The USS United States is being towed to Florida to be sunk as a reef.
I've mentioned here before that when my father was in the Air Force, we were stationed in Paris, France for my last 4 yrs of high school in the mid 60's.
We, family of 5 and our Weimaraner (Dad's hunting dog), flew to Paris. (my dad would sooner leave me behind than his dog)
My mom, who is deaf - liked the bread. She abused our little Mercedes something fierce - because she couldn't hear the revs -the shift points!....even though I'd point to the bar changing colors in the speedo from green to "gonna-explode"
red.
My dad hated the whole experience (something about the French and WWII)
I had a blast - skipping school and exploring Paris!
My dad told my mom the Air Force offered two options for going back to the USA 4 years later: "fly to NYC, or make the crossing to NYC on an ocean liner"
My mom's not crazy about boats on the ocean (having fished with my dad off the coast of Fla. too many times)
He showed her a nice color brochure of the USS United States.
"OK! we're going home on a boat!" she told us kids.
We took a 'boat train' out of Paris to the harbor. Boarded, and stopped in Ireland I think - for Decaprio? - before heading across in mid June.
The brochure on my bunk told me that this ship was larger than the Titanic, and that it held the crossing record.
I've only found one photo of us on the ship (eating dinner) - sadly we weren't big picture takers.
The food was free.
I had
a duck (not
some duck!) AND a lobster the first night - this I remember.
It was cold and windy after my brother and I trespassed some corridors - and, stepping though a door - found ourselves on the front of the ship! Very windy!
The capt. held off-shore and timed the entrance into NYC harbor for breakfast time - so the passengers could enjoy the spectacle - (miss Liberty, etc.)
Our 6 yr old Mercedes had shipped earlier and was waiting for us - minus the MB star, hubcaps and wiper blades! My dad had to take a cab to purchase white headlights to replace the yellow ones used in France.
The way it looked the last time I saw it....
and now....
We weren't first class - nor did my mom have to shovel coal. So we were somewhere in the middle.
I remember that there were signs in the corridors - which my brother and I happily ignored.
Stig
a good memory - We had to move to a hotel smack downtown Paris for 2 weeks, a block or 2 from the famous traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe - as we vacated our apt in the suburbs.
Even then.... I liked to get up at dawn....to explore!
Every morning the hotel set out a basket of croissants, Danish butter and strawberry preserves in the little breakfast bump-out along the sidewalk. I'd grab a pocket full of croissants and set off to explore Paris one more time!
