Matthew P G

Jul 15, 202218 min read

Diamond Jubilee: Matt in the Middle (Part I)

Elizabethtown Amtrak Station. June 25,2021

Away I go...

— feeling excited.

One month before I turned 60, I decided to take a trip to celebrate my birthday as well as to escape all the pandemic rules and regulations. Like many of us, I just wanted to feel a little more free.

Armed with a 30 day Amtrak rail pass and the Greyhound App on my phone, I started my "Diamond Jubilee" (60 years on the throne of life).

In the coming days, my impressions of "Matt in the Middle" will be posted with commentary. I am happy I did this trip during a lull in the pandemic. I am also happy I got a chance to reconnect with the USA after having lived outside for awhile. Things were just starting to "normalize" everywhere.

Pittsburgh

The William Penn Hotel used to be the "finest hotel between Chicago and New York". I knew it was a splurge, but I felt it was a good way to start my adventure. Little did I know that much lesser hotels to come were gonna cost a whole lot more! I arrived in Pittsburgh too late (and too tired) to do much of anything except wander the lobby (the rest of the hotel was closed anyway) and have a gin & tonic. I had an early morning bus to catch.

I really love old hotel and public building lobbies. They seem under-appreciated these days. There is something to be said to slowing down, sitting down for a coffee or a drink, and marveling at your surroundings.

Off to a fabulous start! Tomorrow, the middle awaits!

G&T to start the trip!

Luxe

Even the carpet!

Room with a view. William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. June 25, 2021

Matthew Glotfelter is feeling irritated at Greyhound Bus. June 25, 2021 · Pittsburgh, PA, United States · Shared with Your friends

Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore." - Emma Lazarus

I could use a little less "huddled masses" and more "storied pomp" about now

Cleveland

I didn't really intend to go to Cleveland, but it ended up being the easiest place to meet AQ, my ex-student from Saudi Arabia studying at Kent State. The bus ride from Pittsburgh reminded me how little I like taking buses, but on the plus side, Greyhound has free WiFi. The Cleveland and Pittsburgh bus stations certainly are vying for "worst bus stations of the trip" hahaha.

I met AQ and we checked into a hotel for a few nights because if I go to a place, I might as well see it, right? I had almost no idea about Cleveland other than Drew Carey and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I really was doing my best to keep an open mind to each new place I visited and only researching things like "top ten things to see in..."

First stop was West Side Market which is highly recommended for any visitor. I fully agree! What a great selection of food AND what a wonderfully preserved old building. We tasted a few things and then walked down to the river nearby to one of the "Cleveland" signs for some photos.

It was a very good start!

Foooood!!! Great start! West Side Market.

Across from the market

Building detail - a lost art

Cayuhoga River and downtown

Union Terminal Viaduct

June 25, 2021

Downtown Cleveland:

America's first shopping mall based on the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Wow!

A Civil War memorial that is over the top.

A Federal Reserve Bank (proof of Cleveland's wealth)

After viewing downtown it is clear that Cleveland used to be an important financial center for the developing USA. A big question for me after viewing it was "what is the future of cities that are no longer as important or relevant?" Do they become open-air museums to another age? Are they just left to decay a la Rome?

America's first shopping mall

Terminal Tower, the tallest building and the viewpoint was closed.

Terminal Tower Lobby

Civil War Memorial

Old Stone Church

Eastman Garden

Proof of wealth

A cathedral of wealth becomes the best supermarket - ever! - Heinen's.

Heinens

Biggest stamp in the world. June 26, 2021

And every good city needs:

A theatre district (with a big chandelier)

A huge art museum

A prestigious university

A symphony

The scale of all of this was quite astonishing. Cleveland truly may be the Grandest City American Forgot.

World's largest chandelier

Cleveland Art Museum

Fine Arts Garden

Cleveland Symphony Hall

Franky Gehry designed, Case Western University. June 27, 2021

Finally, a great city needs:

A world-famous institution

A riverside and lakeside location

Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

Steamship William G Mather Museum

Voinovich Bicentennial Park

Lake Erie

Cuyahoga River

Lake Erie

Cleveland Skyline, Lake Erie. June 26, 2021

My takeaway is that we all SHOULD love Cleveland. Minus points are the weather (cold winters, often overcast) and a lack of obvious "bounce back" from the Industrial Age.

4/5 Stars. Go visit!

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Eastern part of the US has very few true National Parks compared to the West. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a combination of natural scenery and history. River, waterfalls, canal, walking paths - perhaps the most amazing thing is that it is surrounded by a lot of development. It is also free (kind of hard to make it a paid park since it has so many access points). It is also one of the most visited national parks in the US!—at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek

Brandywine Falls

Cuyahoga River

Millstones, Peninsula Quarry.

5/5 for this place. Best Reuben of the trip!!! (Fisher's Cafe and Pub). June 27, 2021

The Ledges are a series of low cliffs under a large rock outcrop. It is very unexpected scenery.

There is a lovely covered bridge.

There is a swamp that is actually reclaimed land that was formerly an ex industrial site! Amazing restoration.

The Ledges

The Ledges. June 27, 2021

Everett Road Covered Bridge

Beaver Marsh Boardwalk

Beaver Marsh

Many reviews of this park said "Pleasant, but not worth a special trip" I certainly would not miss it if I visited Ohio as it is very varied and close to a big city.

5/5 I really liked it (and it was Sunday and crowded) — at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Marietta, OH

Dust off your American history books.

Marietta was the capital of the Northwest Territory (which the US won from Britain after the Revolution). That was Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and some of Minnesota.

Marietta is OLD and LOVELY on the Ohio River. It used to be a huge riverboat port.

It also floods catastrophically on a regular basis. The high water marks downtown were unbelievable.

Marietta also has a private college and some incredibly beautiful old homes. The one thing we didn't see were people. I mean like zombie apocalypse ZERO people. Maybe because it was Sunday late afternoon and the college was not session?

Lafayette Hotel - historic and wonderful. When the river floods it is at least to the second floor!!!

Lobby, Lafayette Hotel

Bar, Lafayette Hotel

Ohio Riverfront Park

Front Street

Business on Front Street

Harmar Bridge

Dutch style building

Marietta entry column

W F Snyder, Ohio River Museum.

Uptown Marietta

Uptown Marietta

Mound Cemetery, an Indian Mound surrounded by the local cemetery!

Washington County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse

Lack of visible population notwithstanding, 5/5 and maybe my favorite small town of the trip. Once again, everyone, just pick a point on the map and go. Sometimes it works! (and the Lafayette Hotel is worth a stop for the lobby and bar at least!)

Athens, OH

A pit stop, but so worth it!

AQ had a friend who had studied at Ohio University and suggested we take a coffee break there. Very cute main street attached to a huge university. Nice college town.

Take note of the county court house. I came to appreciate that almost every county seat we passed by no matter how small usually had an imposing court house.

Athens County Courthouse.

Ohio University. June 28, 2021

We had an hour on the parking meter so there wasn't too much time. I would give it 3.5/5. Nothing wrong with the place, but the main street is tiny and unless you are a student, there is just not too much there. I bet it is a great place to live.

Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Walks and waterfalls!

This may have been my favorite park of the trip as it felt very much like I was in Indonesia or the Philippines at times with the eroded rocks and waterfalls.

The only disappointments were a lot of people (it is justifiably popular) and not much water (all that hot, dry sunny weather comes at a cost).

Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills State Park

Cairn, Hocking Hills State Park

Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls

near Cedar Falls

Hocking Hills State Park

Old Man Cave

Old Man Cave, Hocking Hills State Park. June 28, 2021

5/5 for sure. It would be worth a special trip just to go there (seriously). I think Ohio should lobby to make it a National Park. — at Hocking Hills State Park.

Fairfield County, OH

Fairfield County, Ohio has 17 original and historic covered bridges. Except for the first, they are all in their original locations. You cannot drive through any of them and they are all part of designated parks (great idea).

George Hutchins Covered Bridge. 1865 (moved to Alley Park)

Alley Park (this cabin was gorgeous)

Mink Hollow Covered Bridge. 1887

Mink Hollow Covered Bridge

Hannaway Covered Bridge. 1881

Hannaway Covered Bridge

Johnson Covered Bridge. 1887.

Rock Mill Covered Bridge. 1849. One of the most amazing locations of a covered bridge I have ever visited.

Rock Mill

The money shot. June 28, 2021

4/5 I might be getting burnt out on covered bridges. You need gps to find them (in spite of being promoted by the county they are not all that easy to find). — in Lancaster, Ohio.

Columbus

Parked the car in Scioto Audubon Park and walked up the Scioto River to downtown. Very nice river walk. Industrial area turned into parkland.

Scioto Audobon Park. June 29, 2021

Scioto River Railroad Bridge

Scioto River and downtown Columbus

LeVeque Tower. For many years the tallest building and still number two!

Memorial Fountain

LeVeque Entrance

Capitol Square

Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial

Tree bark near the Capitol

Old Columbus Post Office Building (Bricker and Eckler Building)

The Capitol Building in Columbus is unlike most others as it does not have an outside dome. It has a kind of "sliced off dome" look. The building was made over a long period of time in the late 19th century with a series of architects (due to the start and stop nature of the job). The foundation and base were built with convict labor. The best part was being able to "walk right in" with minimal security and the ability to wander freely.

Ohio State Capitol. I loved the "cut off dome" effect. June 29, 2021

Ohio State Capitol

There is a dome inside but not outside.

Some themes of the trip were becoming apparent in Columbus:

State capitol buildings are really over the top.

Carnegie's incredible library legacy.

The importance of Germans in settling the Northwest Territory.

Columbus Public Library. June 29, 2021

Columbus Public Library

Columbus Public Library.

Columbus Public Library.

A Seurat painting "A Sunday Afternoon..." inspired this topiary garden. They should NOT have gone with a bronze plaque to describe it. Not sure if I found it interesting?? It sure was unique!

Topiary Park

Topiary Park

Former Ohio School for the Deaf

This was my Columbus highlight which was randomly parked in a hotel parking lot. My non-American friend, AQ, did not come close to understanding my level of excitement

German Village.

Great lunch spot!!!! Schmidt's Sausage House and Restaurant 5/5

I really looked forward to visiting Columbus and it was the first stop I had actually PLANNED to visit on the trip. I liked it, but in hindsight, it was just not as good as I thought it might have been. That being said - it has a vibrancy and forward-looking vibe that I did not get in many other cities I visited. My favorite place was the German Village. I think it has a high livability index.

3.5/5

Serpent Mound, OH

There are not many of these in the USA (effigy mounds, not burial mounds). This place has been put up for World Heritage Status. There is a dispute about its age - 900 or 2000+ years. Weirdly, it sits in an ancient impact crater site.

There is a really ugly viewing tower that isn't quite tall enough. The area is forested right beside the site - why not build a taller tower in the forest just over the tree tops??

Entrepreneurial Ohio friends - a great place for a tethered hot air balloon ride!

Not my photo (clearly), but it gives a good perspective of the site

June 30, 2021

5/5 because this is a very unique spot in the USA and part of an oft overlooked history. — at Serpent Mound, Ohio Historical Site.

Cincinnati

My first and biggest impression of Cincinnati was its murals. About 150 in total. I used to think only Europe had murals like this. I wish more American cities would follow this lead. Totally impressed!

A personal favorite. June 30, 2021

Over The Rhine. Cincy's hotspot for food and entertainment.

There are two great performance venues right next to each other!

It once again reminded me how many Germans flooded into Ohio.

Findlay Market (even in the rain) was a great place to wander. It gets 5/5.

— in O.T.R. Over The Rhine, Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Streetcar

Hamilton County Memorial Building

Music Hall - loved it. Not very typical of a classical music venue. June 30, 2021

Findlay Market

Go Reds!

Findlay Market

Findlay Market

White Claw

OTR - Over the Rhine

East Liberty, East 13th, Reading Street corner

The Cincinnati Union Terminal is an amazing piece of architecture that is still a train station but also a museum. Yes, Superman and Batman have offices here but they were working from home due to COVID.

Incline Public House on Price Hill had decent food, good service and the best lunch view of the trip! Amazing. 5/5

Mt Echo Park has a great pavilion with a view over the city (perfect for a wedding).

Devou Park (Covington, KY) has the closest view of downtown.

Mt Adams on the other side of the city from Mt Price is a trendy neighborhood next to the Art Museum. We found a great bar/pub there that is very old style and seemingly original.

These viewpoints really blow away the idea that "Ohio is flat".

Cincinnati Union Terminal (aka Hall of Justice League from the comics)

Cincinnati Union Terminal

Great Hall, Cincinnati Union Terminal

Great Hall, Cincinnati Union Terminal

Art Deco, Cincinnati Union Terminal

One of many murals, Cincinnati Union Terminal

Mt Echo Park Pavilion

Mt Echo Park View

Devou Park View (Covington, KY)

Mt Adams. July 1, 2021

Along the river, the bridges, the stadium and downtown.

Roebling Suspension Bridge (he did more than the Brooklyn Bridge)

Roebling Suspension Bridge

Downtown Cincy from Smale Riverfront Park

Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman Cove with the Serpentine Wall

Great American Ballpark

Pete Rose

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

Fountain Square

Downtown Cincinnati from Fountain Square. July 1, 2021

Finally, Cincinnati has a great museum. I give the museum 5/5

It was a perfect combination of it raining, the museum being free AND not needing to order a ticket online in advance. It was the only art museum visit of the trip simply because most museum visits during the pandemic were just hard to schedule "on the fly"

Woo hoo

The gift shop art was fun

Lovely, empty, no wait, no ticket!

Chihuly

Picasso

Matt when it rains on vacation

Hmmmmmm

I had a bed like this once (mine was better)

Living room art - I approve

Tiffany

"being judged" (Daughters of Revolution by Grant Wood)

Museum favorite cuz it was soooo weird

Creepy AF July 1, 2021

Cincinnati was nothing like I expected. There are hills and the river. There are several trendy neighborhoods. It isn't really walking friendly everywhere, but along the river makes for a great stroll.

Still, it seems to be a place people come to for events and then leave again, a pattern I found repeated in some cities I visited.

I would go back for sure. 4/5

Frankfort, KY

Frankfort was an unplanned detour. I didn't realize that it was so close to Cincinnati. State capitals are usually interesting.

The downtown is quaint and cute and very very laid back.

The Old State Capitol Building is a great museum to wander.

Overall first impression was "is this really the capital??" It was that laid back.

Cute downtown, West Broadway Street. July 2, 2021

Kentucky History Center

Armory (Kentucky Military History Museum)

Bourbon on Main

West Main Street

All points bourbon

Franklin County Courthouse

Wapping and St. Clair Streets

Kentucky Old State Capitol.

Kentucky Old State Capitol.

Kentucky Old State Capitol.

Kentucky Old State Capitol.

Buffalo Trace Distillery was the first place on the trip that we ran into a crowd of people. I mean, the parking lot was packed with hundreds of cars and we were given an entry ticket for a tour. We would have waited a few hours, so we just bagged the tour and took photos on the outside. I sure would like to go back. (I was a little freaked out being around so many people)

The cemetery has Daniel Boone (and wife)'s grave. I didn't realize how big of an impact he had on Kentucky. Not sure how history will treat him as he was not exactly kind to Native Americans.

America's Oldest Bourbon Distillery (A National Historic Site). July 2, 2021

Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

Original Owners guest house (I guess if you make bourbon, you can expect guests)

A view of Frankfort from Frankfort Cemetery.

Daniel Boone's grave. He had a huge impact on Kentucky in terms of migration.

Not loving this, Daniel.

The Kentucky State House has a great location on a hill overlooking the town and river. Except for some lottery winners being interviewed in the rotunda, we had the rest of the building to ourselves. A very nice gentleman let us into the Supreme Court for a few photos.

Frankfort must follow the motto "The government that governs least governs best". The whole town and capitol complex felt very "not busy". Maybe it was the pandemic, but the downtown was also chilled out. There WERE people around - were they all out at Buffalo Trace? hahaha

View of the Capitol Building from Frankfort Cemetery

Kentucky State Capitol

Kentuckians are proud Lincoln was born there later history notwithstanding.

Kentucky State Capitol

Kentucky State Capitol

Kentucky State Capitol

Kentucky State Capitol

Kentucky State Supreme Court. We happened to be in front of it and a nice guy with keys said "Hey, you want to see inside?"

Official reception room

I give Frankfort 4/5 for being friendly, easy to navigate, and beautiful. Very happy we stopped.

Louisville

Louisville was the next stop.

Of course, we visited Churchill Downs which happened to be near the hotel. I was happy to visit an American iconic place, but honestly, unless you are HUGELY into horse racing, how interesting can it be? There is a museum there but it was very pricey.

More interesting was the riverfront park and a walk on the old railway (now pedestrian) Big Four Bridge. Louisville's waterfront has been redone and is a great place for a walk!

Churchill Downs. July 3, 2021

Churchill Downs.

Churchill Downs.

Big Four Bridge (right), Riverfront Park.

Big Four Bridge

Bridges over the Ohio River

Seafood restaurant (like it was transplanted from the beach)

Riverboat

Louisville downtown. It was really empty - very zombie apocalypse. I wish I could have done the bourbon trail.

It's over there.... (George Rogers Clark Statue)

Mohammed Ali Center

Downtown Louisville

Just a huge, gold David, West Main Street. Totally normal.

West Main Street.

Trying.to.diet.

Louisville Slugger! Actually, I was more excited for this than Churchill Downs (gift shop was closed though)

Wow!!! Look closely

Bourbonism! I believe

West Main Street

West Main Street

Clark Memorial Bridge Entrance. July 2, 2021

Overall, Louisville, you were just not all that exciting. Nothing "bad" per se, but nothing really wow either. 3/5

Madison, IN

Madison, IN. The largest city between Cincinnati and St. Louis on the Ohio River. In the past, one of the most important cities in Indiana with a big, historic downtown. Also, highly recommended as a day trip from Indianapolis. It made sense to visit, but....

July 4th weekend is the "Madison Regatta". It is a jet boat race that attracts nearly 100,000 spectators (mostly campers) in normal years. Of course, "who knew?"

We arrived to difficult parking and the whole river front fenced off. There was literally no explanation either. At the first entry point they told us to buy a ticket ($50) to see the boats. We just said we wanted a short walk along the river. No way --

Of course, now it makes sense (after internet research), but if no one EXPLAINS it to you, it is really odd and baffling (and the people were borderline rude with us).

Sorry, Madison, but most people out of your local area have never heard of your race. I am sure it is fun, but not for people just passing through.

In front of the Jefferson County Courthouse

aux armes, citoyens!!

Old style firehall

Jefferson County Courthouse

West Main Street

Hinkle's Sandwich Shop

Broadway Fountain

Broadway Fountain

Broadway Hotel

Shrewsbury-Windle House

Milton-Madison Bridge

Finally, our only view of the river. July 3, 2021

It was definitely one of the trip low points if not the lowest. Maybe after Marietta, OH our expectations for a river town were just too high?

2/5

Clifty Falls State Park, IN

Right next to Madison is a lovely little state park. It is a small canyon carved into the cliffs overlooking the Ohio River. On the plus side, it is really beautiful - on the minus side - unless you have time and the right footwear, getting up close to see the waterfalls is difficult. Everything is viewed from "far away". Also, lovely hot summer days mean "drippy" waterfalls rather than torrents.

It was nice to walk in green for awhile and for 4th of July weekend it was not too terribly crowded.

Clifty Falls

pathway to Clifty Falls viewpoint

mucky going even though it was dry weather

Little Clifty Falls

Nature 1 - Man 0. The failed attempt to build a railway tunnel for the Indianapolis-Madison line. It is quite a drop down to the Ohio River (hence all the waterfalls)

abandoned railway project

Tunnel Falls. July 3, 2021

4/5 because I still liked Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio more

Southeast Indiana Covered Bridges

Three covered bridges on the way to Indianapolis. Two were still in use and one was moved to a park. Ironically, one was located close to Lancaster, IN.

My favorite was Scipio.

James Covered Bridge. 1887

James Covered Bridge

James Covered Bridge

Scipio Covered Bridge. 1886.

Scipio Covered Bridge.

Scipio Covered Bridge.

Scipio Covered Bridge.

Scipio Covered Bridge.

New Brownsville Covered Bridge. 1840. (relocated to Mill Race Park, Columbus, IN)

New Brownsville Covered Bridge

New Brownsville Covered Bridge

Mill Race Park, Columbus, IN. July 3, 2021

Indianapolis

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the heart of Indianapolis and all of Indiana. This is where things are celebrated and protested.

The monument is very ornate and over the top. It was started in the late 1800s to memorialize Civil War dead from Indiana but came to include (due to the long construction period) the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.

It is the first war memorial in the United States that was dedicated to the common soldier rather than to some "glorious commander". It really set the stage for a big shift in monument focus in the USA.

It is grand and "wow". Seeing it on 4th of July morning was great since the streets were empty. — at Monument Circle, Downtown Indy.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

US District Court entrance

US District Court

University Square

This whole area was developed in the late 1920s - early 1930s to complement the American Legion Headquarters (which Indiana fought hard to have placed in Indianapolis). The American Legion is still HQ'd there.

The area was cleared of buildings to make this huge mall and these amazing structures. It was expensive to the point that Indiana took veteran pensions away from veterans to fund it! (not a great bit of history, but it seems nothing ever changes).

It looks more like the capitol of country than a state!! — at Indianapolis War Memorial.

University Square looking at the Indiana War Memorial

Indiana War Memorial

Indiana War Memorial

Indiana War Memorial

Indiana War Memorial

This building is modeled on one of the the ancient "Wonders of the World" - the Mausoleum of Halicarnas. We watched the 4th of July fireworks from here in the evening. Wow - we were right under them (almost scary)

Indiana War Memorial

The War Memorial Plaza is the largest monument dedicated to US Military Veterans in the United States! I have yet to see another state capital that has such a grand public space at its heart.

Cenotaph for WWI. The soldier whose name is inscribed is the first from Indiana to fall in the war.

Indianapolis Public Library

Indianapolis Public Library

In the mid 1800s like many other places in the US, Indianapolis wanted a canal. It would connect Indy to the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley. Not much of it ever was built as Indiana went bankrupt a few years after construction started, but the bit that was built ended up being preserved because it provided the drinking water for the city for many years. Also, all the laborers who migrated to Indianapolis to work on the canal stayed and provided a labor base for other industries.

The lower canal is all high end apartments, offices, and museums these days. A lovely place to walk and it is used a lot by the locals. — at Indianapolis Canal Walk.

Canal basin

Canal lock

Canal lock

Indiana State Museum

Canal and White River Trail

Empties into the White River

Zoo Bridge

State Capitol

Downtown

Fountain Square

Speedway - I am not even into racing, but it was great to see all the old cars and their "evolution".

We caught the 4th of July fireworks at the War Memorial. They were quite amazing and it was easy to get a good vantage point.

Indiana State House

Indiana State House

Indiana State House

Indiana State House

Indiana State House

A big patch of prairie in the front, Indiana State Museum.

Eiteljorg Museum

Fountain Square - a trendy neighborhood

Fountain Square

Fountain Square

Union Station (no longer used as a train station)

Speedway!

Speedway Museum

Speedway Museum

Speedway Museum. July4, 2021

Indianapolis was on my original plan of "cities I want to visit". I really went with almost no expectations. I think it ended up being one of my favorite cities of the trip!! 5/5

Springfield, IL

If Illinois is the "Land of Lincoln", Springfield is the epicenter. Lincoln is almost a cult-like figure. His image is EVERYWHERE.

The Lincoln Home National Historic Site is the Lincoln home and a few surrounding blocks. It is like stepping back into history. It took years to recreate as houses were slowly bought from owners. I have to say, I was much more impressed than I thought I might be.

The tour of the Lincoln home gives a lot of insight into his life as well.

5/5 Even if you are not into history, it is worth seeing. — at Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

Lincoln's Law Office (now a visitor's center)

Lincoln's Law Office