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Woodrow Wilson Presidential Museum (Part 2)

By on Sep 30, 2013 in Presidents | 0 comments

Out of respect, I know we probably shouldn’t refer of our presidents as “cute,” but look at this crate filled with Woodrow Wilsons in the gift shop at the Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Museum in Staunton, Virginia. (Only $11.95!) See what else we saw in this “Part 2” of our Nerd Trip.

The gift shop is just down the block from the presidential museum, which I visited after first touring the birthplace of our 28th president (see previous post).
At the museum, a bust of President Wilson greets you on arrival (much more stately than the doll).

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Woodrow Wilson Library & Birthplace (part 1)

By on Sep 20, 2013 in Presidents | 3 comments

Check out this cool car. It’s President Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow limousine, which was waiting for him when he returned to the United States after signing the Treaty of Versailles. It’s one of the highlights of a visit to his birthplace in Staunton (pronounced “Stan-ton”, the “u” is silent), Virginia. You can see the car at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, just a few steps from the house where our 28th president was born.

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Bonus Nerd Trip: Dickinson Hannig Museum

By on Jun 1, 2013 in Historic Persons | 7 comments

Everything is big in Texas. And, in Texas history, nothing may be bigger than the Alamo (or should it be “The” Alamo?) so, the story of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson offers some interesting insight into the legend and legacy of that famed siege. She’s got quite a story herself as we learned on a Nerd Trip to her house in Austin.

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O. Henry Museum, Austin (Part 1)

By on Apr 18, 2013 in Authors/Poets | 3 comments

Before visiting the O. Henry museum in Austin, my knowledge of this famed American writer could be summed up in just a few words: “The Gift of the Magi,” the tale of a financially strapped young couple who, through a clever plot twist, discover the true meaning of gifts and giving.

But if this sentimental short story was my only impression of O. Henry, we got quite a plot twist as we learned about the writer himself, a hard-living and colorful character worthy of any story he could write.

The O. Henry museum sits on prime real estate in downtown Austin.

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Sherlock Holmes Museum (part 1)

By on Jan 16, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

He’s one of the world’s most famous detectives with one of the most famous addresses in literature: 221B Baker Street, London. Sherlock Holmes’ fictional address is the real address of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. In summer 2013, I waited in line for two hours (including two brief rain storms) to tour the townhouse of this fictitious figure. The...

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