Presidential Statues & the Berlin Wall

After we visited the Chapel in the Hills (covered in the previous footprint), we drove into the historic downtown of Rapid City, which bills itself as the “City of Presidents.”

Our plan was to pick up some sandwiches from Harriet & Oak, a recommendation I read about in an AARP article ... find a park to have an al fresco lunch ... go in search of the bronze presidential statues ... visit the Berlin Wall Memorial.

Turns out that Harriet & Oak was right by some of the presidential statues. So, while Mui waited for our order to be filled, I went off to check out the nearby statues ... Benjamin Harrison, James Polk, Ulysses Grant. Wandering down to the next block gave me Franklin Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge. That short walk also determined that it was simply too hot to wander around in the sun. So I had to be satisfied with finding some of the other statues as we drove through downtown later.

With our tasty bacon-cheddar-apple toasted sandwiches in the bag, we set off in the car to Memorial Park, near the Civic Center. Thus we killed two birds with one stone ... so to speak. We had a picnic lunch in the shade of a tree overlooking the pond ... and we visited the Berlin Wall Memorial.

In addition to a couple of segments of the Berlin wall and two tank traps, there are displays of historic photos and descriptions. Dedicated in 1996, the exhibit serves as a memorial to the Cold War. I thought it was very well done.

I’m sure Rapid City has more to see and do, but this was it for us. We had one more stop to make ... this one in Custer. So, off we went to wrap up our day in a very colorful way.Read more