On the last day in Boston we decided to visit take water taxi over to the U.S.S. Constitution—over -200 years old and as the sailor tour guide yelled,” and she still looks gooood.” Old Iron Sides is a magnificent sight and it was amazing to hear all the stories about her as well as seeing where the crew slept and worked. Want more of the history behind “Old Ironsides”
Before we had to bid farewell to Beentown, one of my closest college friends, McMillan, called to meet us for lunch. McMillan is a talented musician who attended the Eastman School of Music in NY—he now plays in the area and manages a yoga studio. He is an all- round amazing person. It was great to grab some delicious cuisine at a cool little place called “The Globe” while catching up! What a great way to end a trip I wont soon forget. Until the next adventure…..
CBS News Anchor/Managing Editor and 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley engaged a packed auditorium at Clemson University today. Pelley delivered an address, ” This Moment in America-A Reporter’s View,” in the Strom Thurmond Institute Self Auditorium. I wondered what Scott’s connection was to Clemson University—He joked with the crowd asking, “Did anyone watch the game yesterday?” Smiles were from ear to ear as the mostly student audience cheered for their victory over Florida State the day before. Pelley’s son is a sophomore at Clemson—he says they visited the university 2 years ago at the FSU/Clemson match up and after Clemson won that game–his son turned to him and said, “this is where I am going!” Pelley says he and his family attended the game yesterday as well.
Pelley was engaging and insightful in his discussion about some of the most important stories he has covered in his award winning career in journalism. He talked about a number of of those important stories that have shaped his life as a journalist: budget battle between Congress and President Obama, the explosion in the Gulf, the attacks of 9/11, and interviews with former Federal Reserve chief/ Dillon, South Carolina native, Ben Bernake—-and an explosive interview with the former CIA Director about interrogation techniques of terror suspects. See Below.
Pelley says a question he always asks commanders-in- chiefs is “Do you like the job?” He says President Obama said ‘yes’ and then covered his microphone and whispered…’but I dont like Congress.’ Pelley later quipped Lincoln once said he knew he was going to hell…but he didnt know it was a couple miles down the road with a dome on the top. I got a kick out of that.
He also showed a powerful interview with a worker from the rig that exploded in the Gulf. The worker, with a fresh gash on his forehead, described to Scott how he had to jump approximately 100 feet to the waters below, only to find they were on fire. The man was eventually rescued by nearby fishing boats. This was a great example of how as reporters much of our responsibility is not to talk but to just get out of the way and listen to what is being said.
Of course everyone remembers where we were on 9/11. Scott Pelley was in Manhanttan and running towards the towers to cover what he knew was “a big story.” He described the moment of looking up to see as the final tower crumbled in front of him—he relives it in slow motion, although he knows that is not how it happened. Pelley says he just fell to his knees and asked God to take these people with as little pain as possible. He says he was honored that he could tell the story of those firefighters, police officers, and other first responders who risked and gave their lives to help others. It was fascinating to hear his account of an event that dramatically changed history.
An audience member asked what was his most difficult interview–he replied it was also him most fun one with the Iranian President–where he asked about their weapons production. Apparently , Ahmadenejad doesnt really answer questions and was appalled that Scott would demand answers. Scott joked, ” he apparently didnt know about 60 Minutes.”
Another lighter question was about how he balances his job with his personal life–and I thought the response was particularly enlightening. “They arent separate…they work together…they are two halves to the whole.” He says his wife( who was there) supports him, and he supports her–and while his job takes him away a lot of times–they have been married for 28 years because they have found of balance of working together. “Everyone at CBS works 13 hour days it seems.” Other interesting moments from his address came when students asked about his job and what it means to be the main anchor of a major network—he said his days start at 7:30 am with meetings with senior producers to determine what should and shouldnt be covered from their reporters from around the world. Apparently, Scott also changes the reporter scripts as they come in during the day, which is something I never thought about at the network level. “What you see each night at 6:30 is not the most important thing I do all day.” I thought that was awesome!! He proclaimed..” I am not the most important person here…I am the most visable..but my job is to get out of the way so the work that our staff has done shines through.”
There most profound take away from Scott Pelley’s speech for me was that great stories are all over..its our jobs to find them. He told the group—that he is truly blessed to be able to travel the world looking simply for interesting people with an interesting story. He challenged us to find the most interesting people and stories in our state…country and world. As a features reporter, sometimes others dont see the work we do as relevant work in the newsroom. I think Scott sums it up—if we are telling a story that is honest, true, done to the better of the community and world in which we live—then our jobs are done! and that no matter how uncomfortable it may be….work is work..and work is hard.
WSPA-TV main anchor Tom Crabtree interviewed Scott for an upcoming special report so be sure to stay tuned to Seven on Your Side for that one on one.
I have always lived in South Carolina, although some people don’t take my southern accented word as truth when it comes to my home state. Like most people, I have dreamed of a career that allows me to globetrot, experiencing new and different cultures along the way. I do get to experience my fair share of the scene, but unfortunately it keeps me relatively confined to a certain geographic area. When given the opportunity to crash a friend’s Seattle / Canadian vacation, Needless to say—I jumped aboard the first plane headed to the home of Starbucks. I hope you guys enjoy this cup full of new sights, sounds, and adventure as I embark on my first trip out West. Of course I could make a movie about all of the things I did while in Seattle and British Columbia, but I will save you from that and only include some of my favorites.
Pike Place Market at Night.
After a very long flight to Seattle—(well, it was only like 3.5 hours—but it felt like an eternity because I generally hate commercial planes) I made it to downtown to get a glimpse of the renown Pike Place Market. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest continuous farmer’s market in the country—started due to soaring onion prices. I must say it is more beautiful at night—with the brightness of the red neon light casting a sort of vintage glow, as the Puget sound rests so beautifully behind it. The market was closed for the day—but still got some cool shots of a neat pig sculpture which serves as a piggy bank. I went back to the Pike Place Market days later to get the full picture of what it is like during the day. I bought some Ranier cherries—delicious! I also got to see the famous fish tossers—when you order some of the fresh catch—one worker will sing and toss your fish to the other worker who then wraps it up for you. Very entertainment . I managed to capture this on camera.
Underneath the market is the “gum wall.” This was super cool—bubble gum stuck to a back alley wall—now years later merged into a form of public art. Gross- surely—art? Definitely! If you know me at all you know how much I love coffee—so, visiting the original Starbucks was like returning to a promised land—a Mecca of mochas—the land of lattes—well, you get the picture. (see below) There were some photos on the wall from the first baristas but other than that just a typical Starbucks.
Apparently, the best view of Seattle would come from Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. A nice lady befriended us on the walk up to the spot and reaffirmed the Mount Everest-like hike was indeed worth it. Once we made it to the top, the view of the Space Needle and cityscape was absolutely awesome. There were many tourists here taking shots for the Facebook profiles and the like. There was even some Microsoft people there preparing for a “new product commercial.” Awesome!
When you think Seattle, you think Space Needle. The iconic structure which was supposed to be what buildings looked like in the 21st century—that didn’t turn out to be practical at all. I visited the Space Needle during the day and at night to get some contrasting shots. It is as impressive inside as it is from the outside and in the movies, a panorama of beauty. There is also a restaurant here where you can rotate while you dine but be sure to bring your big boy wallet!
I think I had only been to one aquarium in my life and that was when I was a kid! The Seattle aquarium was of course geared towards the children—but I did get to pet a starfish and photograph some of the cool creatures in the tanks. There was also a great view of the water here.
Then we hopped on the harbor tour—where we would get a history of the city on one of those huge ships. I got to see Pier 51—the spot where they filmed Real World. I also saw the Edgewater hotel, the place where the iconic Beatle’s fishing window photo was taken! One of the most exciting parts of being on the water was seeing the sea lions on the buoy—I was absolutely fascinated by this—see the video below. They come to Seattle from California to fatten up before heading back—haha! Mount Ranier also came out to say hello—this was the first time we had “seen her” through all of the haze. She was breathtakingly gorgeous—even though it was somewhat difficult to get a good camera shot.
Fremont is across town and is known by the locals as “the center of the universe”—it’s a quirky, artistic, fun neighborhood with awesome statues and even a rocket to go along with their mantra. I even got the best shot yet of Mt Ranier!!! Isnt she a beaut? I was there for a very special mission though: to see the Fremont Troll, a concrete troll nestled under the Fremont Bridge. It was very neat—clutching a Volkswagon in its hands. Made for some cool photos and I think we need one of these in Greenville or Spartanburg somewhere don’t you agree?
I also really enjoyed my trip to the M. Chittenden Locks–known as the ballard locks. I was fascinated with the process of how the vessels get through the 1917 era gates. According to our travel guide each year about 100,000 commercial and pleasure vessels navigate through. What you are seeing in the video is the boat being lowered from the level of the saltwater of the Puget Sound to the freshwater of Lake Washington. These yachts were pretty sweet too. Also here is where the I heard I could see Salmon jumping to get to their spawning grounds—they had underwater viewing areas where I could see the salmon trying to make their journey. It was a beautiful place to visit.
Since we were in such relatively close proximity to Canada we decided to spend a couple of days in Vancouver, British Columbia. After some drama at the border patrol (which would take days to explain lol) we made it inside the country! First impressions—-beautiful! Although I must admit it is weird to see people smoking pot so freely….but hey they were harmless!!! We also had some interesting experiences trying to make our American dollars work—that was kind of hit or miss—seeing as how our US dollar is worth less. The first place we visited was Gasstown—kind of like Gaston huh? I really liked this town—there was a really cool steam clock here which actually shot water vapors all over my head! I took that as a “welcome to your town, son.” I had to pose need to sir Gassy Jack himself—now, I know where I get it from—the moniker definitely holds true! This neighborhood was filled with personality and history.
We continued walking through the city—getting up close to the Olympic torch holder, whale sculptures, and mountain views. I do really like how both Vancouver and Seattle are big art cities and public art is spread all over the place. Even the office buildings have quotes and a bit of personality to them. Now its time for more of the downtown area—which was also filled with landmarks like the Orpheum theatre! There was no shortage of cool bars and interesting people watching going on here. There were plenty of great street musicians as well, but I am usually the only person interested in hearing them play.
Many of you may know that I once had a fear of heights. Since I have done more stories on flying in helicopters and small planes…even taking my first flying lesson that has gotten better. One of the main attractions to Vancouver is the Capliano Suspension Bridge—a swinging bridge over a river. Hundreds of feet in the air!!!! It was so cool! I made it across without any incidents! There was also the Cliff Walk which had serpentine climbs and even a glass floor area which allows you to see the massive plunge below. I would also recommend this for you adventure seekers. Its worth it—and you get a certificate at the end.
The next adventure was to find the smiling Buddha statues that I had read about! They were worth the searching for—just look at the photos. They just made you happy being around them.
Finally we stumbled upon Wreck Beach—curious about what a Vancouver beach would look like…we went down—only to find that this is a nude beach. Our clothes stayed on..although there were some enjoying the liberation of nudism. It was a gorgeous beach, get your minds out of the gutter—I found some cool birds perching nearby, and managed some other beauty shots of the area!
The flight home was super early..but it was worth the sights of flying by a gleaming Mt. Ranier—of course the clearest she had been all trip. That just topped it all off…almost like she was wishing me farewell, hoping I would visit again. I plan to.
I have to say that I really enjoyed Vancouver and Seattle. I now have the bug to travel even more—hopefully to California next. Its giving me ideas about the next places on the list to live and work—don’t worry I am not trying to move so far away anytime soon. No matter where you go…the one universal thing I do love is that you can find those elements which connect us all— food, music, art, and conversation. I was happy to experience this and for you all allowing me to share it with you. Until the next trip!
