T

allahassee, Florida

 

March 25-27, 2003





USA flag




Tallahasse has a unique distinction that you wouldn't guess right off: it was the only capital of a Confederate state east of the Mississippi that was never captured in the American Civil War. In 1821, when the USA took Florida from Spain the two main population centers were on opposite coasts: St Augustine in the east, on the Atlantic, and Pensacola in the west, on the Gulf of Mexico. Tallahasse was selected as the territorial capital because it was about halfway in between, being about 175 from each. We visited both, but our trip from St Augustine to Talahasse was via Miami Beach and south Florida; it took us about 900 miles.

Tallahassee as seen from top of new Capital tower

Florida is one of those states that has a tall, tall capitol building. From the top you can see miles and miles; they say you can see the Gulf Coast. Naturally we went up and looked, but the haze was too much, we think, to see down to the Gulf, about 25 miles to the south. We did get a good idea of the layout of Tallahasse. If you like quiet, small town living, where the countryside is next door, it would be a good place to be.

Florida Capitol courtyard

Jan Bates in tower of Florida Capital building Florida State Assembly chamber in sesssion

While in the new Capitol building we found that both the Assembly and Senate were in session. We sat in on the Assembly long enough to find out that the session was entirely devoted to introducing great citizens who had done wonderful things. We were semi-familiar with this modus operandi from our days of attending Middletown Township and School Board meetings. But there, they actually conducted some business. Apparently in Florida everything has been accomplished, as only peans are heard from the floor of the Assembly. Of course (see blow) the good doctors of Florida don't agree with this. Two months later, while we were in Los Angeles, we learned that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has the same habit of endless introduction and awarding of certifcates.



Old Florida state house, now a museum Newspaper in State House museum showing Bush-Gore race

Next door to the current capitol building is the Old Statehouse, built in 1845, "moderized" in 1902, and replaced about 1960. It has now been converted to a museum. We liked the building and liked the museum.
Florida, as you will recall, was the last state in which electoral votes were decided in the November, 2000 presidential election. As the headline says, "Florida holds the key in presidential race." No bashfullness here.


Doctors protesting before old statehouse Doctors inside old Statehouse museum watching others protest

The old statehouse has multiple uses. Not only is it a pretty good museum, but it is a fine place to end a protest march and give speeches. It seems (we think rightly) that Florida's doctors are upset about excessive malpractice awards and the resulting insurance premiums being so high that some of them can't afford to practice. Or at least think so. Since the State Legislature was in session (and noted and pictured above) it must have seemed a good time to come and protest. While we were in the museum we saw a large crowd of people in white coats — we assume they are doctors and nurses — approach the old Statehouse along the road that leads to it and deadends almost at the front door. On the front portico there was a smaller crowd of doctors waiting to greet them and tell them (and the legislators) that their complaints were justified. Since we already algreed and were a bit hungry we didn't stay around too long to learn the details.



FSU Moore hall on university quad

In Tallahasse we stayed at the Collegiate Village Inn. Their business depends very much on the University Calendar. Since it wasn't graduation or a football weekend we got a great deal. In addition, as the name sort of implies, but doesn't have to be true, the place is within walking distance of Florida State University, founded 1851. That has to be said with a qualification, since for some people walking distance is anything less than 1/3 a parking lot. In this case, it was a lot farther, and the closest part of the university are the residential areas with dorms. But we did walk over to the university and get acquainted with it.(Also in town is the Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, founded in 1887. We didn't get over there.)

While at FSU we saw a sign for a discussion of events in Iraq and the Middle East. It happened that it would be starting in a few minutes and we rushed over. The room was already quite filled, with we guess 300-400 people. The speaker pretended (in our eyes) to be giving an unbiased history of Iraq and the Middle east. But, you guessed it, for the last 1000 years, or however long it has been that the USA has been involved there, it has made mistakes and harmed the people of the region. The questions that followed showed that the audience (for the most part) thought the speaker was right on. At least we got some free snacks out it at the end.




The university campus is rather unremarkable. Some of the buildings are nice and some aren't so nice. At least it isn't a complete, world class, perfect disaster like the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Gerry rathr liked this "little" sculpture outside the science building.



Bulletin board with rooms for rent

Since we are homeless we are always interested in what it costs to live in a place. $310 seemed prettty cheap to us for a month; admittedly that is for only one person and he (Gerry?)/she (Jan?) would have to share a house with others. Oh well, we already share the planet.



All Tune Lube and Transmission shop Fix to Ford Esort exhaust pipe

Tallahasse also was the place were we got the first oil change and lube on the car. By the time we were there we had done about 3000 miles and our old Escort deserved a good fill of oil. We orginally ordered just the oil changed at $19.95. Then at the last moment we understood that for $24.95 we could get the car lubed and a free oil change. That's how they expressed it. To us it was a lube for $5. A no brainer. We actually drove away having paid about $50. Why? Because we got the break in the tail pipe fixed. As a result, while we came in roaring like a lion we went our puring like a lamb.(Ten thousand miles later, having reached California and gone on to Las Vegas,the repair, made with a cut up soda can and two tie rings, was still holding.)






August 28, 2003