The cruise liner SS United States held the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic voyage back when speed on the crossing was all the rage. Of course, her days were numbered because she was competing with airplanes and they go quite a bit faster. At any rate, this ship had a brief but proud history. Now, she is tied to a pier in Philadelphia and looks like this:
I was working on the river the day she came to Philadelphia. A flotilla of tugs escorted her under the Walt Whitman Bridge. It was quite a sight to behold. At the same time, it was depressing. We all knew she had been dragged around the world, her internals gutted, her glamour forgotten. This ship has none of the fancy atriums, or rock climbing walls, or other facilities demanded by passengers today. She has the classic look of the older liners instead of the shiny white hulls of the new ones. That said, she did set a record and that counts for something in the history books.
There was talk of refurbishing the ship and maybe a company will find a place to sail her. In the mean time, she sits at the dock, like a sad but pretty girl whose boyfriend left her at the dance all alone.
The Bent Page 
I grew up around boats. My father is a boat designer, and I loved going to work with him and watching the patient craftesmen bend, shape, sand and fit the pieces together. There is a lost dignity and elegance in travel these days. A hurriedness to get somewhere often zooms us past the magnificence of the road, and leaves us with no appriciation of the journey itself. One of my favortie quotes is “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” It was stately ladies such as the one above that proved that point for years and generations. Thanks for the post, and thanks for visiting my blog today. Amie
There is something very sad about seeing a great ship stripped like this isn’t there? I have always been fascinated as well with big ships. I live in MN and often go to Duluth and the north shore just to watch them. I think in another life I must have been either on the water or on a ship because I feel warmed and chilled by them at the same time.
Nice blog.