Friday, December 27, 2013

Little Rock, Arkansas

            The sun set quickly as I drove east from Oklahoma City. The interstate was lined with billboard after billboard proclaiming the name of some business or cause. Although I usually find constant advertisement a bit tiresome, it helped break the monotony of this long drive. Once darkness had swallowed the land, the stupor of the road began to set in.
            I stopped just over the Arkansas border for dinner in Fort Smith. When I rolled through town the streets were deserted. It was 8pm on a Tuesday, and there wasn’t a person to be seen. I passed countless establishments of one type or another, but the restaurants had few patrons and the stores were dark. I was beginning to get discouraged as I journeyed on into the strip-mall ridden suburbs, wondering if I should forgo the restaurant I found on Yelp an hour or so before. I made a right near a complex of super stores, and as I climbed the hill, I noticed an enormous neon sign that seemed to be the sole beacon of life in the empty night. As I approached, I realized that it belonged to my destination, Joe’s Cantina and Grill, and beneath the name it read, “The zombie aTACOlypse has begun.” I was definitely in the right place. The parking lot was almost full, but a spot opened up directly in front of the entrance as soon as I turned in.
            I entered to the sound of a busy restaurant and live music. It was a Tuesday in October and they had a special for 75-cent tacos. The bar was crowded and the hostess motioned for me to follow her. I was seated right next to the musician who was squashed into the corner with barely enough room to play. Before I could even open the menu the waitress came over with chips and salsa. It wasn’t long after I ordered that my dinner arrived hot and steaming. After the subdued environment of my car it was a little overwhelming to be surrounded by such jubilations, but it made my meal much more enjoyable. I savored every bite of the delicious burrito, pausing only to clap when the musician played a particularly treasured classic. Less than an hour later I left feeling refreshed and revived, grateful that my selection had been a good one. Two hours later I finally arrived at my hotel in North Little Rock, checked in, and settled down for the evening.
            The next morning I woke up, made some breakfast and coffee, and went downtown to visit the Capitol. It was situated in one of the most complex mazes of one-way roads and parking lots I had ever seen. I finally found a shady spot down the hill from the visitor’s entrance. As I stepped out of the car, an older woman came up and asked me how I liked my Subaru. I told her that it was very dependable, especially since I’d driven it to 20 states in the past two months without incident. I asked her what her business was at the Capitol Complex, and she replied that she helps process mail and paper work for folk’s social security. As the conversation came to a close, I tried to give her my blog address, but she smiled and said, “Oh thank you, but I’m not really one for computers. I’m a people person; I’d rather talk to you.” I wished her a good day and began the hike up the hill to the Capitol.  
           
I entered on the ground floor to discover that they were renovating and painting the rotunda. The enormous Mitchell-Vance brass chandelier hand been lowered all the way down to the ground floor, hovering no more than six inches above the marble. It measures twelve feet wide, fourteen feet tall, and weighs two tons. The opening above, which would normally have given me a spectacular view of the rotunda, was covered with sheets of plastic. Although it was unfortunate that I was not able to see the rotunda, it was a wonderful opportunity to get a good look at the incredible light fixture up close.
            Before heading upstairs I went to the ladies room on the ground floor. It was a very large room complete with sitting area. There was a vanity with an upholstered bench with “Arkansas” stitched into it along with an apple blossom, which is the state flower. Although these features in a restroom are somewhat old-fashioned, it was sort of comforting that these original pieces were included and maintained all this time.
            I began all the way on the fourth floor, visiting both the House and Senate galleries. The chambers’ main entrances were on the third floor, but they were blocked with large glass barriers that were as tall as the grand doors. It was disappointing that I couldn’t even get a good picture from the main floor due to the lack of sufficient lighting and the glare of the glass, so I went upstairs to see if I could get into the gallery. Once inside, I was able to see the subtle grandeur of the large stained-glass skylight that commanded the ceiling. In between each section of stained glass were pale pink draperies or curtains that flowed downward creating a soft, feminine glow. The Senate chamber was very similar to the House chamber with little or no difference other than size.
            As I passed by the rotunda to check out the Senate chamber, I peeked through the sheets of plastic to get a look at what they were doing inside. I got a glimpse of a complex system of scaffolding and various men lying on their sides, painting meticulously. None of them seemed  perturbed that they were balanced precariously so many feet above the cold marble floor. Surrounding the rotunda were various hallways and corridors. There the windows and pale stone allowed much natural light to illuminate the hallways. The building as a whole was extremely pleasant.
            After taking a look in the rotunda, I ventured downstairs to the second floor, which contained the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the famous solid-bronze Tiffany doors, and the State Treasurer’s Office. First I visited the Old Supreme Court Chamber. According to the pamphlet, Through These Doors: A Self-Guided Tour of the Arkansas State Capitol, “The Arkansas Supreme Court met in this chamber from 1912 to 1958. Because of increased case loads and other considerations, the Supreme Court moved to the Justice Building on the southwest corner of the Capitol complex. The chamber is now used for legislative committee meetings and lectures. The public uses the chairs that surround the outside of the rail, while the seats inside of the rail are used for committee members, staff, and the press.” The room was very light and airy, with dramatic curtains adding a sense of grandeur to the proceedings. It was one of my favorite rooms in the whole building, except that it was very cold. As soon as I stepped through the doors, I drew my cardigan around me and began to shiver.
            The famous solid bronze doors located on the eastern side of the building are ten feet tall and four inches thick. They were purchased from Tiffany’s in New York in 1910 for $10,000. If there was a decorative element of the Capitol that is most unique, the doors would definitely be that element. Now that the main entrance is only used for ceremonial purposes, such as the inauguration of a governor, they have been roped off to prevent people from smearing them. Even still, they are cleaned of smudges every two weeks.
Across the rotunda is the Treasurer’s Office, which contains a large vault with four separate doors and three time locks. Its main door weighs 11 tons so getting the vault installed was rather difficult. The original plan was to send it by train and then have a wagon deliver it, but the wagon sunk into the mud under the immense weight, forcing the workers to lay down tracks to finish moving it. As I walked in to the State Treasurer’s Office, a young man behind the front desk greeted me and asked if I would like to come into the vault.
            “Uh, sure!” I said, a little taken aback.
            As I circled around the desk, an older woman stood up and said, “We’ll take a picture of you holding a bunch of money!”
            I stepped inside the vault, which was definitely well fortified, and they handed me an enormous brick of $100 bills. It was a little startling to see that much money in one place, let alone be the one holding it. As they snapped the picture, they told me that if I went to their website, I’d be able to see it along side all of the other visitors they’ve had recently.
            I left the building and took a few pictures of the outside before climbing back into my car and driving to the Historic Arkansas Museum. I parked about a block away, and as I approached I noticed a metal statue in the front of the museum. It was a surreal depiction of a bunch of men and woman dancing in a circle to music of violins. The “Historic Grounds” included a neighborhood of houses and other buildings dating back to before the Civil War. Although the tours were about the close for the day, the staff was dressed up in period clothing, and they gave me a short tour free of charge. The first building was both a house and a tavern. On the ground level, I learned that a counter at which alcohol is served is called a bar because at the old taverns they actually had wooden bars erected from counter top to ceiling to protect the bartender from flying objects during fights that would erupt rather frequently. The bartender was usually armed to protect the establishment, and there was a little door in the bars that could be opened to sell drinks no matter what was going on. That guide sent me to the next building, which was where the slave slept in the neighbor’s house as well as a reproduction of the kitchen. The third building was a rich man’s dwelling, complete with antique furniture.
            After looking at the historic buildings, I walked inside and paid admission to explore the galleries. There were several different galleries that held a wide-variety of displays. One of the galleries was a tribute to firemen, “Heeding the Call,” which displayed a private collection of antique firefighting equipment. Out of all of the objects, the gas mask gave me a particularly eerie feeling, as they always do. Perhaps it is because of the gruesome nature of the events that they are used to protect someone from, but I cannot see one without my stomach turning over.
            The next exhibit was even more eclectic than the last; it was a knife collection. Each display showed increasingly sinister blades, but each was more beautiful than the last. It was easy to appreciate the collectable nature of such things, especially when so much care was taken to make them ascetically pleasing.  Some had ornate engravings covering their entire surface, while others bore complicated hilts of one material or another. All together, it made for a delightfully interesting museum exhibit, and it definitely stood out as one of the best museums exhibits I’d seen so far.
            Next, I went upstairs to see the exhibit dedicated to Native Americans in the region. This one was particularly heartbreaking, and it ignited my sense of sympathy for the plight of indigenous peoples as a whole. I consider the issue with a strong sense of turmoil. Although it was not uncommon for native peoples to be invaded by Europeans several hundred years ago, the Native Americans were treated horribly and still are. I left the museum feeling sick to my stomach and angry about the choices of my ancestors.
            I left the museum mulling over the things that I had discovered. The Capitol was traditionally styled and contained many different details that set it apart. The bronze Tiffany doors and the enormous chandelier were by far the most beautiful accents in the building. The Senate and House chambers weren’t decorated extensively, but the stained glass skylights give the somewhat confining rooms a very open feeling. My experience in the vault was fun and much more hands-on than anything else I’ve experienced in a Capitol so far. The museum was delightfully different. No other museum had a historic neighborhood to accompany the exhibits, and furthermore, the galleries in the Historic Arkansas Museum were strikingly unique. They were all very distinctive, but they tied together the history of Arkansas in one way or another. Their composition illustrated that the curator wanted them to be interesting and different from other exhibits at most other museums.
As a whole, I enjoyed Arkansas quite a bit. All of the people that I met were very friendly - so friendly in fact that not a single interaction left me with even slightest bit of displeasure. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Joe’s Grill and Cantina, which was arguably one of the best meals that I’ve had on the road. I headed back to the hotel with the rest of the five o’clock traffic and made myself a simple dinner at the hotel. I packed up my belongings, anticipating the nine-hour drive I would have from Little Rock to Austin the next day. I rose early, gathered my belongings, and headed toward the Lone Star state.


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