After reading John Grisham’s Gray Mountain, my husband had a strong desire to visit the West Virginia coal country. And so we did.
The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is an excellent way to get some idea of what it was like to work in a coal mine and live in a mining town. Listed on the national Register of Historic Places, the mine originally operated in the late 1800s as the Phillips-Sprague Mine.
Dark. Damp. Chilly.
I know the mining companies have had decades of bad press and fought with environmentalists for ravaging the landscape. But the area we saw was beautiful, with lush vegetation.
Our tour guide had 28 years of experience in the mines, and a great sense of humor, gave us plenty of history and perspective about low-seam coal mining and how the industry has progressed. We rode in authentic “man cars” through 1500 feet of underground passages. Always 58 degrees, it was chilly and damp. He also shared that last year there were 50 mines in the region and this year only 24. Locals seemed distraught over the demise of the once thriving industry.
That being said, no one shied away from explaining how the mining companies of the not too distant past essentially “owned” the workers, requiring them to live in company towns and shop at company stores, with special “chits” they provided as currency.
A typical Miner’s Shanty, for a single man; the $2 monthly fee went to the company.
Most workers here were either miners or part of a mining family. Facilities include parts of a company town, complete with homes for single miners, families, camp supervisor, school and church. Guides actually grew up in the types of homes they were showing, so it made the experience very intimate and extremely interesting.
Museum exhibits fill the space over the “Company Store”/gift shop and there is also a Youth Museum on site.
With few options, other than back-breaking work and life-ending lung disease, it’s hard to imagine the conditions and individual human sacrifice that helped propel this country into the powerhouse it became.
Just the Facts:
Open April 1- November 1, 10AM – 5:30PM with tours on the hour and half hour. Adult tickets are $20 and there is a senior discount available, kids are $14. To take the tour and see the camp allow about 2 hours, with kids probably a bit more. Be sure to bring a jacket for the tour. Photos are allowed.
Yes, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. No, it was not my idea.
For the record, I do not like heights. But on a last-minute trip to NYC to visit our daughter, I got a bit outside my comfort zone.
We began the outing by taking the East River Ferry (@ 34th St), to the East River State Park in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn. Williamsburg is a gentrified area very popular with young families. On Saturdays during the warmer months, locals swarm the “Smorgasburg” held in the park
Only seven types of velvet cake available this day; I wanted to try their Praline Bourbon.
just off the ferry landing. Dubbed by the NY Times as “The Woodstock of Eating”, it features more than 100 gourmet booths offering every imaginable type of food. We sampled Texas-style moist beef brisket, Maine lobster rolls, hummus, red velvet cake, and a salted chocolate ice cream sandwich. All delicious.
Once fortified, we launched an ill-fated search for some great local chocolate bobka. Despite conflicting info on their website, and failure to get them on the phone, we gave it a try. We ended up with a nice ride through the Russian Hasidic community (and men with their giant cylindrical fur hats), and ended up at a closed, red-brick warehouse . . . hmmm, no bobka for us. Good thing we weren’t hungry.
Walking to the Brooklyn Bridge.
Our daughter announced she would like to return to Manhattan by way of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. My husband was 100% enthusiastic, so I kept quiet and off we went.
It was actually a lot of fun. The Bridge is an impressively majestic, historic structure that made me feel pretty safe. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the views north towards the midtown skyline and south towards the new Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty were chamber-of-commerce perfect. I’m happy to say I did it!
Waterfront Dining Tips
View from the Boat Basin Cafe.
Our daughter is still a Florida gal at heart and doesn’t miss a chance to be around water when possible. This trip, she took us to the Boat Basin Café on the Hudson (Upper West Side at W 79th St), for a beautiful sunset, drinks and a casual dinner overlooking the marina and river. Don’t get caught walking along the river with an open drink, you will be fined (we weren’t caught).
We had a great late lunch-break from our chores at The Water Club’s Crow’s Nest on the East River at 30th.
The main restaurant has a nice bar and indoor dining, and the Crow’s Nest offers roof-top drinks and lighter fare (classic NY hot dogs, lobster rolls, salads, etc), paired with a super view across the river and the 59th St Bridge to the north. Word has it, it’s also a great spot for happy hour. BTW, our city friends tell us, it’s also great because they have parking.
The Water Club; Crow’s Nest on top.
NYC Notes:
Brooklyn also has a TKTS office for discount tickets. Just like the office at the South Street Seaport, it opens at 11 AM and also offers tickets to the matinees the following day (the Times Square ticket windows open at 3 and don’t offer next day matinée tickets). While in Brooklyn, we stopped by for Broadway tickets and literally walked up the window, no wait.
There is no charge to walk or bike across the Bridge. It is about a mile once you are on the Bridge and from the Brooklyn side, a least a mile from downtown to get to the starting point. On the Manhattan side, the Bridge is close to the subway station.
The Smorgasburg event has expanded throughout the boroughs on different days with different names. Can’t vouch for the other locations, but you can find more food on Sundays in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5 (near Manhattan’s NY City Hall); and just this weekend a location opened in Long Island City, Queens on Saturdays. All open 11 AM – 6 PM.
Fans of the Carnegie Deli will be disappointed they are temporarily closed (since late April) and surprised to find out it’s been reported they’ve been stealing about half the gas they use for cooking and heating – for five years. Apparently, once they pay their fines, they can make repairs and Con Edison will turn on their gas again.
Linville Ridge Country Club.
Find out why life is great in the NC High Country. Check out my recent article in South Florida’s Pinecrest Magazine:
Crowds gather to watch the 611 roll to a stop.
In the cab of the 611, after an orientation, an engineer rides along as my husband is in command of the controls!
What do you give the guy who pretty much has everything? An experience of a lifetime.
My husband is a train-fanatic and for Father’s Day our daughter and I gave him a chance to be “At the Throttle” of the powerful, iconic 611 steam engine.
The massive engine is visiting the North Carolina Transportation Museum, on loan for a couple of weeks from the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The Norfolk and Western, Class J 611 historic engine was originally manufactured in Roanoke, VA in 1950, and was in regular service until ’59. Only 14 were ever built and this is the only engine still intact. $3.5 million was raised to restore the storied engine, and much of the work, including tests, repairs and refurbishing, was completed in Spencer at the NC Transportation Museum.
Although he didn’t get a chance to get it up to its full potential of 110 miles per hour, my husband loved feeling the power of the huge coal-guzzling machine as he chugged up and down the tracks, spewing clouds of black steam and soot, ringing the bells and blowing the deep, incredibly loud whistle.
The museum regularly offers train rides and $1 rides of the turntable at the Roundhouse, as well as many special events throughout the year. The well-preserved campus houses an impressive array of engines, cabooses and special trains as well as exhibits explaining all other forms of transportation, model trains and more.
You can see everything from a hot air balloon basket to a life-size replica of the Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk plane in the section exploring air travel. Other areas are dedicated to all manner of road vehicles from early milk wagons, vintage fire trucks, tractors, antique trucks and cars, including a well-preserved Model A, T and R and Edsel. Two-wheeled vehicles are not forgotten and fans can see all sorts of bicycles and motor cycles.
All Aboard!
Essential Info: 
NC Transportation Museum is in Spencer, in the central, Piedmont area. Museum days vary depending on the time of year. During summer months (March- October) the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Adults $6; Seniors & Military $5; Children 3-12 $4 and under 3, free. Admission plus Train Ride $12 for Adults; $10 Seniors & Military; $8 for Kids 3-12. Check the website for train ride times and special event details. www.nctrains.org 704.636.2889
Spencer has a district of historic shops across the street from the museum and the really cute, historic town of Salisbury is less than five minutes away.
