Frequently Asked Questions
- How are you?
Fine.
- Are you hungry?
A little bit.
- Did you visit all of the 101 places?
Most, but not every one. Time and budget constraints prevented me from reaching all of them. I made it to a little more than 80 percent of them.
- What was your favorite?
A few stand out, particularly the Soap Box Derby and the Little League World Series. Lots of tradition and basic goodness on display. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis and Dealey Plaza in Dallas also held my attention far longer than I expected.
- Which entries surprised you?
Little Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand) which is still so remote that it was eerie to imagine it in 1876 when it must have seemed like the end of the earth – and to imagine Custer and his men pursued up the hill by hundreds of warriors knowing they were going to die. Also, Branson – which I had heard was too hillbilly – turned out to be one of the most pleasant vacation experiences I ever had.
- Which places affected you?
After signing the contract, Nancy and I went to New York City. While on the boat to the Statue of Liberty, I realized that my beat now covers the entire United States so, with hundreds of passengers -- including international visitors – on board, seeing the Statue of Liberty drove home the responsibility and privilege of writing a book like this. This project also revealed to me how important George Washington was to this nation; he continued to show up at various icons and every story about him confirmed that this was someone special. Also, as a long-time fan of black gospel, I loved the chance to visit an AME church and hear some powerful and soul-stirring music.