A Great Day Touring Yorktown

Day 23 Monday, May 8, 2017

You can monitor my trip at the link: Little Star's Progress Live

Thomas Nelson, Jr. house - Governor and Constitution signer

 

 

Today was a fun day.  We allowed ourselves to sleep in until after 6:00 for me and 7:00 for Janine.  We had planned to go out for breakfast this morning so I checked on The Island Grill in the Duke of York hotel only to find that it is closed on Monday.  My next choice was the Carrot Tree Restaurant which opens daily for breakfast at 10:00.  We ate some apple sauce to curb our appetites while we waited for such a late breakfast. 

In the meantime, I wanted to get some pictures of some of the historic buildings in

Customs House Circa 1720  Oldest original structure in Yorktown

the morning sun so Janine and I walked up the hill to Main Street where we read signs and looked into gardens of the beautifully restored structures.  A number of the homes are privately owned and inhabited.  These dwellings, especially those in the historic district, all conform to a strict code of period authenticity.  A group of county employees was planting annuals along the street

Typical annual planting found through the village

and in gardens in front of several of the buildings.  We stopped and talked to a gal who seemed to be in charge and got some insight into what it is like living and working in this historic area. 

From Main Street, we walked back to the Carrot Tree where I had a lovely ham biscuit and Janine had an egg salad wrap.  From there we went to the Patriot’s Tours and Provisions store where we bought some neat things.  We had an enjoyable conversation with the owner who was most enthused and interested in us and the things we are doing.

The Carrot Tree Restaurant

We decided to return to the boat to rest for a bit. While there, I came up with the big idea that we should take a tour of Yorktown on Segways.  I presented this idea to my bride whom, I could tell was not particularly keen on the idea.  After a bit of persuasion and assurance that she could do it, we went.  We went back to Patriot  Tours and Provisions and scheduled a tour for 1:00. 

And away we go

At the appointed time we arrive to meet our young guide, Jordan, who gave us our training session.  After about ten minutes of practicing, we headed off down the sidewalk of our fantastic tour.  Jordan is a recent graduate from James Madison University in Harrisonburg VA where Janine grew up and went to high school. Obviously, Janine and Jordan had a lot to talk about in amongst the discussions of the historic sites that we visited.  By the time we finished the tour, Janine was smoking along on her Segway like a pro. In the end, she agreed that it was fun and a great way to tour.

After the exertion of riding Segways, we needed to replenish our bodies so we returned to the Carrot Tree where Janine had a bowl of Tomato bisque and I had some kind of beef and cheese combo in a roll.  I figured

Eating ice cream in the cold

we needed a bit more to eat so we headed back to Ben and Jerry’s for another cup of ice cream. 

We had, on a couple of occasions passed the Gallery at York Hall on Main Street and I wanted see what they had to offer so we hailed a trolley and rode back up the hill.  The driver of the trolley was a sailor who, when he saw our boat, identified it as a Bristol.  He owns a Tartan 34 which was made by the same folks as those who built our Highlander.  I commented that we had a Highlander and he said that he had at one time sold them.  When we got to the Gallery, he stopped, blocking traffic, while we finished our conversation about boats.  When we got to the Gallery, we realized that it was closed on Monday (as were most other businesses in Yorktown).  We hustled back down the hill and caught the same trolley as it completed its loop.

One of the most highly recommended sites in this historic town was the American

Last night's neighbor - left at 4:30 this morning

Revolution Museum of Yorktown.  Our driver willingly took us there as we continued our discussion of sailing.  By the time we arrived at the museum, it was 4:00 and we only had an hour to visit this magnificent establishment that tells the story of the American Revolution through films, timelines and their extensive beautifully displayed exhibits.  We could have spent all day there.  We were sad that we had put it off until the end of the day. 

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Back out front of the museum, we waited for our faithful trolley driver to hall us back to the waterfront.  When he arrived, he told us that we were the last folks that he was going to carry.  He told one guy, who wanted to take a complete 20 minute trip, that he couldn’t because there was a couple waiting for him at the museum. 

As he was dropping us off, another nice couple asked if they could take a ride and he told them that he was going off duty but then said, “Oh, come on” and away they went.  He was a softy!

As if we had not eaten enough, we decided to walk down the waterfront to the

The Yorktown Pub

Yorktown Pub where we planned to have a very light evening meal.  I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and Janine ordered a cup of the same.  I figured we needed a bit more so I ordered an hors d’oeuvre consisting of hot crab dip on demi bread.  That last thing turned out to be too much.  I was not completely to my liking.  They had covered it in Old Bay seasoning to the point that it was fire.  Janine ate none and after I had about half of it, so I went to a table of a young couple sitting near us who were finishing a dish of the same thing and offered what was left of ours to them.  They happily accepted.  At least we didn’t chuck it!

Back at the boat with full bellies, we read and napped until our 9:00 witching hour.  It was a great day.