The Keystone State
Howdy, faithful readers, and welcome back to another long overdue installment in the chronicles of Crapitols. I've got some serious work to do catching you all up on a busy year of Crapitol trips, so let's get back into it.
Having knocked out a the majority of the larger states west of the Mississippi river, as of late I've found myself in the position of needing to get cracking on the East coast. Over the winter I was eyeballing a few different itineraries to try to hit multiple capitols out that way. A plan started to form in my brain that I could hit a few early baseball games in the spring, maybe the Phillies or Red Sox I thought. I was already deep into my research when I discovered that one of my favorite bands, the raucously ramshackle Australian trio Dirty Three would be touring the US, but to my chagrin, would be coming nowhere near Denver. Luckily they would be hitting much of the northeast, though, and after considering a few other cities, I decided I would see them in Baltimore, MD.
After crunching some calculations on Google maps and exploring some flight options, I decided on a plan: fly into to Washington D.C. and drive to Harrisburg, PA, then head to Baltimore to catch Dirty Three and an Orioles game, then drive to Dover, Delaware to hit another capitol, then back to D.C. to see the sites and catch a Nationals game. This would be my most ambitious trip since 2018's Operation 2 Birds, 1 Stone.
I landed at DCA on the afternoon of Si Se Puede Day around what I thought was a good time to avoid major traffic. I hopped in my rental, a snug Jeep Compass, and set out for the 2.5ish hour drive to the Pennsylvania capital city. Perhaps I did avoid the worst of the traffic, but it seemed to take forever to escape the gravitational force of the suburban sprawl of D.C. I forgot just how much more densely populated the eastern half of the country is. While Denver has its share of traffic, there's not another major city within 600 miles. It struck me as strange to be well within the limits of a major city, and see a mileage sign that says "other major city" (Baltimore) 36 miles. You mean to tell me, that this city, which has an NFL team, is just 36 miles away from this other city, which also has an NFL team? Crazy.
Traffic was a slog, but I rarely came to a complete stop, and after an hour or so I found myself cruising through increasingly pretty countryside. Somewhere along the way the hills started rolling and quaint old farmhouses started dotting the landscape, and I found myself crossing the border into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and snapped the crappy photo above. Bonus trivia: what three other US states call themselves Commonwealths?
Another hour(ish) later and I was crossing the Susquehanna river into Harrisburg. Being an old river town, it reminded me quite a bit of Dubuque, IA, home of my ancestors. Lots of old buildings with a downtown along the river and residential areas up the hill on the bluff, with all sorts of wacky six-way intersections and random diaganol streets. I hit the local Giant grocery store for some provisions and settled into my cozy Airbnb to watch Boyz n the Hood on Tubi.
The following morning I packed up my things and headed downtown to the sprawling Pennsylvania Capitol complex. My first stop, as ever, was the local coffee shop. I found a parking spot and grabbed a delightful cup of coffee from Denim Coffee, then proceeded to amble about the complex to snap some exterior shots.
Pennsylvania was the second state admitted to the Union in 1787. It's original capital was the obvious choice: Philadelphia, but it was moved to Lancaster in 1799, and finally to Harrisburg in 1812. Guess what happened to the first capitol building in Harrisburg! Yep, that's right, burned to the ground in 1897. A second building was begun but construction was abandoned in 1899 due to lack of funds. The current building was finished in 1906.
Philadelphia architect Joseph Huston designed the capitol as a "Palace of Art," and you'll get a better idea of why once we get inside. As far as outdoor art, the main entrance on the west side of the building is flanked by two large statues by Pennsylvania's own George Grey Barnard, titled "Labor of Love/the Unbroken Law" and "The Burden of Life/the Broken Law," who was obviously going through a very emo phase.
After completing my circumnavigation of the building I headed inside for my pre-booked tour. The Pennsylvania capitol has an online booking system for their guided tours, which I imagine is necessary during busy times, but several people walked in on the day of my visit, so roll the dice at your own risk.
The interior of the building is simply stunning. Joseph Huston combined many differen influences in his design- the dome inspired by St. Peter's Basilica, and the rotunda inspired by the Paris Opera house. The combined effect is grandiose splendor (splendorous grandiosity?). Fun fact: Huston and four other designer/builders were later convicted of graft when costs of the building ballooned to three times what the legislature had approved. If this is the result, though, then I say the graft was worth it.
Aside from being exceedingly gorgeous, the Pennsylvania capitol also provides the most extensive collection of pamphlets, brochures, and guides (all of which can be found here) that I have seen at any state capitol thus far on my journey. The large Pennsylvania Capitol booklet is the best and most complete piece of literature I have seen, covering every piece of art and unique feature of the building, a full capitol timeline, and full-color glossy pages. Five stars.
The floor of the rotunda and ita surrounding halls are covered in nearly 400 Moravian tile mosaics depicting state history, symbols, animals, etc. Some favorites are pictured below.
There is also a tile marking the place where President Theodore Roosevelt stood at the building's dedication in 1906.
The tour began without any of the usual pleasantries, for example, "Hello, my name is _________ and I'll be your tourguide," or "Where is everyone coming from?" Our guide just dove right into the spiel, and after hearing all about the rotunda we proceeded to the luminous House of Representatives. Fun fact: the PA House of Representatives was the first independent legislative body in America, its precursor, the Provincial Assembly having first met Dec. 4th, 1682, a mere 40 days after William Penn arrived (Source: The Pennsylvania Capitol booklet [seriously, this booklet is amazing!])
If the whole "Palace of Art" theme isn't quite obvious yet, the House chamber is festooned with 24 stained glass windows by Philadelphia artist William Van Ingen, a student of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The next stop was the Supreme Court chamber, which features a gorgeous viridian glass dome and 16 paintings by Violet Oakley called "The Opening of the Book of Law."
The final stop on the tour was the resplendent Senate chamber, which is aptly described in the Pennsylvania Capitol booklet as "richly appointed."
Once the tour wrapped up I found my way to the restroom (also richly appointed) to complete the mission. Pennsylvania makes it 33 Crapitols complete.
I made a few more self-guided tour stops before departing the building. The first was the Governor's Reception room.
Finally I had to pop into the former home of Pennsylvania State Library, which was founded by none other than Benjamin Franklin. The library moved to its own building in 1931, but once had a home here.
Here's a few more snaps of the interior of the building. It is truly spectacular in person, easily among the most beautiful buildings I've visited thus far.
Two final tasks remained before departing the building: getting my State Capitol passport stamped and hitting the very finicky souvenir penny machine at the capitol gift shop.
It wasn't even noon yet, so I set out down the river for a quick stop at a very special historical marker. 15 miles southeast of Harrisburg in the middle of the Susquehanna is the nuclear power station at Three Mile Island, where on March 28, 1979 a large leak of radioactive gases resulted in the evacuation of 140,000 people in the area. A very close call with an even larger disaster, and a very cool roadside marker.
I had to be in Baltimore that evening to catch the Dirty Three show, but there was no chance in hell I would come all the way to southeastern Pennsylvania without stopping at one of the most important historic sites in American history. My next stop was Gettysburg.
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863, when Union forces led by George Meade repelled Robert E. Lee's attempt to invade the North. The 50,000 combined casualties suffered by both sides made it the bloodiest battle of the war, and marked a turning point on the road to the eventual defeat of the Confederacy.
The Gettysburg National Military Park is well worth a visit for any history nerd. The visitor center houses an excellent museum, as well as the 1883 Gettysburg Cyclorama painting. The second Civil War cyclorama we've encountered on our journey (remember Atlanta?).
The 6,000 acre park is jam-packed with monuments to the states and military units that fought and died here. I could've spent several days walking all the trails and reading every single informational marker, but sadly, I didn't have that kind of time. A kindly docent at the visitor center advised me on a 1-2 hour itinerary to suit my time constraints.
The one absolutely must-see stop at the park is the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It was here that, just four months after the battle, on November 19th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln was called upon to dedicate a new national cemetary in memoriam of those who died for the cause of freedom with the 271 word Gettysburg Address.
That concluded the Pennsylvania portion of my trip. I punched in the address of my next Airbnb, hit the "avoid tolls" option, and was on the road to Baltimore. I arrived in the late afternoon with some time to relax before the concert, so naturally I threw on John Waters' Multiple Maniacs to get in a proper Baltimore mood.
The show that night was in nearby Towson, MD, at a place called the Recher in the middle of a bustling college-town commercial district. I arrived a bit too early, so I ended up waiting around the venue for longer than I would've liked. I have less and less tolerance for standing for extended periods these days, so concerts have been rapidly dropping in my "things I want to go out and do" rankings. Plus I've already seen almost every act I wanted to see. Plus the prices are ludicrous now. Plus old man yells at cloud. A nice consolation prize of arriving early in this case, however, was running into Dirty Three drummer Jim White on the street near the venue. I played it cool and gave him a knowing smile and a nod, to which he said "G'day."
Dirty Three are amazing, but they're not for everyone, so I'm not going to spill many pixels trying to sell you on the band. Dominated by madman violinist Warren Ellis, by far the dirtiest of the three, they play loud and loose (very loose) instrumental rock. If you want to check them out start with their 2000 album Whatever You Love, You Are.
I departed my Airbnb the next morning to head into downtown Baltimore. I had a ticket to see the Texas Rangers take on the Orioles at one of the league's best ballparks, but I had some time to kill before first pitch. I wandered around downtown for a bit seeing some sights. The 1878 George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University was the main highlight.
Orioles Park at Camden Yards is indeed one of the most beautiful parks in all of baseball. Completed in 1992, it was the first of the new wave of "retro" style ballparks. Wide open concourses and fantastic sightlines at every seat. I instantly recognized the bathrooms the second I walked in, as they are identical to those at Coors Field in Denver, since both stadiums were designed by HOK Sport.
During the National Anthem, I realized that I was standing in the exact harbor where The Star-Spangled Banner was written. The bombs were bursting in this very same air at nearby Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore, so that felt special. I left at the seventh inning stretch to try an beat the traffic out of the city, since I had a long drive ahead of me. A drive made even longer by my desire to avoid tolls, since I was NOT about to be paying the exorbitant rental car fees for tolls. My next destination was on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay: Dover, Delaware.
Stay tuned for part two to learn all about my trip to Delaware.
Oh, the four other Commonwealth states are Virginia, Kentucky, and Massachusettes.
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