Washington D.C.

At the top of the Newseum

Well…grab a cup of coffee or glass of wine and settle in. This is another long one!

Chris at the Navy Memorial.

Washington DC is an amazing, awe inspiring, thought provoking, surprising, beautiful place. There was so much on our “to do” list that it was doubtful we could check everything off in two short weeks but we were definitely up for the challenge.

Potomac River from the top of the Kennedy Center.

The RV Park we chose in College Grove, MD was the perfect choice for a “base”. Not only is it a lovely facility, but the staff really know their way around and seem to delight in being helpful. Every afternoon Barbara hosts a gathering in the community room to disseminate information on the area. She explains the transportation options, highlights to visit, what things will cost, etc. She also has tickets for tours, the subway, etc. so you don’t even have to leave the park to get started.

One of the Metro stations.

The optimal transportation system in the DC area is the subway (which, by the way, seriously puts to shame the way people in the NW get around). Since I am fairly claustrophobic I was pretty nervous (actually, bordering on terrified) the first time we got on the train. What a surprise! Not only was I able to ride the subway (Metro) without panic attacks but it is so easy to get around on that I learned to love it. Between the subway, the busses, the shuttles and the pedestrian & bicycle friendly streets, I’m surprised that anyone would choose to drive a car.

Sculpture of John F. Kennedy

Kennedy Center Foyer

President's lounge

One of our first trips into the City was to take a tour of the Kennedy Center. Docents lead tours about every 10 minutes and they have plenty of fascinating tidbits to impart about the building as well as the ability to show guests the private lounges for the elite, as well as the President’s lounge. In addition to the free tours, the Kennedy Center presents free concerts every day at 6:00. Had we been staying closer to town we might have gone to listen to one but most days we were pretty worn down by then and already back at the coach with a glass of wine.

One morning I decided to see what events were taking place at the Kennedy Center and discovered that we would be in town for the Spring Gala. Of course I immediately bought tickets. Next problem was that that we don’t travel with dressy clothes so shopping had to take place. I bought the proverbial “little black dress” and a pair of sexy heels and Chris was resplendent in his slacks, sport coat and TIE. Still, we thought we were pretty underdressed until the couple in the seats next to us arrived. Turns out he was a doctor from Arkansas but they were dressed like they had just come in off the back 40. The evening’s entertainment was the musical, My Fair Lady. The cast included several Tony winners and featured Cloris Leachman as Professor Higgins’ mother. The actors had flown in from engagements around the world and had only had 2 days to rehearse so they were often carrying their scripts. Given the caliber of talent, we rarely noticed when they were reading or flubbed a line. It was a magical evening.   

Memorial to Iwo Jima.

D.C. is THE memorial capital and everywhere we went we saw statues and artwork commemorating the original movers and shakers as well as the men and women who participated in the wars that shaped our country. 

Memorial to the Nurses in Vietnam.

Part of the Korean War Memorial.

From the understated WWI Memorial to the elaborate Korean War Memorial to the moving Vietnam War Memorial 

Part of the FDR Memorial.

Another area of the FDR Memorial.

More of FDR Memorial.

to the beautiful, thought provoking Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, each has its own “feel”. 

"Fuzzy" Washington Monument.

While we were visiting, the Washington Monument was encased in scaffolding as they are repairing damage from the 2011 earthquake, so it always seemed to look a bit “fuzzy”.  

Museums are another huge attraction. 

The Smithsonian "Castle" (Information Office)

The Smithsonian is comprised of 19 museums and galleries plus the national zoo (which are all free). In addition, numerous other museums and galleries are waiting to be investigated as well. 

Ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie.

Lincoln's watch & death mask.

We made a valiant effort but, given the size and detail in each, not to mention our inability to walk/stand for more than 8 hours without our legs complaining, we only managed to explore a few. 

Fountain in the Sculpture Garden.

Chris & niece, Alisha.

One of the nicest parts of the Smithsonian is the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden which is actually a beautiful park with fountains, a restaurant and a number of interesting pieces of art. We joined Chris’ niece, Alisha, there for lunch one day and then we meandered through the Portrait Gallery as well.  

Newseum

The Newseum, one of our favorite places, is funded by the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to "free press, free speech and free spirit for all people". There is an admission charge but it was well worth the charge. As you approach the entrance, you pass 50 permanent cases that display the front page of a prominent newspaper from each state. At the time we were there, the big story was the tornado that flattened Moore, Oklahoma. It was interesting to see the front pages of papers from several southern states (Texas among them) featuring sports. I guess it’s all about priorities. 

Chris with a section of the Berlin Wall.

Guard Tower from the Berlin Wall.

Once inside, you can’t miss the big hunk of the Berlin Wall and one of the guard towers from same. It is, to say the least, impressive. This museum is laid out beautifully as you begin your tour at the very top of the building with a panoramic view of Washington DC. We learned pretty quickly that going from the top down is infinitely easier than from the bottom up when you are exploring a multi-story museum – and they are ALL multi-story. The exhibits in this building trace the history of news, from the earliest print to the current use of social media and the emphasis is on the First Amendment, and in particular Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. Some exhibits are striking such as the antenna from the top of the World Trade Center and the laptop that belonged to Daniel Pearl (the journalist who was kidnapped and murdered by Al-Qaeda). Some, like the history of political cartoons, are entertaining. The gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning Photographs is amazing. In addition to the permanent exhibits, there are also limited engagements. During our visit a featured display told the story of John F. Kennedy’s election, presidency and assassination. It brought back a lot of memories.

Holocaust Museum & Memorial.

The Holocaust Museum/Memorial is one of the most moving of all. Upon entering, each person is given a “passport” with a photo and story of someone who was a victim. Some survived. Some didn’t. Then you enter an elevator that looks like the inside of a railway car and are taken to the top floor to begin your experience. Everywhere the mood was subdued and quiet. It is difficult to put into words the feelings I experienced as I learned about the horrible things that took place. Two of the most moving areas were the room filled with shoes from the victims and the three story hallway that was filled from floor to ceiling with photographs of the men, women and children who were killed. It is absolutely overwhelming.

White House South Lawn

The closest we were able to get to the White House was outside the fence at the south lawn. I had HOPED that we could arrange a get together with Barack and Michelle for a couple brewskies but, thanks to sequestration (Grumble! Grumble!) all W.H. tours were cancelled. In lieu of Beer & Brats Night with the Obamas, we opted for coffee with our State Senator, Patty Murray. 

She is gracious and interesting and it was a pleasure to hear the important committees she is working on. She provided us with passes to sit in the galleries of the House and the Senate but, alas, on the day we toured the Capitol neither was in session. In the case of the House, that seems to be pretty much a constant these days.  

Capitol Building.

Beautiful!

Frescoes under the dome.

A trip to Washington D.C. would not be complete without a tour of the Capitol. Tours are given to groups of about 25 and each group wears headsets that are tuned to the frequency of their guide. The building is cavernous and has zero sound buffering so without the headsets you would hear nothing but the echoing of hundreds of voices. At one time the Representatives did their business in one of the large rooms and I cannot imagine what that would have been like! We learned a lot about the construction of the building, the statues and artwork inside and the meanings of the different frescoes.

Swarms of kids at the Lincoln Memorial.

My biggest complaint about visiting D.C. was our timing. We wanted to be there to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom but, due to late snowfall in the NE, we delayed and missed that. Unfortunately, by waiting for better weather we subjected ourselves to an unexpected irritation. Kids! During the time we were in the city, there were millions of kids from around the country who were on end-of-the-year school trips so everywhere we went, there they were. Now, mind you, I like kids well enough, but this inundation was a major pain in the backside. I’m sure their parents thought they were sending them off for some wonderful learning experience but that was clearly not what was going on. Everywhere we went, they were chasing each other, yelling, playing with their electronic devices, trying to impress the boys (or girls), and paying little or no attention to the history surrounding them…and creating a huge nuisance for the rest of us who were truly interested in experiencing all there was to see and do. I thought I was the only curmudgeon until we got to the Capitol building and, when asked, ALL the people in our group opted to wait longer for our tour rather than be grouped with any of the kids.

No pictures allowed of money making so here's a view from the top of the Newseum. Note the great bicycle lanes in the middle of the road.

One of the last buildings we toured was the Department of Engraving. I thought it would be pretty boring but Chris really wanted to go, so we went. As it turned out, this is a pretty interesting place. This is where they print the money!! The tour wasn’t long but we learned a lot about the way money is designed and printed and it was pretty interesting to get a gander at a 5’ tall stack of SHEETS of $20 bills. In the gift shop one could purchase shredded money, uncut sheets and framed money that had flaws and, thus, was not circulated (this stuff was pretty expensive). After browsing for a bit, Chris & I decided to purchase coffee cups imprinted with $100,000 and $100 bills respectively. Chris has higher expectations than I do.

It was a fun filled two weeks!