As it turned out, this adventure was less like time travel and more like archaeology:we had to dig a little, but it made a day in a local town feel like a treasure hunt.
We watched several films and documentaries to fill our eyes and ears with the sights and sounds of the Twenties, and remind us of the rapid social, political, and industrial changes that shaped the decade. My husband begged me not to make him watch "Thoroughly Modern Millie" again, a favorite of our children for many years.
To really get into it we should have watched some silent movies, preferably in an old theater with an organist, but this just did not work into our schedule.
Our day in Albany was graced with perfect walking weather. We started at the Historic Carousel and Museum in the old downtown, right next to the Willamette River. Read about it here.
This organization is a shining example of what inspiration, leadership and community spirit can achieve. We were stunned by the workmanship going into creating the animals for this carousel, but even more impressed by the story.
Next we took advantage of the historic walking tour maps, toured the picturesque business district and went in search of Albany's beautiful Victorian homes. It was not hard to imagine Model Ts parked along these streets and ladies going calling in fashionable dropped waist dresses.
Choosing an appropriate restaurant was going to be a challenge, I knew. In my research about the twenties, I learned that diners and cafeterias were all the rage, and going out to eat in general had become very popular. So we chose the Sweet Red Bistro because it had a lively energy, intriguing menu and appropriately, Art Deco posters.
Finally it was time for the main event at Albany Civic Theater, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set in the 1920s, which proved to be a whole hearted production with plenty of references to the era, including Keystone Cops for comic relief.
The next day we finished our trip in time with a family brunch, using several recipes from Vintage Cookbooks. Just reading these period cookbooks was great entertainment, and reminded me how much we take for granted the wide variety of foods readily available to us in modern grocery stores.
I chose to make the Flemish Carrots, Cream of Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Cornstarch Pudding from the Woman's World Calendar Cookbook. (The soup was a bit hit) Browsing the menus in this book helped me choose other popular dishes of the day for our 1920s brunch: open faced salmon on toast, deviled eggs, pickles, fresh fruit, scalloped potatoes and a baked ham.
Of course in the spirit of the twenties we had to have cocktails.
We found this site very helpful!
Everyone enjoyed the Mary Pickford, and especially liked The Bees Knees.
Did we feel like we had been through a time machine into the Roaring Twenties? No. Did we enjoy a unique, memory building weekend with our family, making the most of the simple things available to us in our limited time and budget? YES!
This organization is a shining example of what inspiration, leadership and community spirit can achieve. We were stunned by the workmanship going into creating the animals for this carousel, but even more impressed by the story.
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Next we took advantage of the historic walking tour maps, toured the picturesque business district and went in search of Albany's beautiful Victorian homes. It was not hard to imagine Model Ts parked along these streets and ladies going calling in fashionable dropped waist dresses.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Choosing an appropriate restaurant was going to be a challenge, I knew. In my research about the twenties, I learned that diners and cafeterias were all the rage, and going out to eat in general had become very popular. So we chose the Sweet Red Bistro because it had a lively energy, intriguing menu and appropriately, Art Deco posters.Finally it was time for the main event at Albany Civic Theater, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set in the 1920s, which proved to be a whole hearted production with plenty of references to the era, including Keystone Cops for comic relief.
The next day we finished our trip in time with a family brunch, using several recipes from Vintage Cookbooks. Just reading these period cookbooks was great entertainment, and reminded me how much we take for granted the wide variety of foods readily available to us in modern grocery stores.I chose to make the Flemish Carrots, Cream of Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Cornstarch Pudding from the Woman's World Calendar Cookbook. (The soup was a bit hit) Browsing the menus in this book helped me choose other popular dishes of the day for our 1920s brunch: open faced salmon on toast, deviled eggs, pickles, fresh fruit, scalloped potatoes and a baked ham.
Of course in the spirit of the twenties we had to have cocktails.
We found this site very helpful!
Everyone enjoyed the Mary Pickford, and especially liked The Bees Knees.
Did we feel like we had been through a time machine into the Roaring Twenties? No. Did we enjoy a unique, memory building weekend with our family, making the most of the simple things available to us in our limited time and budget? YES!
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