Since CJ was going to Washington DC for a meeting with the National Endowment for the Humanities, I decided to tag along and we took some time off for sightseeing. More accurately, I took ALL the time off for sightseeing.
We blew into town (and that is not a figure of speech) on Wednesday, March 15, at the tail end of a late winter nor'easter which had dumped a foot of snow on various parts of the Northeast. DC was spared the worst of it but, as we landed, the temperature was around freezing, there was snow on the ground, and there were wind gusts of up to 40 MPH. On final approach, our little 737 was rolling around in quite an exciting way, and there were a few sudden drops that elicited gasps from the passengers. We made a good landing however (defined as being able to walk away from it) and, at touchdown, everyone cheered and one of the flight attendants got on the intercom to say "Well, we made it!" Hmm... maybe I should have been a little more worried!
We took the Metro from Washington National Airport (no, I will not use the newish official name, insisted upon by the Republicans - look it up if you must) to the L'Enfant Plaza station, a journey of about 12 minutes. We found our hotel a few blocks away without incident.
It was still light out even though it was around 7:00PM so we decided to walk the two blocks or so to the National Mall and check out the lay of the land. We didn't stay out long due to the icy wind but we got a glimpse of the Capitol before scurrying back to our warm hotel room.
 |
| United States Capitol |
Thursday
The next morning, I walked CJ over to the NEH headquarters a few blocks from our hotel and then, braving the elements, I entered the Mall and walked west toward the Washington Monument.
 |
| The Washington Monument with the Lincoln Memorial peeking out from behind its base on the right. The Smithsonian Castle is on the left. |
There was a cold wind in my face but, calling on my hardy pioneer DNA, I persevered. Along the way, a lady sitting on a park bench called out to me "Do you know where I can find a park bench?" I was puzzled for a moment but then informed her that it appeared she was sitting on one and kept on walking. Later on, other responses occurred to me as often happens in these situations. "I don't know, I'm not from around here" or "It's too cold to sit on park benches" or maybe just "Yes."
Continuing to the west, I passed several imposing museums.
 |
| Smithsonian Castle |
 |
| National Museum of Natural History |
 |
| National Museum of American History |
 |
| National Museum of African American History and Culture |
I arrived at the base of the Washington Monument and took a look around.
 |
| You can see from the flags there was a stiff breeze blowing |
 |
| The Jefferson Memorial in the distance |
 |
| In the shadow of the Monument |
To the west of the Washington Monument, just before you reach the reflecting pool, stands the World War II Memorial. I have heard that the design is not particularly imaginative (and I agree) but the emotional impact is nevertheless quite strong, at least for me.
 |
| Merely listing the battles in the Pacific theater from day one can choke a person up in this place |
 |
| Yes, we were righteous. We still have the might. Can we please be righteous again? |
 |
| From here the Lincoln Memorial is absolutely iconic |
I did not go to the Lincoln Memorial on this day, deciding to wait until CJ could go and experience it together: her first visit ever and my first for over a quarter century.
It was approaching the Smithsonian opening time of 10:00AM so, with a strong tail wind, I headed for the National Air and Space Museum.
 |
| This is as close as I got to the White House. We decided to stay away as long as the current tawdry authoritarian resides there. |
When you walk into the
National Air and Space Museum from the National Mall, you empty your pockets, go through security and get yourself put back together. Then, if you are like me (and I know that you are), you look around and realize you are in the presence of greatness. That is to say, you are in the presence of some of the defining artifacts of 20th century American aerospace greatness. In the great hall, now renamed for a corporation I once worked for, you look up (how appropriate) and see the following:
 |
| Spirit of St Louis |
 |
| Lunar Module from above |
 |
| Bell X-1 and the X-15 |
 |
| The first airplane, the Wright Flyer |
 |
| Wright Flyer |
 |
| A test version of the Hubble Space Telescope |
 |
| An actual studio model! |
A word of advice: don't eat lunch at the Air and Space Museum. The options are McDonalds (ugh) or greasy pizza (also ugh) with ice cream as a consolation prize. I opted for greasy pizza and a milkshake which probably shortened my life by a few days.
For my afternoon adventures, I walked back to the
National Museum of American History. The flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write what later became our national anthem. The Star Spangled Banner used to hang on the wall of the rotunda of this museum and a huge pendulum was swinging in the middle of the room. Today the pendulum is gone (sad) and the flag is kept in a dark, climate controlled room. This is a less than inspiring situation but I am sure it is necessary to preserve 200-year-old cloth. No photos allowed, of course.
Some other interesting objects:
 |
| 1950 Studebaker. My parents had a Studebaker of about this vintage around the time I was born. |
 |
| Thomas Jefferson's polygraph allowed him to make copies of a document as he was writing it. |
 |
| Read the sign |
 |
| The gunboat Philadelphia which was sunk by the British (damn them) in Lake Champlain during the Revolutionary War |
 |
| George Washington's dress uniform |
 |
| The chairs Grant and Lee used when Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Sad that the slavers' ideological descendants are now in charge. |
In the evening, after CJ's NEH day and my Smithsonian immersion were over, we went to dinner with Anna's longtime friend, Main. We walked to the Metro station and confidently boarded the yellow line for the short ride to the U Street station a few miles north of us. As it turns out, it is a short ride only if YOU GET ON THE RIGHT TRAIN. Somehow, we contrived to get on the train going back to the airport which was so jammed with riders we could not see the metro map on the wall. Three stops later (it took a while to come to our senses) our train stopped, and another going the opposite direction pulled in at the same time. So great, we thought, we will just skip over there and jump on. Done! Except... there was some garbled announcement about our train being early and THEY WOULDN'T LET US OFF! So we stood there with the rest of the cursing passengers for a few minutes waiting for the doors to open. And saw the train we could easily have boarded roll away as our faces assumed comical expressions. Finally, we were released and waited for the next train to take us to our dinner. We waited and waited as I counted four more trains arrive and depart going in the direction we didn't want to go.
Finally, ours arrived and we were now only ten minutes from our appointment with Main. At length, we got to our stop and surfaced not knowing in which direction to walk. We had the restaurant's address and were near an intersection, so we picked a direction and started walking. It took a while to find an address on a building but, when we did, we realized we had picked the wrong direction.
We arrived almost half an hour late but, luckily, Main is a forgiving person (also we had texted her about our predicament) and we ended up having a nice time. Good food (
Dukem Ethiopian) and good company works wonders even on frazzled and hungry travelers!
Friday
The next morning we set off early for the Lincoln Memorial and environs. The weather was warmer now and the snow was melting resulting in lots of light brown mud in the Mall. We retraced my steps from Wednesday and arrived at the Washington Monument.
 |
| You can see the different colors of marble which resulted from a 22 year hiatus in construction during which the original source became unavailable. |
 |
| I was once told to take a close look at the Washington Monument. So I did. |
 |
| Looking west from the Washington Monument. The World War II Memorial is visible at the near end of the reflecting pool. |
We continued on to the World War II Memorial and then walked along the reflecting pool toward the Lincoln Memorial.
 |
| It's not called the reflecting pool for nothing |
 |
| This picture cannot convey the emotional power of actually being in the presence |
 |
| Robert E. Lee's house is across the river. The U.S. government created the Arlington National Cemetery on his estate during the Civil War. |
Here are my thoughts on Robert E. Lee (come on, I know you have them too). He was a brilliant general, that's a given. But he gave up his commission in the U.S. Army, broke his oath to defend the Constitution, and took up arms against the United States. That makes him a traitor. He does not deserve his reputation for nobility that so many people seem to embrace. He was a very competent soldier who betrayed his country and has had great PR ever since. Personally, I approve of the creation of a giant cemetery in his front yard!
 |
| Perhaps my best photo from this trip. It was taken from the Lincoln Memorial. The dome of the Library of Congress is on the horizon between the Washington Monument an the Smithsonian Castle on the right. |
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a short walk away.
 |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
 |
| Notes left by school children |
Since it was nearing lunchtime, and we planned to visit the National Archives and the Capitol, we started walking east and ended up walking the entire length of the Mall. On our way, we stopped for a quick, cheap, and very unsatisfying lunch at one of the small food venues along the way. Not good. Before that, however, we stopped at the Declaration of Independence Memorial which is on a small island in a lake. I can't say that I have ever heard of this one before.
 |
| A small part of the Declaration of Independence Memorial |
After our dismayingly tasteless lunch we continued our stroll until we reached the National Archives. In the rotunda, we saw originals of our founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. Unsurprisingly, no photography is allowed.
On the day before, we had made an appointment to be at our Congresswoman's office (Suzan DelBene) at 2:00PM. So, with about half an hour to go, we walked swiftly towards the Capitol and the Rayburn House Office Building. We went through a rather perfunctory security check and were free to roam the halls of power.
 |
| The Rayburn House Office Building |
 |
| Members of Congress offices were everywhere |
 |
| We found Suzan DelBene's office. The Seahawks thing is figurative. She was not, in fact, in her office at this time. |
 |
| Our Congresswoman's office |
We had signed up for a tour of the Capitol but the aide we talked to had somehow confused things hopelessly. He called another Washington congressman's office, that of Rick Larson, and got us signed up for a tour starting from there. As we were waiting, the Congressman himself walked in, shook hands all around, and generally made himself affable. CJ took the opportunity to ask him to help save the NEH, and a small boy from Bellingham was allowed to sit at the big desk and pretend to speak vociferously on the phone as the Congressman looked on benignly and encouraged him to shake his finger as he talked.
Meanwhile, our tour guide showed up who turned out to be a well-spoken young man from New Zealand (!) currently working as a congressional intern. We walked through the tunnel between the Rayburn Building and the Capitol (just like real Congresspeople!) and saw the sights.
 |
| Inside the Capitol dome |
 |
| I have known this picture since, as a 9 year old, I read the How and Why Wonder Book of the American Revolution. It depicts British General Burgoyne surrendering to General Gates after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. It is on the wall of the Capitol Rotunda. |
 |
| Everyone's favorite President when he was a mere congressman. This was in the old House of Representatives chamber. |
 |
| The old Senate chamber |
After the tour, we crossed the street to the Supreme Court. We went through security but were soon told that the building was closing to the public in about ten minutes and would not reopen until Monday. Disappointingly, we were leaving on Sunday so we had to say goodbye until next time.
 |
| The Supreme Court of the United States |
Saturday
On this rather gray morning, we decided to visit the
Library of Congress. On the way, we passed this statue of General Grant, as he appeared while defeating the Confederate armies thereby saving the Union and freeing the slaves. This man deserves more credit than he usually gets even though his presidency was marred by corruption. Sadly, as President, unlike as a General, his trust in his subordinates was not justified.
 |
| General Grant |
As it turns out, the Library of Congress bears little resemblance to your typical public library. We had an instructive tour of this beautiful building and we got to see Thomas Jefferson's books which were the basis for the current collection.
 |
| In the Library of Congress |
 |
| The Reading Room in the Library of Congress |
 |
| I have to agree |
 |
| Some of Thomas Jefferson's books at the Library of Congress |
 |
| On our way out, the Capitol was looking beautiful |
Our afternoon event was a visit to the
National Gallery of Art. By this time we were very ready for lunch so we found a cafe inside the gallery. The prices were ridiculously high so we went in search of an alternative which we found via a tunnel to the East Building. We briefly explored the East Building which displays art from the late 19th century to the present. There is an impressive collection of impressionist works: Degas, Monet, Renoir, just about any artist you can think of.
 |
| The National Gallery of Art |
 |
| The lobby of the East Building, National Gallery of Art |
We returned to the main building, lingering in the English galleries (Constable, Turner, and friends) and the French. The collection also includes many many European paintings from the 13th - 19th centuries as well as works of American artists.
Tired and hungry, we headed back to the hotel. We were tired of spending so much money on unhealthy food so, for dinner, we resorted to Starbucks. This was probably not a good decision since we ended up eating their packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our room! However, we ate them while watching Rachel Maddow on TV so the evening was not a complete loss.
Sunday
This was our last day in Washington and, since our flight home was scheduled for the evening, we had all day to see more sights. CJ had not yet been to the Museum of American History, so we went there, the second time for me.
 |
| The Greensboro Lunch Counter |
 |
| The mirror apparatus used in the Michelson-Morley experiment which proved that the speed of light is constant regardless of the frame of reference |
 |
| One of Apples first personal computers. Ironically, I took this picture with my Apple iPhone! |
Our afternoon stop was at the
National Museum of the American Indian. We spent hours at the exhibit on the extensive road system built by the Inkas (apparently the traditional spelling "Inca" is no longer used) in the century or two before Europeans arrived. It is truly amazing what people can do without iron or wheels!
 |
| Inside the dome of the National Museum of the American Indian |
 |
| The rotunda of the National Museum of the American Indian |
We had an uneventful flight home. It was so much less exciting than our landing in DC on Wednesday! So here we are, back in the daily routine.
Sounds like a great trip, albeit cold.
ReplyDelete