State: Massachusetts
City: Boston
When: September 11, 2010

What do you think of Boston?
Bean Town is on my list of 10 favorite places to visit. I like the town, I like the history, I like the sites, and I’ve had happy times there over the years going back to childhood. The state is gorgeous.

What’s an example?
When we were kids, my brother and I spent one summer in Harvard with my grandmother. She was the nurse of an old spinster — one Miss Sturdy — who lived in a colonial-era mansion in the middle of a huge apple orchard. There was plenty of room to run around and amazing things to explore and discover in the old mansion.

Ever been to the Old North Church?
I have. And to Old Ironsides in Boston Harbor — a 213-year old vessel that, amazingly, is still listed as being in active service.

State: New York
City: Albany
When: September 10, 2010

That’s quite a different style architecture for a capitol building, yes?
Yes indeed. The Albanians opted for a capitol building the style of Romanesque Revival with a touch of Neo-Renaissance. I can see why it made the list of national landmarks, but I have no idea what it has to do with New York. Then again, I’m a Southerner; must be a Yankee thing.

No doubt you have lots of jokes about Yankees.
No doubt. Truth be told, however, I’ve always enjoyed my several trips to the Big Apple. I was there most recently in April, and zipped about town to do a drive-by of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero. I also stopped in at St. Patrick’s Cathedrals (old and new).

Favorite stop?
The town of Auriesville. It was here that six Jesuit missionaries were martyred by Mohawk Indians; a shrine commemorates their deeds. The most famous of the six is St. Isaac Jogues, who was enslaved and then tortured and mutilated by his captors, escaped, and then returned to continue his missionary work, forgiving those who had mistreated him.

So more Europeans interfering in the lives of natives?
The natives practiced murder and human sacrifice, cannibalism, polygamy, and sorcery; I don’t mind some large-hearted Frenchmen suggesting there’s a better way.

State: Kansas
City: Topeka
When: August 14, 2010

I thought the capital of Kansas was Wichita. Or even Kansas City.
Nope. Wichita is the most populous city, but Topeka is the seat of state government for Kansans. Wichita is often called the Air Capital, however, owing to its role as a manufacturing center for the aircraft industry.

Who’s the chap on top of the cupola?
He’s a copper-clad Kansas Indian. He has a Latin name: Ad Astra (“To the Stars”), taken from the state motto, Ad Astra per Aspera.

Make it to the 34th state much?
Fairly often – I see chums in Kansas City, and in little St. Mary’s there’s a small private Catholic college where a number of friends send their kids; my buddy Olin is also on the city council. I was en route to the town for a wedding the weekend I snapped the photo above.

Have a favorite Kansas historical figure?
The 19th century Belgian Fr. Peter De Smet, who spent time in the misson at St. Mary’s. He was a kind and jovial man of tremendous energy, and the Indians learned that he was one of the few white men they could trust: he would have ripped out his own tongue with his bare hands before he told a lie, and the Indians learned to trust and love him and relied on him to help negotiate fair treaties with the U.S. government. He was a fellow of great vigor, and walked thousands of miles across the American wilderness in his day.

So what did your friend who grew up in West Virginia tell you about the place?
My friend Kim said that one of the most interesting things about Charleston as a capital is that it took a long time to become the permanent capital. It was Wheeling for several years — and then Charleston — and then Wheeling — and then there was a vote — and then Charleston.

Did you make it to Wheeling?
Next trip.

What else?
She added that she especially likes that the legislature kept using steamboats to move back and forth. You can read about it here: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/capitol_History/pg4-5.cfm

And there’s an NPR connection?
Yes, Kim now works at NPR, and she said that according to a recent Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me “Not My Job” quiz (played by Molly Ringwald), there’s a statue of Senator Byrd in the main hall that looks like his hands are pointing at your pockets — worth a listen here: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=07-03-2010

Surely you have your own West Virginia story to tell?
Surely. In college I was chatting with a few friends about humorous high school and college mascot names. One of my high school’s rivals was the Angoras. The mascot of the University of Santa Cruz is the banana slug. In 1986 when I was in Chattanooga I could have sworn I’d seen a high school whose marquee announced the place was home of the Purple People Pounders, but I have since been unable to confirm that phenomenon. But my all-time favorite, I told my friends, was the mascot of the high school in Poca, West Virginia: they are the Poca Dots. We found this humorous, and all of us but one laughed; after the chatter died down, the stoic fellow in the group announced, “That was my high school.” Live and learn.

State: Ohio
City: Columbus
When: June 4, 2010

You know people in Ohio, don’t you?
You bet. Dad was born in the town of Celina, and Grandma is from nearby Carthegena; I still have family there. Dad tells me that my great-grandfather, Harold Romer, was a state congressman and chairman of the state Democratic party from Mercer County for not quite 20 years in the 1950s and 60s.

There’s more, yes?
Yes. I lived in Athens myself for a year after graduating college. More recently, I stopped in Cincinnati en route to Columbus and had dinner with my pal Paul, an editor who stays busy keeping writers on track at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Over dinner he gave me some professional advice on the 50Caps site: “You’ll do well to make each story a local story Sean. Go to as many of the out-of-the-way places as you can on these trips and write about those.” I tried to thank him for the sagely coaching by helping with the dinner tab, but he said that “Confederate money isn’t welcome here.”

Paul later swiped a few photos from this site for a Facebook mention, so I’m returning the favor by pulling this excerpt from one of his pages:

“MY BUDDY Sean Romer from Atlanta is there to take his picture in front of the state capitol building. His goal is to do so in all 50 states over the coming years.
Is the capital of Kentucky pronounced Looville or LEW-is-ville? Frankfort, goes the old gotcha joke. Sean took his picture at the Frankfort capitol building yesterday, then stopped in Cincinnati for the night en route to Columbus. We had a late dinner at Via Vite (Italian for “Road of the Screw”) on Fountain Square. Sean asked about its statue.
‘She’s called the Genius of Water,’ I said.
‘What’s her story?’ he asked.
‘She doesn’t have one.’
He didn’t take her picture. But he updated me on the capitol pix. He’s up to 13.”

Columbus made 14.

State: Kentucky
City: Frankfort
When: June 3, 2010

Are you a big fan of horse racing?
An admirer, yes, just not a participant. I did sit on a horse once.

Do you like Bluegrass?
I saw a Chieftains concert a few years back at Chastain Park, and Ricky Skaggs opened for them. Part of the fun was that Ricky’s bus broke down, so the Chieftains opened and Ricky came on stage when his bus finally arrived. I like the sound of a mountain dulcimer.

What fun new venue did you come across in Kentucky?
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.

Any family connections?
Possibly. A family rumor has it that one of our ancestors is George Rogers Clark. Old George would have it that the name “Kentucky” means “the river of blood” in Iroquois.

State: Tennessee
City: Nashville
When: June 2, 2010

What’s the Tennessee connection?
A great one: my mother’s father was a Sparta man. That part of the family was in Tennessee for ages. Grandpa also served as an officer at age 22 with the Tennessee Infantry in WWI.

Ever tried Tennessee barbeque?
Of course: business trips to Memphis were frequently punctuated with meals at The Rendezvous, among other spots. On my way home on this trip I’m also stopping in to see Mike and Wendy in Knoxville, and I’m looking forward to the home-cooked meal they’ll be serving up!

State: Florida
City: Tallahassee
When: November 21, 2009

I was born in Florida, down in West Palm Beach. My mother grew up there — in fact, the doctor who delivered me delivered her. Mom and Dad met in college in Gainesville. I bleed Red and Black myself, but orange is tolerable in my book because of the family connection (not that I can wear the color, mind you).

Red and Black?
I’m an alumnus of the University of Georgia – Go Dawgs. I went there to get a journalism degree.

Journalism?
I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. My mother had been one — she and dad are both gifted writers — and I’d written for the newspaper and magazine in high school. My plans changed during my tour through Athens and I earned my degree in English instead. I still like to move words around.

So no newsman’s career for you?
No, but I had my moments. Up until about the age of three I put in occasional appearances with my younger brother at the Palm Beach Post-Times (now the Palm Beach Post) where mom wrote features for the Women’s department. Sometimes she would sit us down on the desk of David Lawrence, the paper’s managing editor, and he would engage us in conversation. Not that I have any recollection of this, but it is fun to say I was interviewed by Lawrence.

Do you ever get back to Florida?
All the time — I have plenty of family there. In fact, I’m headed there this weekend.

State: South Carolina
City: Columbia
When: August 8, 2009

Named for King Charles I of England, the Palmetto State’s signature fruit is the peach. This is also the official fruit of Georgia. In spite of this coincidence, and notwithstanding their shared border, the two states maintain a cordial relationship.

In 1778 South Carolinians adopted a constitution that provided for the disestablishment within its borders of the Anglican church. Those who opposed said measure were known as antidisestablishmentarians, and collectively their position was called antidisestablishmentarianism. So much for Southerners not being able to use long words.

Is that copper on the roof of the State House?
It is. The building is along the lines of anti-Roman Neoclassical Greek Revival, which was a Jeffersonian legacy. I’m partial to Romanesque and Baroque architecture myself, but I’ll still take Greek Revival over most 20th century work.

What’s Frogmore Stew?
It’s a spiced dish of boiled shrimp and other shellfish, corn on the cob, red potatoes, and smoked sausage. Frogmore Stew is the South Carolina name; in Georgia I’ve always heard it called a Low Country Boil. I recommend it for a group cookout.

State: Michigan
City: Lansing
When: July 7, 2009

Dark picture, yeah?
Yeah. I’d put in a day’s work at a client’s office in Grand Rapids and then made the trip to Lansing after hours. I didn’t have my regular digital camera, so I snapped this shot with my cell phone. The approaching evening’s lighting wasn’t the best, but you still get sufficient detail to confirm which capitol building I’m posing in front of.

Ever owned a car made in Detroit?
The first car I ever owned was a tan 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. It was a hand-me-down from my grandfather when I was in college: after grandpa retired to south Florida he gave me his second car. I drove that car until it fell to pieces — towards the end, whenever I was on the road in the rain, my feet would get wet from the splash action coming up through the floorboard. A few years after college I traded in the Cut for a burgundy 1993 Ford Escort wagon. After the Escort I was this close to getting a Mustang.

Ever met a wolverine?
No, and I prefer to admire five-toed skunk bears from a distance.