Category: Books

Tucson, AZ: Getting Ready & Getting There

Getting There – Drive, take a train or fly.

    • Drive: It’s not far from Los Angeles. Just know that if you come back on Sunday, you WILL hit traffic.
    • Fly: Southwest seem to be the most frequent and reasonably priced, however, American, Delta and United make many stops here.
    • Train: There is an Amtrak station in Tucson – so this is also a lovely way to get here!

Knoxville, TN: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books:

    • The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan. At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians – many of them young women from small towns across the South – were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work.
    • The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage by Carol Lynn Yellin. The 72-year suffrage is brought to life which culminated with the final vote needed for ratification in the Tennessee legislature. The Perfect 36 gives voice to those who were for and against the right of women to vote with a richly illustrated volume. This book contains interviews that no other book about woman suffrage has. It is the complete history of what happened in Tennessee to secure ratification.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than Kentucky or Tennessee.
    • Bus: Greyhound services Knoxville and its a lovely experience.
    • Fly: My favorite airlines to Knoxville are American and Delta.

Scottsdale, AZ: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books – Who Killed Bob Crane?: The Final Close-Up by John Hook. The 1978 murder of actor and American icon Bob Crane remains one of the most high-profile unsolved celebrity murders of all time. Thirty-eight years after his brutal murder in Scottsdale, Arizona, millions around the world still want answers. Was John Carpenter the killer? Or did police arrest an innocent man?

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: You can drive from just about any West Coast city.
    • Fly: Phoenix is a major international airport, so just about everyone flies there. However, I always prefer Southwest with no fees for luggage.

Boston, MA: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books – Hidden History of Boston by Dino Vargo. Riotous mobs celebrated their hatred of the pope in an annual celebration called Pope’s Night during the colonial era. A centuries-long turf war played out on the streets of quiet Chinatown, ending in the massacre of five men in a back alley in 1991. William Monroe Trotter published the Boston Guardian, an independent African American newspaper, and was a beacon of civil rights activism at the turn of the century. Author and historian Dina Vargo shines a light into the cobwebbed corners of Boston’s hidden history.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than the East Coast.
    • Fly: Boston Logan is a major international airport, so just about everyone flies there. However, I always prefer Southwest with no fees for luggage.

Louisville, KY: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books – Louisville Murder & Mayhem: Historic Crimes of Derby City by Kevin McQueen. Life in Louisville in the years following the Civil War, and through the turn of the century, was as exciting as it was dangerous. The city continued to grow as important urban hub of culture and commerce, connecting the South with the Midwest and Northern states. As Keven McQueen proves in this collection of morbid tales of crime and depravity, life in Louisville certainly had a darker side. Journey back to a time when Louisville’s streets were filled with rail cars, its alleys populated by thieves, and its brothels hummed with activity. Whether it’s the tale of the marriage of a convicted murderer to a notorious prostitute, or the exploits the criminal duo dubbed Louisville’s Bonnie and Clyde,” this is a true crime collection that is truly hard to believe.”

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee or Virginia.
    • Fly:  American, Delta and United fly into Louisville, but my favorite is Southwest!

Lexington, KY: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books: Lost Lexington, Kentucky by Peter Brackney. Lexington has dozens of well-restored landmarks, but so many more are lost forever. The famous Phoenix Hotel, long a stop for weary travelers and politicians alike, has risen from its own ashes numerous times over the past centuries. The works of renowned architect John McMurtry were once numerous around town, but some of the finest examples are gone. The Centrepointe block has been made and unmade so many times that its original tenants are unknown to natives now. Join local blogger, attorney and preservationist Peter Brackney as he explores the intriguing back stories of these hidden Bluegrass treasures.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia.
    • Fly:  American, Delta and United fly into Lexington.

Oak Ridge, TN: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books: There are many books about the Manhattan Project, but these two particularly focus on what Oak Ridge was like during its time.

    • The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Keirnan: At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, and consumed more electricity than New York City, yet it was shrouded in such secrecy that it did not appear on any map. Thousands of civilians, many of them young women from small towns across the U.S., were recruited to this secret city, enticed by the promise of solid wages and war-ending work. What were they actually doing there? Very few knew. The purpose of this mysterious government project was kept a secret from the outside world and from the majority of the residents themselves. Some wondered why, despite the constant work and round-the-clock activity in this makeshift town, did no tangible product of any kind ever seem to leave its guarded gates? The women who kept this town running would find out at the end of the war, when Oak Ridge’s secret was revealed and changed the world forever.
    • Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard: In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn’t officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months—a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than Kentucky or Tennessee.
    • Fly: Knoxville is the closest major airport. My favorite airlines to Knoxville are American and Delta.

Tampa, FL: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books:

    • Cigar City Mafia by Scott M. Deitche tells the tale of bootleggers, gambling, ringleaders, arsonists, narcotics dealers and gang murders―a variety of characters who flourished in the era known as Prohibition. Tampa, Florida was where they battled for supremacy of the criminal underworld.
    •  The Immigrant World of Ybor City by Gary R. Morimino & George E. Pozzetta  is a compelling attempt to assess the relationships over the last century among class, culture and community in the forging of the Italian experience in Ybor City.

Getting There – Drive if you must, or FLY.

    • Drive: It’s a long haul from just about anywhere other than the east coast.
    • Fly: My favorite airlines to Tampa are Southwest, Delta & American.

San Diego, CA: Getting Ready & Getting There

Books – Not as many as I would hope, but next time I’m there, I’ll look for more from local authors. For now, I would highly recommend: Abandoned San Diego by Jessica D. Johnson.

Getting There –

    • Drive: It’s not far from Los Angeles. Just know that if you come back on Sunday, you WILL hit traffic.
    • Train: I love taking Amtrak down to San Diego. Beautiful, scenic route, AND its worth it to pay a little extra for business class.