A Southern Girl Goes to New England by Heather Koerner on 11/17/2008 at 1:08 AM

So Suzanne just got back from North Carolina. Tom just traveled to Germany. And I just took my first trip to the Northeast United States -- specifically, the tiniest state and a commonwealth. Here are some random thoughts from this Southerner's first "on the ground" experience in New England.

• The foliage really is incredible. I've seen the majesty of the Rockies, the power of a thunderstorm rolling across the Kansas plain and colors dancing across the ocean at sunset. But those of you in New England really do have a treasure each fall.

• Some New Englanders seemed skeptical when I told them where I lived. "You don't sound like you're from Oklahoma," was an oft-repeated refrain. I wanted to ask them what an Oklahoman sounded like. Perhaps like Laurie? But I realized that I expected them to have an accent too. Only the Boston ferry guy came close to what I expected to hear. Me: "How much for the ferry?" Him: "A dollah sehventy." Me: "Why I thank you kindly, sir." He gave me a great accent. I wanted to return the favor.

• While walking around Harvard University campus, I saw one of the Harvard gates that had an inscription that struck me. Isaiah 26:2: "Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." May we keep the truth.

• At the Old North Church, I was surprised at the lack of pews. Instead, there were private boxes, each with names inscribed on brass plaques.

  Me to Church Tourist Info Lady: How did the church determine which person got which box?
  Church Lady: It depended upon the rent a family could afford.
  Me: Rent? They had to rent their seats?
  Church Lady: Yes.
  Me (pointing): How much would this box go for?
  Church Lady: About the equivalent to today's $25,000 a year.
  Me: Did the poorer people sit up in the balcony?
  Church lady: Oh no, those seats just rented for less money.
  Me: So where did the poor go to church?
  Church lady: Not here.

  I'm glad we don't rent pews anymore. But it convicted me. I wonder if the poor feel any more welcome at my church than they did at the Old North Church.

• It was amusing, if slightly anachronistic, to sit and admire the architecture of Faneuil Hall while a few feet away street dancers gave a show to the professionals inhaling their sandwiches. Do those of you who live in historic cities ever just stop in awe at what surrounds you?   

• I toured a few Gilded Age mansions in Newport, RI. One cost over $10 million dollars to build at the turn of the 19th century. The family lived in it for three years until the couple divorced and it became what my tour guide quipped, "One expensive closet." It was exquisite, but it was hard not to think about moth and rust.

• When standing on one of those Vanderbilt mansion lawns, looking out across meticulously manicured lawns to a breathtaking view of the ocean, sometimes a girl just needs to do a cartwheel.

• Good clam chowder! Man, oh, man.

Overall, great trip. And, as usually happens when I travel, I found myself with much more of an appreciation and much less of a characterization of the place and the people.

Comments

[1. mindlab said the following at 3:32 AM on Nov 17]

1

I'm delighted to hear you liked New England. What was the occasion?

It's always puzzled me how a state like Mass(achusetts), with so much history still standing right there for everyone to see, could so easily forget. Half the important monuments of the American Revolution are within 10 miles of the Mass state house, but the struggle for freedom is apparently entirely forgotten. It's now one of the least free states in the union. The irony of legislating a >30% tax rate with a mile of the site of the Boston Tea Party (~1%) is striking. The same comparison could be made regarding religious freedom (Plymouth Rock isn't far).

Also, if you thought the color in Mass was good, next time spend a weekend somewhere in central Vermont in color season. It will blow you away; you might even want to move!

[2. Kelly said the following at 7:51 AM on Nov 17]

2

:D I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does random cartwheels in moments of happiness!

[3. Mike Theemling said the following at 9:28 AM on Nov 17]

3

Heather, I hope you had a wicked good time :)

[4. Ken said the following at 9:56 AM on Nov 17]

4

You visited the wrong city. =D

New York City is THE city in the Northeast hands down.

We look at Boston as another suburb. =P

I actually have a friend from Oklahoma who is Korean, that was an interesting combo.

[5. Amir Larijani said the following at 10:22 AM on Nov 17]

5

Southern Girl Goes to New England?

Heather, that's a foreign mission trip! LOL

[6. obewan said the following at 10:34 AM on Nov 17]

6

Every visit to New England should include Acadia National Park in Maine. It was more awesome to me than the western states. Mountains and islands and ocean - all at the same time! It was like a visit to another country.

Also, there are many great schooner sailing cruises. I lived in NE for 13 yrs, and quickly realized it was far more cost effective to let other people do my sailing for me than to own my own boat. For only $50, you get a pancake breakfast, charcoal grilled burgers, fruit, tea, and 6 hours of sailing on a two masted schooner!

Of course, I could go on an on about Vermont and New Hampshire and the mountain villages, but I will stop now.

The whole time I lived there, I always had great weekends. Each one was like a mini-vacation. I was never bored with all that skiing, sailing, hiking, and mountain biking!

[7. Nicole (from Boston) said the following at 3:27 PM on Nov 17]

7

Ken (#4), allow me to most sincerely disagree about THE city in the Northeast. I was in NYC this past Saturday. It was delightful but, boy, it wasn't Boston. :)

Heather, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. I love it here. And the accents...I could listen to them all day.

[8. DannieA said the following at 3:54 PM on Nov 17]

8

My favorite is Maine in the Summer...ahhhhh now that was a good vacation!

[9. BDB said the following at 4:25 PM on Nov 17]

9

So...Rhode Island is in Massachusetts? For some reason I thought it was in Connecticut...

[10. Heather Koerner said the following at 5:54 PM on Nov 17]

10

#1: The occasion was mommy/daddy reconnection time. Very important.

#3 (mike): "wicked"??? Does that mean good in the Northeast?

#4(ken): I know I should, but episodes of Law & Order keep flashing through my head.

#5 (amir): That's funny. Really.

[11. Sara said the following at 6:04 PM on Nov 17]

11

So glad you could visit us in the North East. While I reside in NH I did go to school right outside of Boston and have been able to enjoy all of the states of New England at one time or another. Funny thing is I find myself in awe of the wide open spaces of the west and the beauty of the Rockie Mts... but the fall leaves in New England are the best part.

[12. Heather said the following at 7:46 PM on Nov 17]

12

BDB- I hope you are joking ! :)
I am a Rhode Islander. It may be tiny, but RI is a State. Imagine living in a state you could drive through in about 45 minutes...

[13. Mike Theemling said the following at 2:50 AM on Nov 18]

13

Heather, "wicked" is often used as a synonym for "very" in that area. Someone who is "wicked smart" is very smart.

[14. Loris said the following at 8:08 AM on Nov 18]

14

Heather, I had a roommate from Maine and she describes most things as "wicked." I guess it is a Northern thing. She also says "Dude!" a lot.

[15. BDB said the following at 2:33 PM on Nov 18]

15

Heather (#12) wrote:

>>Imagine living in a state you could drive through in about 45 minutes... <<

See now, in California, if it takes us 45 minutes to drive through something in traffic, we refer to that as a 'city.'

[16. Heather said the following at 4:26 PM on Nov 18]

16

BDB:
That doesn't sound fun at all... Also, you aren't the 1st person to be unsure about where RI is exactly... I've had people tell me they thought it was in NY. I hope I didn't offend you... I just saw any opportunity to clarify something I've heard on several occasions. God Bless !

[17. BDB said the following at 5:59 PM on Nov 18]

17

Heather (#16) wrote:

>>Also, you aren't the 1st person to be unsure about where RI is exactly... <<

Oh, I was just trying to be funny...I find it amusing that RI has two U.S. Senators and everyone is OK with this...then again, so does Wyoming...

[18. Sam Eliza said the following at 10:52 AM on Nov 22]

18

Wicked is indeed a synonym for very. I lived in NH for the first nine years of my life, and our family goes back to visit my father's side of the fam every year or so. I hear 'wicked' and very few "r's" in words. Now that we've been away for a while, it's hard not to laugh at the accents. Of course, the family usually mentions something about my sister's southern accent (mine is not very pronounced). Personally, I like living in the South better than NE (New England). The Bible Belt Rocks!