Vacation Nostalgia – 1953 Chevy Bel Air

In 1953, my family made it’s most ambitious road trip.  We visited Washington DC.  My two brothers and me in the back of the Chevy Sport Coupe above (same color too).  My parents must have been masochists to do this before air conditioning and DVD players.  I was twelve and my brothers were seven and eight.  I planned the trip to take us throught all the state capitols along the way (yes I was a weird kid).  In DC, my father rented us two rooms at the Statler (now the Hilton).  It seemed very classy to us as our home base as we visited all the sites.  My father knew our congressman and he got us tickets to a White House tour.  We saw all the monuments, the Smithsonion, the Supreme Court, the Capitol and made excursions to Arlington National Cemetary and the Lee House either nearby or on the grounds.  A high point was a trip to Mount Vernon.  I doubt that we were there for more than three days.  I truely don’t remember but we did see everything.  Funny I don’t remember much at all about the long days in the car coming and going (no interstates in those days and few two lane roads).

Those were the days.