Spain: Vacation Destination p.17
Lads and Lassies Unite!p.12
Frank Gruber and His Rocking Chair p.13
SEPTEMBER 9, 2010
T H E N E W S PA P E R W I T H A C O S M O P O L I TA N AT T I T U D E
ONE DOLLAR
www.charlestonmercury.com
Lowcountry Lives
Concerns with Cruise Lines Continue The buzz about the cruise ships does not want to end, as is noted on our editorial page in more detail. Any citizen can dig into the history of cruise lines and find documentation for how dumping records have been falsified. Now, we ask Mr. Newsome and those who think the cruise lines are just fine as they are: What is so hard to understand about trust but verify? As those over 40 know, it worked well for Ronald Reagan. Moreover, it would be refreshing to hear from Mr. Newsome that our air quality should be as good as that in the cities where shore power is used by docked cruise ships. We would not think he and his board would be advocates for belching tons of cheap diesel fuel exhaust into the lungs of the citizenry. Grooms to Haley: More School Choice! Speaking of public policy, we obtained a copy of a letter published by the Sun News and written by Senator Larry Grooms. He reminds us that education policy within the GOP remains guided by different visions: “The most promising hope begins with a sound childhood education. That’s why so many parents are now saying the Republican candidate for governor has let them down. They’re disappointed that our candidate removed what is a key piece of the GOP’s official platform. Instead she now says parental choice of schools — the freedom to choose schools — is not her focus.” He continues: “Representative Nikki Haley has been an outspoken and eloquent advocate of meaningful education reform, and having worked with her, I know she’s sincere. We’re on the same team, and I want her to win. That’s why I ask her to reconsider her education plan and restore parental choice to her platform.” Your salmon sheets will be diving into the debate again and will ask Representative Haley and Senator Sheheen to explain their positions for our readers; this discussion will print the third week of October. Lafayette Film at CoC and on ETV We are pleased to tell readers about Lafayette: The Lost Hero; this is a onehour documentary that chronicles the life and legend of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette. He was an intriguing, neglected and controversial figure from both the American and French Revolutions who at one time was the most famous man in the world — and sought-after house guest in the Lowcountry. The film examines why a wealthy young French aristocrat would leave the comforts of the court to help a fledgling nation on another continent fight for independence, the nature of the daring path he then set upon and how the concept of liberty steered so many choices in his life. The film will be broadcast on PBS stations nationwide on Monday, September 13 at 10 p.m. The local premiere will be held at the College of Charleston on Thursday, September 9 at 7 p.m. in the Addlestone Library. This is most appropriate as the film is based in part on the CoC professor Robert Crout’s research on Lafayette, and he will offer an interview in the film. There will be a panel discussion afterward of historians, French cultural specialists and participants in the film’s production. Bien sur, the public is cordially invited.
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Charles (Charlie) C. Baldwin — God’s Co-Pilot Born: New Haven, Connecticut Favorite Book: My Utmost for His Highness, Oswald Chambers Hobbies: Playing squash Best Lowcountry Memory: Meeting the kind, friendly people of Charleston
PHOTOGRAPH BY BLAIR HALFORD
Charlie Baldwin stands in St. Michael’s Church where he recently landed.
Preparing for the Sesquicentennial A Letter from Herb Frazier Dear Reader: gering misconceptions When Charles about slavery. Waring, the publisher of Charles and I agreed this newspaper, asked that the first area to me to write a series of explore would be slavery stories on the history of in Biblical times and slavery I was excited by how slaveholders used the challenge, flattered the Bible to justify the by the invitation and buying and selling of awed by an exploration shackled African capinto such an emotional tives. Slavery existed topic. 1,700 years before the As you know, the birth of Christ, at which 150th anniversary of the time it had become a Civil War is just around global institution that the corner and next year supplied individuals, the war and slavery — sometimes entire popuhere in the cradle of lations, for work and North American slavery pleasure. It remains — will be the subject of today one of man’s classroom lectures and greatest sins. cocktail chatter. As a journalist I As a journalist, I find know that a little the opportunity to knowledge and assumpexamine in depth such tions are dangerous. an important topic is Before I began to make both a challenge and an inquiries into the topic, opportunity not only to I assumed the Bible had learn something new condemned slavery. but also offer accurate reports to correct lin- CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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Hot Town, Summer in the City: Florence in August BY TAILLEFER LONG
BY PEG EASTMAN The charm of the Lowcountry has drawn many to this area, and Charleston is indeed fortunate that retired Air Force Major General Charlie Baldwin and his wife Anne are among them. How they landed in Charleston makes a good story. Son of an Air Force chaplain, Charlie Baldwin was born in New Haven, Connecticut, while his father was at Yale Divinity School. His dad was an old-school Baptist preacher — loud and long. His mother was born and raised in China as the daughter of missionaries. The Baldwin youngsters greatly benefitted from their nurturing Christian home environment. Charlie’s sister became a school teacher in Winston Salem, where she taught second grade for 30 years. Her strong faith and love of life has made her able to survive 28 surgeries for removing malignant tumors. Charlie’s brother became an Air Forc JAG (lawyer for the layman) who has practiced as a trial lawyer in Kansas City since his retirement. After divinity school, Charlie’s father became an Air Force Chaplain, and the family was forced to adapt to the many moves required of service life. By the time young Charlie was entering his sophomore year in high school, his family had moved to Winston Salem, North Carolina. He attended R. J. Reynolds High School, where he joined in many sports and school activities. His performance was so outstanding that a CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 long-forgotten
PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON SC PERMIT NO 518
Every year in August, Italy becomes an entirely different place. Inhabitants evacuate the major cities as though a nuclear siren had been sounded. “Chiuso per Ferie” is hastily written on ubiquitous notes posted on barricaded store fronts. Expressed with the typical salesmanship of many Italian merchants, it bluntly translates as “Closed for Holidays.” The holiday, Ferragosto, is officially on August 15th and dates back to pagan Rome, although the Catholic Church later re-branded it to mark the Virgin Mary’s Ascension into Heaven. Even today, considering the heat and the rarity of air conditioning in Italy, it is quite plausible to imagine someone actually evaporating. The Italian version of “making a long weekend of it” consists in taking off most of the month to bear as much as possible at any one of the beaches along the 4,722 miles of coastline. The neighborhoods in Florence become ghost towns, shutters are closed, doors barricaded, and imaginary tumbleweed blows across the streets (from, alas, imaginary breeze). The streets that are normally bottlenecked with diesel-spouting go-karts and kamikaze scooters are so quiet you can almost hear the asphalt breathing a sigh of relief. The occasional echo of footsteps or a distant television set reminds you that you are not alone. In the historic center, tourists wander like warriors in a post-apocalyptic movie, searching for gelato and cultural artifacts. Much like Charleston, Florence is a city defined by its past yet dynamic in promoting and maintaining the values and institutions that remain benchmarks of sophistication. Fine art, cuisine, and conversations with people from all over the world define the social scene. Having grown up in Florence, I travel to Italy frequently to visit family and friends and consider myself in part Italian. So I suppose my experience is quite different CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED
Herb Frazier
September 9, 2010
CHARLESTON MERCURY
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Florence, continued from page 1 from that of most visitors but part of being in Italy is being a good host and, as such, knowing where to enjoy good food and magical moments. A good friend, Greg Horwitch, an American who has lived in Florence for about a decade as an artist and bon vivant, sums up the restaurant scene perfectly: There are many good restaurants in Florence, but also many bad ones! Restaurants in the touristic center are almost invariably awful. Don’t walk into a restaurant at random: it’s culinary Russian roulette. Walk a few blocks until the noise dies down. As a rule of thumb, avoid any restaurant with waiters at the door inviting you in. Reservations are always a good idea (and ensure the place is open). Good restaurants tend to seat from roughly 12 to 2.30 for lunch and from 7 or 7:30 for dinner. Some restaurants are open only for dinner. The traditional day-off is Sunday, but this varies. The Oltrarno bank, to the south of the Arno River, away from the tourist groups and trendy shops, is my favorite part of Florence and most embodies the Florentine lifestyle. Much of this area is a maze of alleys with poorly marked street names where locals thrive and where adventurous tourists are rewarded. For a glass of wine (or more) and amuse-bouche, La Volpe e L’Uva is a great meeting place. I try to limit myself to one gelato a day, depending on the heat, and the Gelateria Santa Trinita is always tempting. For dinner and coffee, one of the best kept secrets in Florence is Piazza della Passera. You won’t find it on most maps and will feel lost until you actually enter the Piazza. If you cross the Santa Trinita Bridge from the center you will notice a Gargoyle-head spouting water into a fountain, guarding a fork in the road — take the alley to the right, Viadello Sprone, and within minutes you will arrive. The Trattoria 4 Leoni is almost always open and is one of the few places in Florence that understands that a salad can be a meal — not just a few sad leaves of lettuce. Facing the restaurant are the Gelateria and the Caffé Degli Artigiani, great places to add an exclamation point to your meal. Another option is to follow the noise to the rowdy nightlife in Piazza Santo Spirito. All of these places are within ten minutes from the Ponte Vecchio. A great way to spend the day away from the center is to head for the hills. A pleasant stroll up the Costa San Giorgio (within 20 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio) leads to the recently inaugurated
Annigoni Museum, celebrating artist Pietro Annigoni, who led the way for Modern Realist Painting. Internationally, he is best known for his portraits of JFK, Queen Elizabeth II and the Pope. On a personal note, it was Annigoni who accepted my father as an apprentice for eight years, which led to my Florentine upbringing. A short walk from the Museum, just beyond the ancient city walls, is an unassuming yet remarkable lunch venue, the Enoteca Fuori Porta (the second biggest wine selection in the city). An ideal way to walk off a big lunch is to continue walking up Via Monte alle Croci, following the rather steep walkway to the majestic Piazzale Michelangelo, where a bronze copy of the David (the original is in the Accademia Gallery) has the best view in the city. From the Ponte Vecchio the walk to the Piazzale should take less than an hour, although the incline can be challenging. If you are fortunate enough to wander the timeless streets of Florence in silence, without the crowds and traffic, you may get a sense for the wondrous melancholy that has fueled the passion of so many minds and inspired so much romance. If you are here for a visit, without any pressing practical needs, and have a high tolerance for heat, then the timing is ideal. If you are traveling with children, limited access to shopping and technology may be just the thing to broaden their sensibilities to the art and history of Florence. And if it is a genuine Florentine experience that you are seeking, then head in the exact opposite direction of the tourist groups and cross the river to discover the Oltrarno: “Beyond the Arno.”
Further Information The Annigoni Museum is in the Villa Bardini at Costa San Giorgio 2 (alternate entrance at Via deiBardi 1r.).Closed Monday and Tuesday, open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tel:055-2638599 or 0552346988. Work by my father, Ben Long, can be viewed at Ann Long Fine Art and online at www.benlongfineart.com. After crossing the Ponte Vecchiobridge follow via Guicciardini towards Palazzo Pitti. About 50 meters on your left is Piazza Santa Felicita. In the back left corner of the piazza, and you’ll find La Volpe e L’Uva. MonSat, 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Tel: 055 239 81 32. From the center of town,
This Florentine "alleyway" is a marvel from abroad.
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cross the Santa Trinita Bridge. The Gelateria Santa Trinita is facing the river, on the first corner to your right. Via dello Sprone is to your left, leading to the Trattoria 4 Leoni. Tel: 055218562. Enoteca Fuori Porta: Via Monte Alle Croci, 10/r. Tel: 055 2342483. A few other noteworthy Oltrarno restaurants: Casalinga: Via deiMichelozzi, 9/r (almost in Piazza Santo Spirito). Tel: 055 218624. Trattoria del Carmine: Piazza del Carmine 18r. Tel: 055 218601. AnticoRistoro di’ Cambi: Via Sant’Onofrio 1/r, Tel: 055 217134. Worth the cab fare.
IMAGES BY TAILLEFER LONG
The view from San Niccolò is breathtaking in person and in this rendering done by the author.