July 7, 2010

Malcolm in trouble
A Very Big Ship, and a sub
It was a very hot ship. It was a huge ship. Most of the ship was not air-conditioned. The day was very hot and there were a lot of stairs. I tried to see as much of the ship as possible. The heat and time were against me.
There are six sections, or as they call them, “tours”, on the ship. I got through only four of them and the top deck. Eventually, I had to take refuge in the cinema, one of the two sections of the boat with a/c. There was a video showing the history of the ship as well as the history of WWII.

We always walk through ships while posing at every turn.
The ship is the USS Yorktown (CV-10); the 4th USS Yorktown. Although this Yorktown did fight during WWII, neither it nor its predecessor was stationed in Hawaii at the time the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The Yorktown (CV-5), the ship the CV-10 replaced sank in the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
The CV-10 fought several battles in the Pacific during WWII, but my favorite of its missions is the retrieval of the Apollo 8 Command Module in 1968.

George H. W. Bush
After chilling out in the cool cinema. We went to see the sub in the front. It was cramp like most subs, but nothing that would bring out my claustrophobia. But I do have a lot of respect for the men and women who live in one of those things.

Filming Army Wives
You’ve Never Heard of the Show!?
As we were leaving, we saw a film crew setting up for a shoot. The kids asked someone in the crew what was going on. They were told that the show “Army Wives” was being filmed.
I’ve never heard of the show, but was still slightly excited to get a glimpse of some filming in action… well at least the setting up for the filming.
By the way, the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! was filmed on the USS Yorktown (CV-10). Again, a movie I have never seen. When I was younger I thought it was a movie about the Jewish holy book.

What should I buy?
More Shopping
We then went to downtown Charleston and walked through the Market Hall and Sheds. I was very much tempted by many of the items that I saw there. But since I knew that I would eventually be heading to Japan and that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything in my little suitcase, I had to hold back.
How to get there:
You can enter my country by land, air, or sea. But I think flight would be your transportation method of choice.
I have no clue how to get a visa to the US or who needs one. Just assume that you need one if you are not American or Canadian and check with your local US embassy.
Phone:
- Use 911 for the police, fire department, or to get an ambulance
- Use 411 for information (This might cost money.)
Website:
Downloads:
Videos:
- Crash Course:
- CGP Grey:
- Mental Floss:
Books:
- American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot
- Area 51
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- Dandelion Wine
- Girl in Translation
- The Hemingses of Monticello
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
- The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
- Notes from a Big Country
- One Summer: America, 1927
- Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America’s Hoboes
- Stealing Buddha’s Dinner
- That’s Not In My American History Book
- A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
- The Water Is Wide
- Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
Notes:
- It’s a big country. You’re going to need a car.
Lake Aire RV Park
- 32°46’39.1″N 80°08’52.4″W
- Directions from the website
Address:
4375 Highway 162
Hollywood, SC 29449
Phone:
- 1-843-571-1271
Download:
Notes:
- There is free wi-fi. Not every camping spot can get wi-fi, but there are many hot spots throughout the camp.
- 32°47’25.5″N 79°54’30.6″W
- directions from the website
Address:
40 Patriots Point Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone:
- 1-843-884-2727
Download:
Cost:
- Adults – 18USD
Hours:
- 9:00 – 18:30
Videos:
Books:
Notes:
- Parking cost $5 per vehicle.
- 32°46’50.1″N 79°55’51.9″W
- Directions from website
Address:
188 Meeting St.
Charleston, SC 29401
Phone:
- (843) 853-8000 or
- toll-free (800) 868-8118
Download
Hours:
- Mar.-Oct. 8:30-5:30;
- Nov.-Feb. 8:30-5:00
Map: