's was a union unique in its breadth and depth. They shared 3 daughters and 50 plus years together. Once when asked about the secret to his marriage’s success, Newman famously answered, “Why would I go out for hamburger when I have steak at home?” ​

In 1982, along with author AE Hotchner and wife actress Joanne Woodward, Paul founded Newman's Own, a food company from which Newman donates all post-tax profits and royalties to charity.  These donations totaled  about five hundred million dollars by 2016. ​

​​Paul was also a co-founder of Safe Water Network and the SeriousFun Children's Network.. Serious Fun is a global family of camps and programs for children with serious illness. The camps are seriously altruistic:  it has served over three hundred thousand kids. 

The Westport Country Playhouse is a world famous theater right here in Westport.  Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman's wife, was artistic director from 2000-2006.  Liza Minnelli, Eartha Kitt, Gene Wilder, James Earl Jones, Jane Curtin, Henry Fonda, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Olivia de Havilland, Eva Gabor, Jane Fonda, and of course both Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman are among the actors having performed there. ​

EXIT of the DAY:  EXIT 5 on New Jersey Turnpike I-295 To: Burlington, New Jersey, and Mount Holly,New Jersey


Ok Road Crew, what do you do on a typical Christmas night? Gather around a fire and digest the over-served remains of the day? Pack up the wrapping paper and play with the new toys? Kinda anti-climatic right?


Well on the night of Christmas 1776, our future President, General George Washington was rowing across the turbulent, wide and freezing Delaware River in pitch darkness. Ahead of him lay the British Army and a battle to determine the future of the United States. ​

Mount Holly, New Jersey played a seminal role in securing Washington's first major victory against the British at the Battle of Trenton.  The year of 1776 was about to end badly since Washington had lost both the morale of his troops as well as lost every battle since the British had landed at Long Island and had chased him across New Jersey to the Delaware River near Trenton. Christmas was approaching and typically, armies reduced their hostilities during the winter. Marching troops was not easy so over the course of centuries, most European Armies camped and waited out the long winters.


The Hessians under the British stopped pursuing Washington and set up their winter quarters. Meanwhile Washington made it look like his army was camping in Pennsylvania. The broad Delaware River would provide a moat between the two armies preventing any easy attacks. ​

On December 17, 1776, Colonel Samuel Griffin of the Continental  American Army slipped across the Delaware River with 600 untrained boys. He marched to Mount Holly, where he set up a few "3-pounder" artillery pieces on Iron Works Hill. Moving up and down the line, they blasted away making more noise than damage. This was a decoy to draw away a portion of the main enemy army from their camp at Trenton.


It worked. Hessian commander Carl von Donop, was told that there were 3,000 American troops at Mount Holly.  Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2,000 Hessians grudgingly decamped to Mount Holly. There they engaged in an artillery exchange, known as the Battle of Mount Holly. ​

Late Christmas Eve, the American boys slipped away having successfully divided the enemy's forces.


On Christmas Night,in the dead of night  with the Hessians celebrating the holiday, George Washington crossed the Delaware in a daring surprise attack.  After George Washington crossed, the fact that thousands of Hessian troops had been drawn to Mount Holly aided his success in the Battle of Trenton at dawn December 26.   


A total surprise, the hung-over Hessians were caught asleep in their tents. ​

Washington's victory sparked America's fading morale.  Arguably without the success of Trenton, Washington's Army would have lost the financial support of the Colonial Congress in Philadelphia as well as the moral support to fight from his bedraggled troops. Facing mass desertions,  it would not have lasted the winter.


But without the heroism of some young patriots at Mount Holly, Freedom for America could have been lost forever.


#MountHolly #AmericanRevolution #WashingtonCrossingtheDelaware #ColonialCongress #Trenton #BattleofTrenton #BattleofMountHolly ​

If you had the RoadSpoke app… you would hear this> Here!
 
EXIT 15E I-95n in Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal to Holland Tunnel to NYC


OK Road Crew, you are about to pass under a lot of EXIT signs with Presidents' names on them.  The Exits up ahead offer you the options of getting into the City of New York via either the Lincoln Tunnel named for Honest Abe Lincoln, or taking the George Washington Bridge named -- obviously -- for the first President of well, any nation on earth.  In fact the concept of democracy was so novel back in 1789 that President Washington actually went to his grave 10 years later believing this government, as Lincoln wrote, “For the People, by the people” would not in fact succeed. ​

Good thing Washington was wrong. It has lasted for over 225 years. But even before he took the first oath of office, George Washington was aware he was setting a precedent for all other Presidents to follow.


Of his presidency, Washington himself said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.”   


First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, if you take the Lincoln Tunnel and drive south to Wall Street, there on the steps of the Federal Hall in Manhattan, America's First President was inaugurated as the first nationally elected President of the United States. ​ Today a large statue marks the spot.

It also marks the beginnings of the first modern democracy in the world.


In an era of absolute rulers, the concept of democracy was utterly unique. It required wholly new and invented protocols and beliefs.  Washington was a man of great civility. He was an adherent of liberal enlightenment, dignity, and admiration of the truth.  Despite his sorry hypocritical  record as a Slave Owner, in white society, these attributes were tantamount in Washington's character.


After taking a vow to uphold the Constitution on the Federal Hall steps, the first President then retired indoors to read Congress his inaugural address in which he spoke of “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”  Being a politician, Washington was not ignorant of the art of self promotion.  But he was not boastful either.


No one in the room was certain democracy would work. Many even hoped that Washington would take over as King.


But Washington did not seek to be a tyrant.  Years earlier in the throes of the American Revolution, on a sub-zero day  in icebound Newburgh, New York, a coterie of his officers had even proposed that he seize power from Congress. ​

​Their pay was late. Their rations thin. They had no winter uniforms. Some had no shoes. Even Washington had to sleep in the frozen elements.


But Washington was aghast. He angrily disavowed any desire to create another tyranny. That was precisely the purpose of the American Revolution -- to throw off the yoke of monarchy and give power to the people!


General Washington threatened to arrest any who spoke further of such treason.  The incident went down in history as the Newburgh Conspiracy.  Yet no officers were arrested and General Washington held sway.

Still, at Federal Hall in nearby Manhattan, Congress was certainly aware that Washington was ideal as the first president. Not only was he a lover of democracy but he had no biological children which meant no dynastic aspirations. ​ His kids were those of his wife Martha from a previous marriage.

Swing Music up: Duke Ellington’s Jungle Nights in Harlem.

EXIT of the Day: EXIT 44 I-95n to West Palmetto Park Road.

On April 29, 1899 Edward Kennedy Ellington, America’s greatest composer, was born up in Washington D.C. to Daisy and Jim Ellington.   At the dawn of the 20th century, Washington DC was actually the biggest African American community.  It was attractive to African Americans because of high paying jobs in the growing metropolis but most of all,  because it managed to flout the Jim Crowe humiliations just across the river in Virginia. 
​
Both of young Edward's parents were amateur pianists and taught their son opera and gospel music. Mom Daisy had ambitions for her handsome son and she dressed him well and insisted he learned proper manners. Young Edward’s regal bearing soon earned him the name, "Duke".  And so not far into he’s teens, Edward Ellington faded from history and Duke Ellington was born.


Despite his parents ambitions, in his teens, Ellington had dreams of becoming first a baseball player, then an artist.  But instead, being musically gifted,  he started a small band called the Washingtonians that evolved into The Duke Ellington Orchestra.

In the "Roaring Twenties", the group’s big break came when they travelled to New York and won the job of house band for Harlem’s Cotton Club.

After the Cotton Club’s heyday in the 1920’s, Ellington’s band toured tirelessly.  Not long after  World War Two, in 1950 he toured Europe and played 70 of 74 nights. Some years he played 340 nights.  The Duke worked with almost every great musician of his time from Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, to Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. Ellington took his band on the road for thousands of gigs: clubs, concerts, dances.

Despite  white demand for his music, he was not welcome in many towns along the way. In 1955, on a Tour of the South, the Duke came here to Boca Raton, Florida. In 1955 Florida, the greatest band leader in the United States  was forced to stay in run-down Negroes Only Motels. There are images of The Duke and his band playing baseball outside his hotel amongst the palm trees.

Still, he was only allowed to visit certain stores and restaurants denoted by the Jim Crowe era Green Book.

The Green Book was a motorist guide written by Harlem post office employee, Victor Hugo Green. The Green Book provided African American motorists information about safe motels and restaurants that welcomed Black travelers. Otherwise blacks were persecuted and denied access throughout the south. In fact entire towns had sundowner laws that said that African Americans had to be out of town by dark or they may be brutally treated. Updated regularly, The Green Book became the one of the Biggest selling travel guides of its era.  . Step into the wrong shop or cafe and a black man could get beaten or worse.  A World Famous performer like Duke Ellington was treated no better. 

​Still, throughout all Duke’s non-stop touring, he managed to compose dozens of hit songs that found their way into the Great American Songbook :“Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood Indigo,” “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Take the A Train”, “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “Cotton Club Stomp” and “Satin Doll”.  He worked until the day he died in 1974.

The breadth, importance, and significance of his music has only grown in the succeeding decades.  The triumph of his artistry stands in stark contrast under the conditions from which it sprung.  

​From Jim Crowe to Pulitzer Prize, by way of Boca Raton, Florida… one never knows where your road will lead you. But just like the Duke, you got to keep on driving.   


#DukeEllington #Greenbook #VictorHugoGreen #SatinDoll

EXIT of the DAY:
EXIT 52 ab I-95n To: NC 24, Fayetteville near Fort Bragg, NC



As you drive north past Fayetteville we kindly suggest that you should reconsider. Consider taking the upcoming Interstate 95 Business route back to Fayetteville and spend an hour or two checking out these 2 unique sites.  One is peaceful and the other is about peacemakers.
 


If you are into plants and horticulture, the Cape Fear Botanical Garden offers a peaceful interlude.  It conserves and displays plant species and the plant communities of the Cape Fear River basin. The 80 acre garden contains nature trails, a natural rock amphitheater, steep ravines with unusual plants, and a varied riparian terrain ranging from pine forest through hardwood hills to river banks. They have numerous  educational programs at the Gardens that will help you, well, grow. ​

They are the guys and gals who save ammo by killing you in one shot.  And as witnessed in movies like Black Hawk Down they tend to wipe out small armies even as they rarely take cover from hoards of shooters with remarkably poor aim. ​

Speaking of Black Hawk Down, in October 2013 the Ass Off My Gun Museum opened the "Task Force Ranger and the Battle of Mogadishu Exhibit." The exhibit features immersive dioramas and artifacts from the battle including the wreckage of Super 6-1, the first Black Hawk helicopter shot down during the battle. ​

The downing of the Blackhawk is widely considered to be a turning point in the Conflict and is chronicled in the book by Mark Bowden and movie “Black Hawk Down” produced by Ridley Scott. ​

Hear this …. right....HERE!

EXIT of the DAY: I-95n Exit 4 To: Route 4, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and White Mountains


“Hey Road Crew! Off upcoming Exit 4 is the University of New Hampshire. So that means it’s a time for a Test... a Road Test, of course!”   

“The winner of this Road Test wins 10% off an IKON Ski Pass. The Ikon Pass allows you to ski or snowboard at many mountain resorts all over North America.  Some of Ikon’s mountains are Aspen and Deer Valley out west and Loon and Killington here in New England.  The savings offered here represent between $200 to $2000 depending on where you ski and how often.  

The evolution of multi mountain ski passes is quite smart business-wise.  According to an article in Penske Media Corporation’s Digital Magazine, SPORTICO, written by John Wallstreet, “Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing Company have led an industry wide consolidation that has dawned an era of multi-resort seasonal passes providing skier discounts on lift tickets, a hedge against warm winters, and incentives to visit different mountains.”   ​

Fabulous Loon Mountain is maybe 90 minutes up approaching Route 4 which cuts over to Interstate 93. ​

I-93 north drives right up the middle of New Hampshire. A beautiful drive, the highway slices through farmlands and foothills before giving way to serious mountains.  In fact, Loon Mountain is just 2 hours from Boston. So world class skiing is just a commute away.

​Now, please pay attention, cause here are the Fast Facts:

New Hampshire is nicknamed the “Switzerland of America” because of the beautiful scenery. It is  even more famous as the Granite State.​

The rugged terrain is reflected in the independent character of its inhabitants. After all, the state motto on license plates proudly proclaims, “Live Free or Die”. ​

Speaking of liberty or death, winter sports are a great reason to come to New Hampshire. The Granite State boasts the largest nordic cross country ski trail network in the Northeast.  As for alpine sports, well it’s all in the name. The New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Mountains are named the White Mountains.  The White Mountains are usually covered with snow from late November to May.
​
The highest mountain in the New England is Mount Washington — also known for its wild weather.  Mount Washington is not a ski Mountain but that’s okay by me. ​

Being over 6000 feet high, it looms almost two thousand feet over neighboring ski resorts like Loon Mountain.  In the warmer months, you can drive or even take an antique train up and relax or get a meal at the Summit House. ​

But if it’s winter, forget about it. It seems as if Mount Washington breaks its own records for wind speeds and frosty temperatures every few years. For 76 years, Mount Washington held the record for fastest surface wind gust in the world. That blast clocked in at 231 miles per hour. ​

Washington is the highest of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after presidents and famous freedom fighters like Revolutionary War General Lafayette.
​
Speaking of Mountains and Freedom Fighters, world famous Olympic Skier, Bode Miller,  should get a mountain named after him. ​

Bode is a Franconia, New Hampshire native. Known for his go-for-broke ski style, he is equally famous as being an iconoclast who does everything his way.  In one memorable interview after he tore down the mountain with skis just barely holding the trail, he revealed that he may have had a little too much to drink! ​

Regardless, the Granite State local is one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time with 33 victories. In 2008, Bode and fellow American Lindsey Vonn won the overall World Cup titles for the first U.S. sweep in 25 years. ​

​An Olympic Gold Medalist, Bode is  just one of 5 skiers to have won Olympic medals in 4 different ski- disciplines — downhill, super- G, slalom, grand slalom, and combined.  So if Bode tipples a little, you cannot fault his discipline in skiing!  Bad pun, I know.

But maybe for someone in your household, skiing or snowboarding isn’t your winter thing. Well there are beautiful trails for snowmobiling. Fast Fact: the first snowmobile was invented in Ossipee, New Hampshire. ​

New Hampshire prides itself on being a state concerned with personal liberties and freedoms so get ready to voice your right to win an Ikon Pass!

New Hampshire's state motto is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known of the 50 states. And it makes sense! It represents the American spirit and is said to have been the words spoken by a dying revolutionary soldier from the Granite State.  Incidentally, that is the road test. And no peeking at the New Hampshire License plates on cars next to you.  Eyes up! 
 
So what is the state motto of New Hampshire?  If you answer correctly, you can claim the deal on Deal Radar by saying you want the Ikon Pass Spoken Road discount.

You have 3 seconds to answer or you lose the Ikon Pass. Three… and two and  one… what is it?

That’s right: Live Free or Die. Now go for broke like Bode Miller. Claim that Ikon Pass. Just remember, you gotta tell ‘em,  “RoadSpoke and Bode Miller sent you!”
​
#IkonPass #BodeMiller #Olympics #WorldCup #Skiing #Snowboarding #GraniteState #NewHampshire #LoonMountain #LindseyVonn ​

If you had RoadSpoke app this is what you would hear...right... HERE:

(Music up...  "WHAT I SAY!" by Ray Charles.)

Exit 38 I-95s To: GA 25, to US 17, N Golden Isles Pkwy, Brunswick near Brunswick, GA​

“ Hello Road Crew, it's me again. That slightly annoying voice inside your smart device and hopefully on your Bluetooth car stereo. But rest assured, if you get the answer to this Road Test correct, you get a year of free Pandora courtesy of RoadSpoke.  Just add it to your Deal Radar by saying, "RoadSpoke, save the deal!"  So listen now to the Fast Facts about the upcoming Exit here on old I-95! ​

Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia in 1930 to an impoverished 16 year old Mom. Blinded by glaucoma at age seven, Ray found his calling exploring sounds at the piano. No doubt thanks to her determination for him to have a better life,  his young Mom sent him away to a state run school in Florida for the blind. There  he studied classical piano -- but played Rhythm & Blues.  

As described in Rolling Stone Magazine, Ray Charles is one of the great ones, a genius, or, as Frank Sinatra put it, “the only genius in the business.” ​

 “Brother Ray” became a major influence for dozens of blues, jazz, R&B, pop, and rock & roll musicians. From faraway England, Rocker Joe Cocker idolized him to the point of imitation.  So did Billy Preston, who would show up at Ray’s doorstep to audition.  The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin called him “the Right Reverend Ray Charles”.
​

He got his first gold record with “What’d I Say” in the summer of nineteen fifty nine. Charles then began a streak with “Ruby,” “Hit the Road Jack” and of course “Georgia on My Mind,”. Most surprising,  he topped them all with a country & western album that gave him a three-million-selling single, “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” along with criticism from fans who didn’t want to hear the Genius play country music in the era of civil rights. ​

The fact that Ray caused a predominantly white audience to buy a black man’s album seemed to speak to Ray on several levels. It may mean that whites could be reached despite their prejudice and it also did not make Ray sad he was taking their money hand over fist.  But it worked the other way too.​

Other blacks, like Gladys Knight, listened.  “Ray Charles,” she said, “hipped a lot of  black people to country & western bands.”  Through Ray Charles, Country Fans listened to Rhythm and Blues and Soul Fans listened to Country.    ​

Famed music producer and long-time friend, Quincy Jones, appreciated his pioneer sense of eclecticism said: “Ray Charles was responsible for us opening our ears to all kinds of music”.   ​

Two letters Johnny Cash wrote to Ray Charles were discovered posthumously.  Wrote Country legend Johnny Cash to soul giant Ray Charles:  "I am so proud when I tell people that I have recorded a song with you.” ​

But Ray Charles never stayed long in a single genre. He did whatever music he wanted. Michael Jackson was even more in awe. Said Michael: “He was a true legend…an American Treasure. His music is timeless; his contributions to the music industry…unequaled; and his influence, unparalleled.” ​

It was called “Genius Loves Company” and it was released after he died.   

Perhaps Ray Charles’ success in bridging the color divide and bringing music and people together was not about country or blues, soul or pop music...Perhaps it was the fact that being blind he did not see the differences between folks. That and perhaps… Ray Charles simply had to have Georgia on his mind.

Now for the Road Test: and if you get it right you can ask Pandora for the album "Genius Loves Company free!  Or any other albums Pandora offers.  So here is the question. What state was the title of being "on Ray's Mind"?  Was it Colorado? Utah? Or Georgia? " 



#RayCharles #FrankSinatra #WillieNelson #JamesTaylor #EltonJohn #RollingStoneMagazine #GeorgiaOnMyMind #Georgia #JohnBranca  #AlbanyGeorgia #BillyPreston #WhatIsay

Happy Veteran's Day!
EXIT 14B I-95s To:  Jersey City, Hoboken, New Jersey


In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month... the Guns fell silent ending World War One. So this is now celebrated as Veterans’ Day.  Hoboken and Jersey City were once the major disembarkation docks for a million Yankee Doe Boys who went to fight World War One in Europe. ​

Much like New York City, Jersey City, New Jersey has always been a destination for new immigrants. In its heyday after World War One, German, Irish, Polish, and Italian immigrants found work along the docks in trade and shipping services.  One famous Italian from Hoboken, was Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. ​

As an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents, the huge Black Tom explosion occurred in 1916 helping to prevent war materials from being used by the Allies in World War One.  German spies ignited stored munitions leveling several blocks.  While there were only 2 casualties, the Black Tom explosion was heard as far away as Trenton, New Jersey and Greenwich, Connecticut.   


#VeteransDay #BlackTom #BlackTomExplosion #ArmisticeDay #JerseyCity #Hoboken #GreatWar #Hoboken #GoldmanSachs #HollandTunnel #FrankSinatra ​

In an era before names, the anonymous monster blasted away with wind gusts of 150 mph. The tropical cyclone devastated the Greater Miami area having hit both the Bahamas and later the Gulf Coast. It accrued $100,000,000 in damage, a toll that remains the costliest in American history when adjusted using inflation and wealth normalization, yielding a cost of nearly 165 BILLION dollars in today's currency!

Think of that:  $165,000,000,000! 

Oh my God...That's more money than Jeff Bezos has!  
​

Fast Fact: August 28, 1929 was the height of the 1920’s Bull Market  just before the bottom fell out. The Stock Market would take 40 years — not until the 1960’s — to attain the same level as this day in 1929. Scary huh? 



As you drive through today's packed South Florida communities, think about it.  A storm actually started the 12 year Great Depression.

Not even a Hydrogen Bomb can do that!​

#MiamiHurricane #FloridaHurricane #AtomBomb #NuclearBomb #Hydrogenbomb #Bahamas #GulfCoast #1926 #Landboom #GreatDepression #Category4

​Hear this here> I-87n: Westchester, Nr Bronxville, Yonkers, at EXIT 6A


Look up. You will see Tuckahoe Road. Its  name means corn-bread in the Lenapay Indian language.  Meanwhile, the story of Yonkers' namesake is the story about a founder of liberal capitalism in America.


Thanksgiving is commemorative of the English Pilgrim settlement of what would become the United States. However, the laws and liberties we now hold dear are more the heritage of the Republican Dutch than the Feudal British.  Later English and American settlers co-opted the traditions of the Dutch and laid a narrative which honors England’s contributions to America.

But as we will see, the long forgotten Dutch had a far larger role in laying down rituals that elevated laws over tyrants.


Only a few miles from here, in the 1640’s a young entrepreneur named Adrien Vander Donck received a grant of land from the Dutch East India Company. Adrien built one of the first saw mills in the New World at the junction of the Hudson River and a smaller river. That river and a parkway beside it are now named Saw Mill River.    ​

Adrien Vander Donck was referred to in the Dutch language as a “Jung Herr”  or a "young Gentleman”. This name, “Jung Herr” evolved to become the present Yonkers as in: "this is the property of the young gentleman’s."


Adrien Vander Donck's lost story was uncovered recently in forgotten archives  in Albany.  The story of Adrien essentially tells the story of the Dutch influence on the founding of the United States. Its capitalistic democracy, the book claims,  was much different from British feudal intentions.  The Best Selling Book, ISLAND AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, by Russell Shorto tells this story:

​“When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, multilingual society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor.


But the story of the Dutch colony was merely lost, not destroyed: 12,000 pages of its records–recently declared a national treasure–are now being translated. Drawing on this archive, Russell Shorto has created a gripping narrative; a story of global sweep centered on a wilderness called Manhattan–that transforms our understanding of early America.


The Dutch colony pre-dated the “original” thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive young lawyer named Adrian VanderDonck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant the autocratic director of the Dutch colony.

​“The struggle between liberalism and autocracy laid the foundation for New York City and helped shape American culture. The Island at the Center of the World uncovers a lost world and offers a surprising new perspective on our own modern  American culture.”   


No surprise: that struggle between autocracy and liberalism continues very much to this day, many hundreds of Thanksgivings after Britain and Holland first came to America.   


Happy Thanksgiving!  Or rather we should say, “Vrolijke Thanksgiving”


#Dutch #Thanksgiving #Islandatthecenteroftheworld #RussellShorto #NewAmsterdam #NewYork #AdrienVanderdonck #nationaltreasure #Strugglebetweendemocracyandautocracy

Hear this Here!

Wendy’s Sign on I-95 approaching EXIT 27s in Florida.

“Upcoming is a Wendy’s Restaurant.  New Jersey 10th Grader Ace Kim loves Wendy’s so much he submitted this Road Test to the creators at RoadSpoke.

Thanks Ace Kim!  

Writes Ace...
"In his book "Dave's Way,"  Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas recalls how the family dressed up Melinda Lou, his 8 year old daughter, in a striped dress for the opening of the first location. To make her pigtails stick out, Mom put pipe cleaners in her hair. That's the little red-headed girl in the logo.​

Now time for a Road Test: So turn down the radio and listen up!  This Road Test is not easy.  The winner of this  gets a free Frosty at the upcoming Wendy's.  Here now are the Fast Facts:

  
Fast food outlets are all along Interstates. You are all familiar with Wendy’s, Burger Kings, McDonald’s or my favorite, Jersey Mike's Subs.  Believe it or not though, back in the 1800’s, establishments that sold just food were almost unheard of.  Eating out was rare if largely unheard of. That is because everyone ate at home. Eating out  was only something travelers would do. And so hotels, inns, or taverns may offer meals to their nightly guests but no one else.


Then just before the Civil War,  fine dining became a thing with rich people but mainly in big cities. Delmonico’s in Manhattan is credited with being one of the first eat-only places. ​

All the fashionable and famous in the Big Apple would gather there to see and be seen.

​Then came the Civil War.  Perhaps it was then with vast segments of the population traveling far from the farm did offering meals for pay become an idea. ​

From the Civil War forward, inns, taverns or saloons would offer food to supplement the sale of their profit centers which was liquor or beer. But except for pickled or salted meats and vegetables,  almost all food was cooked to order.  There was no standardization of meals nor were meals pre- fabricated in industrial capacities.


FAST FACT One: In the 1950’s Fast Food rose in tandem with high speed travel along interstates. ​

Upcoming is a Wendy’s.  Founded in 1969 in Ohio by Dave Thomas and named for his daughter, FAST FACT  number Two:  Wendy’s claim to fame is being the home of fresh, never frozen beef. Did you know that?  Not frozen meat!  The chain is also known for its square hamburgers, sea salt fries, and the delicious Frosty, which is a form of soft-serve ice cream. ​

​Fast Fact number 3:  Despite being bashful and self effacing Dave Thomas held the record for appearing in his own commercials. He starred in them over 800 times. FAST FACT number 4:  Remarkably his daughter Wendy never did. So while you may be familiar with all types of fast food, eating out, Dave Thomas and even Wendy’s fast food, well you nor anyone in America has ever met Wendy herself.  

​EXIT 15W; I-95N, to  Meadowlands Sports Complex,  Met Life Stadium


Ok Football Fans, now it is time for another Road Test and this one can save you maybe a cool thousand bucks. Here now is the Question... how is it that New England  Patriots' Quarterback, Tom Brady has the rival New York Jets to thank for his career?

​Since the inception of the American Football League in the 1960’s , the Jets have clashed in a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots.  But it was not always such a huge rivalry till the mid 1990’s.  The rivalry began to receive increased media attention in 1997 when a disgruntled Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells  quit his head coaching position with the Patriots to join the Jets.  This left New England seeking vengeance on an annual basis.  Fast Fact:  Parcells was born in nearby Englewood, New Jersey and most famously turned the New York Giants into a Super Bowl winning franchise in the 1980's.

​But I digress. Fast forward to 2001. The New England Patriots star quarterback was Drew Bledsoe. Then just 12 days after 9/11, on September 23, 2001 Jets linebacker Mo Lewis slammed Drew Bledsoe, leaving the New England star with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for a young unknown to take over.  That unknown was a gangly hard working backup named Tom Brady.  So... now if you tap Deal Radar on your Smart phone, you can use the RoadSpoke RoadTest to get 20% off Season Tickets starting next season. 

Anyways, getting back to Tom Brady and his New York roots... ​Since that game against the Jets, Tom Brady led New England to four Super Bowl titles and arguably had become a dynasty of sorts.  Meanwhile the Jets have struggled in the shadow of not just the Patriots but even their crosstown rivals, the Giants.

The New York Jets was founded in 1959 as the New York Titans, an original member of the American Football League.  The current name was adopted in 1963 when the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in Queens.     
​

Led by the quintessential playboy quarterback, “Broadway Joe” Namath, the Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl 3.

​There they faced the much favored Baltimore Colts under Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas.   To great surprise, they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs 13 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl.

On your left is MetLife Stadium. If you are passing it on a Sunday evening in the autumn you can tell which team is playing.  Back in the early aughts, the Jets agreed to enter a 50–50 partnership with their rival, the Giants, to build MetLife agreeing to a 99-year lease.  MetLife Stadium became the first in the history of the NFL to be jointly built by two franchises. It opened in April 2010 and saw the Jets and Giants open the stadium together in a preseason game.

​Except for such so-called “subway series” contests, the stadium is illuminated in different colors depending on which team is hosting a game: blue for the Giants; green for the Jets.   

Will this season be the one in which the Jets win their next Super Bowl?  If the lights glow green, just ask any nearby fan on the Interstate.  The answer is always yes.   
​
Go Gang Green!


#NewYorkJets #GangGreen #BroadwayJoeNamath #SuperBowl #NewYorkGiants #NewYorkTitans #Meadowlands #Englewood #BillParcells #NewEnglandPatriots #TomBrady #DrewBledsoe #MoLewis #NewJersey

On his death, in February 2019, the Baseball Hall of Famer was survived by his two children and his wife, Barbara Ann Cole Robinson. ​

Final Note: Barbara Ann Robinson is herself a force to reckon with.  After being turned away from living in racially segregated neighborhoods in Baltimore, when the Robinsons next moved to Los Angeles, Barbara Ann herself became a Realtor. Targeting professional black athletes, she became one of the top grossing Realtors in Southern California. ​