This old entry from last May bears repeating.  Hope you enjoy this "classic" entry.

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Visiting Historic Ships

Let me offer a few tips for people who are planning to visit the USS Missouri or any other historic ship:

• Wear comfortable shoes. Never fails to amuse me when I see people, usually women, staggering around our ship on platform shoes or heels. Remember that ship decks are often uneven, you may be climbing ladders, walking on gratings or wet surfaces. And there may be a LOT of walking. USS Missouri is nearly 900 feet long and you’re going to climb 38 steps just to get on board.
• Ladies…don’t wear short skirts unless you intend to reveal yourself to everybody else in the area. You’re going to probably end up climbing a number of ladders some of which may be outdoors in windy conditions. Almost every day we see some young lady who decided to wear her short skirt that day and everybody else gets to find out what she decided to wear under it. Even if modesty isn’t your thing and you don’t really care what folks see please remember that there are a lot of families and young kids on the ship.
• Fellas – same advice on the skirts. And be a gentleman – first remind your lady before you leave the hotel room that the short skirt, while it does look fabulous on her, is not well advised. If she wears it anyhow…follow her up the ladders, and lead her down so that at least the guy with the view isn’t some drooling teenager she’s never met.
• Ladies – while you’re wearing shorts instead of skirts…reconsider the low-slung tops too. Most ships are multi-level affairs and you may often be peered down upon, intentionally or inadvertently, by many spectators on higher levels of the ship. While not as big a deal as the short skirt, many times I’ve glanced over the railing only to see far more than I expected.
• Do a little homework. Your experience will be much better if you take 5 or 10 minutes and read a little bit about the ship you’re going to visit and/or the period of history or part of the world in which it won its fame. While you can show up at the ship without knowing anything about it, you’ll be way ahead if you know a few basics.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. In my experience the crewmembers on historic ships LOVE to answer questions. I spend a fair amount of my time on board just waiting for somebody to ask me something – that’s why we’re there; because we love to share our ship with folks. So ask away!
• Be respectful of the ship. If the sign says “Authorized Personnel Only” there is probably a reason for it. The space behind that door may be dangerous. Historic ships may look like friendly tourist attractions on the outside but remember that a ship is an inherently dangerous place filled with tight, narrow spaces and sudden, unexpected, drop-offs. Also remember that a historic ship is a place with constant conservation needs. You may accidentally step on planks that are rotting or into the midst of a space being painted.
• This is a continuation of the previous tip really – keep your wits about you. Whatever ship you’re visiting almost certainly wasn’t designed to be a tourist attraction. Watch out for hazards and obstacles. Be very careful at the railings of the ship – ship’s crewmembers hate to hear loud splashes.
• Wear sunscreen. A visit to a historic ship may well mean an hour or more out on deck in the sunlight.
• If you like the ship don’t be ashamed to slip a dollar or five into the donation box. It’s expensive to maintain a historic ship and many of them get no tax dollars and rely entirely upon donations for support.

• For the most part the houses here are very well kept.  Yards are neatly trimmed, hedges trimmed, everything that's supposed to be green is.
• There were a few other folks out for an evening stroll or jog as well.
• There is a lot of new development in this area and a LOT of streets that don't appear on Google Maps yet.  I think I'll be doing a lot of exploring on future runs.

-B-