My father was a diplomat with the U.S. State Department, so we traveled constantly throughout the 1960s. We liked taking ships because we could bring our wild and crazy Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible. How is that for luggage?Our only route was Le Havre to NYC and vice versa. Basically, we moved every two years from Europe to the States. I was very young, so I don't remember a lot. I do know we traveled first class and each had our own purser -- they were always very nice and so attentive.I always had an earache during the crossings which was a bummer, especially because I wanted to swim in the pool so, so, so much. In those days, you just suffered through stuff, so I watched my brother play in the pool instead. Another memory is the dining. The water glasses were so thin and delicate that during one meal, I bit into my glass. Everyone went nuts! I couldn't resist as a kid, I guess. I was fine, but the staff made a huge fuss.My father never traveled with us on those voyages. He would accompany us to the dock, and we would watch as he waved goodbye amidst the streamers (paper cuts!) and confetti. Then off we went. We had diplomatic passports, so we never waited in line. Sadly, that perk was lost on me back then.-- Liz MacDougald, former passenger
Feb 15, 2016 -- No.26: The Rebirth of a Golden Era
For each issue of No.26 magazine, the editorial team curates a collection of people, places, things, and ideas -- 26 to be exact -- that have taken up residence in the forefront of their minds. In the latest issue, the editors featured none other than the SS United States!The editors examine the lasting allure of the SS United States, and imagine a future imbued with the luxury of her past. The issue featuring the SS United States can be found here.
Transmission 28: Mrzy Votaw
One day they told us it was too windy to go out onto the Promenade deck, and Daddy decided to take me out to see how windy it was. The wind picked me up and threw me into the railing – at first, the ship’s doctor thought the impact had broken my arms, but it turned out my elbows had just locked. I remember mostly feeling glad I’d been blown into the railing and not all the way overboard!The whole voyage was way cool. We watched The Parent Trap multiple times, and saw Mamie Eisenhower there with her Secret Service guys. I loved riding in the elevators with sailors, and people watching. I did think the water in the swimming pool was way, way too cold.Someone told us that the famous psychic Jeane Dixon had predicted the ship would sink, and the mandatory lifeboat drills convinced us she was right! I was thoroughly relieved when we arrived in New York.Seeing the Stature of Liberty from the sea, and thinking what it meant to people like my Holocaust survivor mother, blew my eight-year-old mind.-- Mrzy Votaw, who sailed from Le Havre to New York in 1969 with parents Albert N. and Estera Votaw and three older sisters.