Travelogue: Celebrate America's pastime in Cooperstown
American Tourist
What: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Where: Cooperstown, N.Y.
What is it: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, is a museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related artifacts and exhibits, and the honoring of those who have excelled in playing, managing and serving the sport.
History: The Hall of Fame was dedicated on June 12, 1939, by Lee Ferrick Andrews, grandson of Edward Clark, who was a founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Stephen C. Clark was owner of a local hotel and sought to bring tourists to Cooperstown, which had been damaged by the Great Depression, which significantly reduced the local tourist trade, and by Prohibition, which had devastated the local hops industry. A claim that U.S. Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown was instrumental in the early marketing of the Hall. Major League Baseball, seeing the marketing opportunity, soon began cooperating with the Hall of Fame in promotion and the acquisition of artifacts for display. Recent improvements to the museum include an $8 million library and research facility that opened in 1994, and other renovations that were completed in spring 2005.
Who's memorialized: As of January 2008, 286 individuals have been elected to the Hall of Fame, including 228 players, 19 managers (many of whom also played), eight umpires and 31 builders, executives and organizers. Thirty men have also been awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting, while 57 have received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for excellence in baseball writing. In 2007, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken jr. were enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and later this summer, Rich "Goose" Goassage and several suits will join the club.
Recent additions:
- The Hall of Fame's tribute to the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox is now on display. The Colorado Rockies (who lost to Red Sox in the World Series) also are commemorated.
- According to news reports, Barry Bonds' historic 756th home-run ball could be on display in Cooperstown by the end of March. The ball was marked by its owner with an asterisk to express the public's suspicion about Bonds' use of steroids.
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (summer hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.); A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Admission: $16.50 adults; active military free; seniors $11; children $6 or free. For more detailed pricing plans, go to http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/visit/hours.jsp.
More info: http://web.baseballhalloffame.org, http://www.cooperstownchamber.org
Sources: http://web.baseballhalloffame.org, Wikipedia.org
Travel Tip: Flying With Wine
Planning to fly overseas and are dying to bring home some genuine Champagne or other wine? Here are some tips from www.ricksteves.com:
- Pack softly and carry a hard suitcase. Due to current security regulations, you can't fly with any wine in your carry-on; you'll have to pack it carefully in your checked luggage. This works most of the time if the bottles are thickly padded with clothing in a hard-sided suitcase. If you do this, you're still running the risk of breakage. Plus the bottles will have to endure the extreme cold (and sometimes heat) of the cargo hold.
- Divide and conquer. If you're bringing back multiple bottles and you're traveling with a partner, divide them among your carry-ons (five bottles means 15 extra pounds). Bring a spare fold-out duffle for your clothes and check that bag so that you can carry the wine.
- Know your limits. Customs regulations require you to pay 3 percent duty tax if you bring back more than 1 liter. Couples get away with three standard 750 ml bottles, adding up to 2 1⁄4 liters.
- Tell the truth. Be up front if you're over the limit. You may even benefit - sometimes the special customs lines move faster than the nothing-to-declare ones. If your wine is for personal use, the agents might not even tax you. It won't happen all the time, but many wine-obsessed travelers report that this can be the case.
Travel Tales
A mouse recently delayed the takeoff of a plane in Des Moines, Iowa, almost six hours. The little critter was spotted on the plan before passengers boarded, according to news reports, and officials had to re-inspect the plane to make sure no wires had been chewed through - and presumably to capture the mouse, although the airline didn't say if the mouse was found. The Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight was headed to Atlanta, and hopefully no one was planning to continue to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse. …
Good to Know
If you were planning to visit Petra the black swan in Germany to see her and her "mate" - a swan-shaped paddleboat - you're too late. Petra has found love with a real swan, according to news reports. Petra became enamored with the boat in 2006 and made headlines across the world, but she recently met a white swan, and the two are building a nest together.
Fun Facts
- The small town of Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, India, is often called the "world's capital of yoga," not the least because Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's now-closed ashram was there. - Wikitravel.org
- Saudi Arabia bans all booze, but you can still get Budweiser beer there -- although it's non-alcoholic and apple-flavored. - Wikitravel.org
Talk Like a Local: In Poland
I can't speak Polish (well): Nie mówie (dobrze) po polsku (nyeh moo-vyeh (dob-zheh) poh pol-skoo)
Do you speak English? Czy mówisz po angielsku? (chih moo-vish poh ahng-gyel-skoo?)
Is there someone here who speaks English? Czy ktos tu mówi po angielsku? (tch-y ktosh too moo-vee poh anhng-yel-skoo)
GateHouse News Service