I’m an award-winning author and photographer who’s a native of Washington, D.C. Although I live less than 30 miles from where I was born (the old Doctor’s Hospital is long gone), I have traveled extensively in the intervening years. For too many years, I was on the road for up to ten months a year. I’m naturally curious so I look for fascinating and unusual stories and people and delight in writing about them, whether they live next door (figuratively) or across an ocean.
I’ve tallied dozens of countries and 49 of the 50 states and clocked about 150 cruises and all of Amtrak’s long-haul trips (some a few times). My preference has gone from mega-ships to small vessels plying American waterways and, yes, I have favorite Amtrak sleeping car attendants. It will be too soon if I never see another airport or the inside of an airliner. Perhaps the most fun I had was being a baseball tour leader for Jay Smith and his Sports Travel and Tours company.
My three dozen books and countless articles include guides to Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. I wrote the first guide to the spas of North America and cruise ships and a Super Bowl trivia book. I also write about the business of travel. My biggest flop was a book about temper tantrums and how to prevent/stop them. It sold seven copies. Apparently, people like to complain about tantrums, but that’s it. I loved doing the old Statler Hilton and Omni Shoreham hotels’ history books and I’m interested in doing more hotel/resort histories.
I was a legislative aide to Francis B. Francois for ten years (and campaign manager for more) when he was a Prince George’s County, Maryland, Councilman (and chairman). We accomplished a lot of things but the one that’s still around is the legislation that prohibited the sale of pet turtles (you’d buy them for a dime or quarter at the circus, etc.). We were the first county to enact such a measure and it was adopted nationally four years later. They were bred in human waste and spread salmonella which can be fatal to seniors and infants and do scatological things to dogs when they drink from the turtle bowl. That’s how I became “The Turtle Lady” and why I have about 100 big and little inorganic turtles.
Most of all, I love being a messenger and relish someone saying, “I’ve lived here all my life (so far) and I never knew that” or words to that effect.
With the advent of Covid, I became a hermit or have gone into “Goblin mode” in the current vernacular. I have taken up crocheting, a craft I learned decades ago (before the Internet and YouTube) and abandoned. I’m thrilled with the new and old uses and techniques now available to someone who wants to transform a bunch of yarn into a piece of loving history.
You’re invited to read some of my articles, order one or more of my books, and, if you’re so inclined, commission me to write something. Or, just contact me if we’ve crossed paths or you think we should. Write to me at Judy@JudyColbert.com or through the contact page.