The S.S. United States is my favorite ship. Designed by the genius William Francis Gibbs, she was one of the last true liners built and the final (real) holder of the Blue Riband, awarded to the fastest passenger ship East or Westbound across the Atlantic (she owns the record for both). Outmoded by jetliners in the late 60s, and unappreciated, despite her impressive speed (at least 35 knots), she was taken out of service in 1969, and has been sitting on a dock in Philadelphia since 1996.
Many attempts to restore her and put her in service again have been made, but none have succeeded so far. I flew over her the other day on a flight from Bermuda to Philadelphia, and was, once again stunned by her graceful lines. At the same time, I was sad to see her sitting neglected, in poor shape. We can only hope that she avoids the same fate that another gorgeous liner from the same era, the S.S. France, suffered a few years ago on the beach in Alang.
BessingerBlog 
Head down to the Outer Banks and visit the Windmill Point Restaurant. They have a huge collection of SS United State artifacts. It’s a mini-museum. The food is pretty good, but wicked-expensive.