Williamsburg Day One, the long ride down

7/14/2012 10:04 PM. Theme song "Vacation" .
The plan was to leave between 7:00 and 7:30 this morning.  We actually left at 7:50, not too bad.  By 9 we were on the New Jersey Turnpike and I'm hearing Paul Simon in my head ("Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike, they've all gone to look for America")  we stopped at a rest stop for coffee and breakfast sandwiches.  . .bacon egg and cheese on a croissant.   Very fresh, we watched the guy cook the eggs.
The weather was strange.  It would be overcast for awhile,  the we'd get a light rain, then the sun would come out, then the whole thing would repeat itself.  Every time it started to rain I would sing "It's raining again."  Drew got so tired of that song.  . . So I came up with a whole bunch of songs about rain.
We made a stop at Maryland House on I-95 and I had a flashback to 1974.  My first trip to Williamsburg.   Back then there was de facto segregation at the rest stop, the upstairs restrooms for whites were in great shape, the downstairs in deplorable condition.
We got to Baltimore and it was Drew's turn to sing.  . ."Good Morning Baltimore" from Hairspray - we are Broadway geeks as well as history geeks.
So finally we cross into Virginia.   And Drew is singing from Shenandoah -- "This farm don't belong to Virginia, my son bleed but not for the South. . ."  And I'm singing from 1776 - "My name is Richard Henry Lee,  Virginia is my home.  . ."
We did hit a lot of traffic heading towards Richmond (Virgil Caine is my name . . .I took the train to Richmond it fell.  It was a time i remember of so well.  . .)
I must tell you that I am in love with our accomodations.   The Williamsburg Inn has a program that allows you to stay in an authentic colonial house.  We had to pick up our keys at the inn.  Our house is right behind Shield's Tavern,  just steps away from the historic area.  The room looks like a museum! We checked in, unpacked and then walked over to the Lumber House to pick up our tickets.
Next we went to Merchant's Square. It was dinner time and we were starving but short on time, so we went to The Cheese Shop and picked up sandwiches.  Drew loved his roast beef but I thought my Virginia ham was too salty.
Then it was time for our tour - Pirates Among Us.  The famed pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, was killed by the British Navy in 1718, and 14 members of his crew were brought to Williamsburg, tried and convicted.  The one hour tour takes you to historic buildings where actors perform monologues telling the pirate story.  Very nice.
Then it was back to the room.  . . And fireworks in the historic area visible from our window!