The light at the end of the tunnel. We have finally made it to our primary destination on this journey – the Lionel Railroad Club of Milwaukee. A massive multi-level layout featuring a replica of the NY Hell Gate Bridge made famous by Lionel decades ago.
We have learned there are a number of large model railroad enthusiasts in the northern parts of our country. I guess down in Florida, since we don’t have basements or cold winters, it puts a chill on the entire hobby. This Club focuses on the Lionel trains that are near and dear to my husband’s heart. He has a few of his own circling high above our study.
With close to 300 members, the Club is coming up on its 80th year in 2027. Members can store and run their own trains on the many track options. The all-volunteer organization handles all details of building, engineering, raising money, and running the Club. In 2002, they were able to get out of basements and purchase their own condo-office space for this permanent display. Smaller traveling displays are used for special shows and exhibits in the area. Even the little ones can play at their own kid-friendly tables.
Special lighting switches from day to night and back. They turned them on so we could see the effect.
Frank Lloyd Wright was not a nice guy. With a massive ego, a penchant for confrontation, and an inclination to spend more than he made, he left a trail of controversy throughout his life. But despite it all, he was one of America’s most prolific and important architects of the 20th Century.
He was born and grew up in Wisconsin, and I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see some of his work. Not having time to see everything I wanted, I settled on visits to his iconic Monona Terrace project in downtown Madison and seven properties in the area. His famous home, Taliesin, was close to an hour away, so I decided to focus on a cross-section of properties he designed for others.
The following pics try to capture the scope and feel of Monona Terrace, but don’t do justice to the scale.
The Unitarian Meeting House was Wright’s own place of worship. My time in Madison did not match the limited tour schedule or staff schedule, so I couldn’t see inside. This would’ve been the only site I could have entered; the remainder were all private homes. Designed in 1946 it was completed in 1951.
I was surprised at the state of disrepair of so many of these homes. It should be noted that several seemed to have work in progress. But most had untended yards and needed a fresh coat of paint at the very least.
The Pew house, designed in 1938, below was in the most need of work, and there was some scaffolding and piles of wood planks on site. The home faces the lake and is surrounded by larger homes. I wish some workers had been on site; I would’ve loved to know more.
The Gilmore “Airplane House” was built in 1908 and has become famous for its vertical lines, resulting in the nickname of “Airplane House.” It is considered “the essence of the Prairie School of Architecture.” Features include horizontal lines and features, sweeping eaves, and leaded casement windows.
Regarded as Wright’s first Usonian house, the Jacobs home was built in 1937 as a modern house for an average American family. It features a low profile and L-shaped plan and is very private from the street view.
The Van Tamelen Home was a prefab prototype experiment in 1956 to make Wright’s homes more affordable.
It’s hard for me to believe the Rudin House was also a prefab structure. Built a year later, in 1957, it displays the transition of his Usonian work, with large windows letting in lots of natural light. It’s reported to also feature a very open interior concept. This home is beautifully maintained and my favorite of the day.
The 1903 Lamp House was hidden behind other homes, and I almost missed it. Wright designed it for a childhood friend, and it looked in need of some serious attention. Just a few blocks from downtown and near the University of Wisconsin campus, it would be a shame to let this building fall into disrepair. The top floor was a later addition that replaced an elegant roof garden with grape arbors and a greenhouse. It was considered very modern and marked a transition from the Chicago School of Architecture to the Prairie School, which Wright called “New American”. Unbelievable to imagine today, but when built, it was positioned to maximize views of both area lakes.
I know nothing about race cars, and very little about cars in general. But we could not visit Indianapolis without checking out the Indianapolis Speedway. So, I got us the required tickets to the Speedway Museum and a 30-minute track tour.
The newly renovated museum was interesting, even for the racing uninitiated. Late the evening, before our “Kiss the Bricks” tour, we were informed the track would be in use and were switched to the “Victory Podium” tour. It was disappointing to learn we would not be able to ride the tour van around the entire track, but as a consolation, we did see some club cars racing. It was nice to hear the roar.
The track is massive and can hold up to 400,000 fans, making the Indy 500 race the largest single-day sports event in the world.
As a Miamian, it felt like old home week to hear about Carl Fisher buying the land for the track (which opened in 1911) and the involvement of co-founder James Allison and Eddie Rickenbacker (who bought the track from Fisher in 1927). Those men all had storied roles in the development of the Miami area.
Today it’s primarily owned by Roger Penske. His team of cars and drivers under the Penske Racing umbrella has won legions of races and awards. The museum provides an exceptional showcase of cars, drivers, and all things race-related.
Most people know the winner of the Indy 500 drinks milk instead of champagne to celebrate the victory. That tradition began in 1936, when a driver’s mother urged him to drink buttermilk after racing to help combat post-race muscle fatigue (which apparently it does). When that driver won his third 500 and drank milk after the race, the dairy industry decided to get involved. Today, winners are paid $10,000 to make sure they drink milk. They do get to choose between whole, 2%, or skim – buttermilk is no longer a popular option.
We couldn’t help posing on the victory stage for this cheesy picture!
We are off on a different kind of train trip. This time we are not rolling on the rails, but enjoying some non-moving and miniature train experiences.
But we have to see a few things along the way. First up – a stop in Pikeville, KY, a key location for the famous Appalachian Hatfield and McCoy feud.
Other than feuding families, Pikeville is best known for the Pikeville Cut-Thru, and the now-convenient Overlook. The Cut-Thru was an ambitious 14-year endeavor to move a river, highway, railroad, and impoverished housing. When the project was completed in 1987, it was the largest engineering feat in the US, and second only to the Panama Canal on the world stage. They moved 23 million cubic yards of rock and 18 million cubic yards of dirt; a task that involved 20 state and federal agencies (20! that is really beyond belief). The pics above show the town and river from the overlook.
Pikeville’s 1871 Dils Cemetery is part of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud Historic District and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lasting from the Civil War until the 1890s, the two-family conflict eventually involved governors from Kentucky and West Virginia. There are cemeteries in other locations for each family, but this is the only one with burials from both. Randolph McCoy, who was the leader of the McCoy family, is buried here. Randolph outlived the feud until the ripe age of 88 but had an awful death afterward from severe burns resulting from a fall into a kitchen fire. Take a close look at his tombstone. I wonder who it was that couldn’t spell feud?
Dils is also the first known integrated cemetery in Eastern Kentucky, and 130 of the 500 graves are African Americans.
The site needs a bit of tender loving care, with overgrown areas and four sets of rickety stairs leading up to the graves.
On arrival in Indianapolis, we checked in to the Crowne Plaza Downtown. The only hotel with real train cars now under roof as hotel rooms. They have really done a terrific job. These are real 1920s Pullman Train Cars, and they actually ran on these tracks. They have been nicely remodeled into modern, comfortable rooms. The hotel was built around the ironwork, and it was reported that only three were cut during construction. Many famous people have passed through these halls, but my favorite story is about Thomas Edison, who worked here as a Telegraph Operator and was fired for conducting too many “useless” experiments! There is an incredible amount of history here, and if you’d like more, this link will take you to a brochure about the station’s history and repurposing as a hotel.
“Ghost” statues are throughout the property, attired in period clothes and helping stimulate visitors’ imagination about what the busy station was like in decades past.
Regular hotel rooms overlook the steel structure and the train cars. Even the sconces along the corridors display nostalgic touches of past glamour.
