This is a page about our trip to South Bend Indiana in December 2007. It was a chance for us to get away, as well as to attend the wedding of one of my cousins. We had been notified of the wedding early in the year and received the formal invitation a few months later. The wedding itself would be at the Sacred Heart Basilica, on the campus of Notre Dame University, as my cousin is an alumnus, class of 2001. I had been to the campus in 1973 while in the Air Force, but was anxious to see it again. Now the only question was how to get there: fly, drive or train? It turns out that to fly from Macarthur Airport near our house would be both expensive and time consuming (10 hour layovers in Atlanta). Besides, my daughter had never been on a plane and we were concerned how she would react in the security lines as well as on the plane itself. So that ruled out flying. We had driven to Chicago in 2001 to attend the wedding of my cousin’s older brother, but that was in August. This time we had weather conditions to worry about. So after elimination, we decided to go by train. It would take about the same time as driving, but we would not have to worry about the weather. So on December 6, 2007 we headed to Penn Station in New York to take the Lake Shore Limited. It arrived in the station 90 minutes but once it got in, we were on our way. So we headed up the Hudson River to Albany, and then due west to South Bend, passing through Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland and Toledo before we arrived in South Bend, 3 hours late. Once we got to the hotel it was time for a nice shower and a lunch with my aunts, uncles and cousins. However, despite the late arrival, we all enjoyed the train ride.
South Bend 2007
This page was last updated: August 29, 2009
Friday December 7, 2007 was our first full day in South Bend. After showering we had lunch with my aunts, uncles and cousins and after that we each decided to take a nap, since we were a bit tired from the long train ride. In the evening we had the rehearsal dinner at the College Football Hall of Fame, located across the street from the hotel. There was a theater that resembled a football stadium, with life size statues who gave recorded speeches. The permanent exhibits featured the development of football from ancient times through modern times, as well as exhibits that showed the development of the uniform and helmet, the bowl game series, great moments, great rivalries, the importance and role of marching bands, the Hall of Champions, and a room featuring football movies (Hollywood Huddles). Since it was a hall of fame, there were tablets honoring the great coaches and players who have been elected to the Hall. Besides the exhibits, there were three batting cage type rooms where visitors could try their hand at passing, blocking or kicking. I managed to pass the football fairly accurately, but the careers of the Manning Brothers, Tony Romo, and Tom Brady are not in jeopardy. Along the walls were pictures of individuals who contributed to the game, even if they were not stars themselves: several of our recent presidents, General Macarthur, Jackie Robinson, and George Steinbrenner to name a few. The actual dinner was up on the 2nd floor, in a room with paintings of all of the Heisman Trophy recipients. We shared the table with 3 of my aunts. Before going back to the hotel I went to a kiosk on the ground floor that gave the names of all of the men who lettered in football. I decided to check out one of my St. Francis Prep classmates and his brother, both of whom graduated from Notre Dame. In the navigation section is a link to the College Football of Fame.
On Saturday December 8, 2007 we had breakfast with my aunts, uncles and cousins and then headed over to the Notre Dame campus for a guided tour, conducted by a theology graduate student. We walked past the dormitories, as well as the original 19th century buildings. He explained the name of the school: Our Lady of the Lake, or Notre Dame Du Lac (since the founder was a French priest). It turns out that there were two lakes, so the name is slightly inaccurate. Anyway, we got to walk through the main building, with its famous gold dome. Its interior artwork includes murals of the voyages of Christopher Columbus, painted in the late 19th century to commemorate the Catholics’ roles in the discovery of the New World. We also walked past the building named after Regis Philbin, as well as the Hesburgh Library and its artwork – the Touchdown Jesus, which I remember from my 1973 visit. We then headed past the football stadium, where the Fighting Irish play. Our last stop was the bookstore, where we purchased a coffee cup for our neighbors, and a book about Notre Dame for ourselves. We then went back to the hotel to rest. The Nuptial Mass was at 3 PM at the Sacred Heart Basilica. It was quite cold, and since we had arrived on campus early, we went inside the main building to escape the weather and admire the décor. The Nuptial Mass began at 3 PM, and we were all impressed by the interior. The church would be an asset to any parish. After the service we went back to the hotel to change into more formal wear and headed to the Palais Royale for the reception. This building is a registered historic site. We shared the table with the groom’s parents (my cousin and cousin in law) and three of my aunts.
During the night of the 8th and the 9th it had sleeted and the sidewalks were a sheet of ice in the morning. Still, after breakfast I walked across the St. Joseph River to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. When I got back the 3 of us went to the Marriott Residence Inn to do our laundry. When we got back we relaxed in our room and watched some NFL games. Since our train would not leave South Bend until 12:30 AM on Monday morning, we got to stay in the room until 6 PM. Once we checked out we left the luggage with the front desk and had a nice dinner at Sean O’Casey’s Restaurant, which is in the hotel, and then spent the rest of the time on the Internet at the lobby computer or relaxed on the couches until it was time to get the train. We arrived at the South Bend AMTRAK station around 11:45 PM and waited for the eastbound Lake Shore Limited, which was on time. We then headed east and this time I got to see Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the rest of the Mohawk Valley during the day. We arrived at Penn Station on time (1930). After claiming our luggage we got the 8:30 Long Island Railroad train and got home at around 9 PM on Monday evening.
It was a good trip and I would love to go back some time in the near future.
We loved the campus of Notre Dame University. I had been there in 1973 while I was in the Air Force. I could only remember 3 buildings from that trip: the football stadium (where we spent quite a bit of time, Cavanaugh Hall, and the Hesburgh Library with the "Touchdown Jesus" since a wide receiver heading towards the goal line would be running straight the mural.
The University has an excellent football tradition (as well as academic excellence). Some famous coaches included Knute Rockne and Ara Paraseghian. Besides a great football history, Notre Dame's basketball and baseball teams have also done the school proud.
:-) In my next lifetime I plan on attending the school.
There is a link to the university's web site below.
Here are some pictures from the College Football Hall of Fame, where my cousin's rehearsal dinner was held:
Here are the 3 of us at the reception:
South Bend was the home of the Studebaker Automobile Company until 1964, when the company closed down the plant and shifted the manufacture of its vehicles to Canada. That lasted until 1966. During its 114 year history, the company made some excellent vehicles, some of which are pictures here. Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne also worked for the automaker, selling the cars in the off season. Studebaker honored Coach Rockne by naming a car after him, which was made from 1932 until 1934. During World War II it manufactured 2½ ton trucks like the one pictured here. After the War it was years ahead of the Big 3 in styling. The styling for the 1950 Studebaker pictured here was 4 years old in ’50. Their pick up trucks were also well made. The problem was, the cars were top notch, but the management was not.
South Bend is home to the Studebaker Museum, which we did not get a chance to see on this trip.
There is also minor league baseball here. The Midwest League's South Bend Silver Hawks, a Single A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, play at Coveleski Field, which is located on South Street. The team gets its name from the Studebaker vehicles of the same name that were manufactured during the 1950's.
The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad runs between those two cities and along the South Shore of Lake Michigan (so I guess there is more than one South Shore in the US). It got its start in the early 20th century serving the steel mills and other manufacturing plants between Chicago and South Bend. It has also been a passenger railroad, but in the 1980's the two began operating separately. At the present time Commuter service is provided by Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District on track shared by the freight operation and dispatched jointly. The South Bend station for the South Shore Railroad is located at the municipal airport. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to ride the line, but maybe next time. When we went to Chicago in 2001 we drove past one of the trains near the state line.
Links to other related sites
Left: Notre Dame football legends; above: Notre Dame mascot
Left: Notre Dame Stadium
Left: Touchdown Jesus at the Hesburgh Library
Left: Sacred Heart Basilica
Left: Interior of the Sacred Heart Basilica
Left: The 3 of us on the campus tour
Left: Wife and daughter in main building with floating globe
Left: Wife, daughter with the campus tour guide
Left: Me and some of the life sized statues in the theater
Left: Me at the statue of Army's Coach Blaik
Left: My daughter and I are Army fans
Left: My wife and daughter in the Hall's theater.
1932 Studebaker Rockne Sedan
1941 Studebaker
Studebaker World War II truck
1950 Studebaker Pickup
1950 Studebaker
1958 Studebaker Silver Hawk
A South Shore electric locomotive
South Shore Railroad commuter train
Map of the South Shore Railroad tracks
Left: On the way home via AMTRAK
