Day number 40 (already?!)
Anytime I am away from the office I am out seeing something new. The tourist in me comes out while my friends and I explore armed with our cameras. We have covered so much ground with the help of the easy metro system, the bus and our legs. There is so much to see here and so much to do. Fortunately, last week I had Thursday and Friday off from work and was able to investigate some more.
Thursday July 10 my awesome roommate Meghan gave Max and I a tour of the Capitol Building. The Senate side and the house side. We went through underground tunnels, looked at a lot of statues and grand artwork and got to go in to listen to some discussions in the senate and the house. We even met her Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas in passing. She shook our hands and asked how we were enjoying our tour. She is a very distinguished woman and just like Meghan had said Blanche is very nice to everyone she meets. Meghan is fortunate to work with such an upstanding lady like that. Next, we stopped by Maria Cantwell's office to get my parents' Capitol Building tour reserved for when they come to visit me. We, also saw the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.
Later, we went to the enormous Arlington National Cemetary just in time to see the changing of the gaurd at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These proud soldiers gaurd the tomb 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The changing of the guard routine is a precise art that these proudful soldiers perform every hour. There are so many gravesites and memorials to name a few among them that most peopler recognize there is the Memorial Amphitheater, John F. Kennedy, William Howard Taft, and Robert F. Kennedy gravesites.
The next monument to go see was the Jefferson monument. We went and saw it first by renting paddle boats and paddling around the tidal basin, that was a good time. I reccomend it! That evening we walked all the way along right by the Jefferson Memorial over to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Memorial. This is a newer site. With spotlights highlighting the waterfalls and statues this monument (like all of the monuments) I feel inspires the most rememberance at night.
July 11th I have declared as my George Washington Day you will understand why in a minute. That was the day we got tickets (by waiting in line at 7:30am before the ticket office opened at 8:30am) to go up in the Washington Monument in the morning and at night. The tickets are free, first come first serve. At the top you can see all around Washington DC- each window with it's special angle of the city. Following this venture we went out to George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens. I had not been back there since the 6th grade, a lot has changed. A new visitor's center has a wonderful display and a 4-d movie production of George Washington about his time at war. Touring the grounds we took a 45 min. boat ride around the Potomac River in front of the Mansion. Quick facts: The land came in to the Washington family in 1674 and while G. Washington owned it in its hay day it was an 8,000 acre establishment with 5 farms. Today the Mansion has been restored to its appearance in 1799, the last year of Washington's life. It is owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
After our time at Mount Vernon we went straight to Old Town, Alexandria, starving with hunger. We stopped and ate at 'The Wharf' a Seafood Restarant. There I ate some of the best seafood of my life. Sitting outside in the nice, warm evening air, just a little ways up from the water. I had lobster, crab and prawns while Max ate crab cakes for the first time. Again, another homerun for dinnertime! Lastly, to wrap up the evening we went up in the Washington Monument again to check out the city at night.
Side note: I have discovered a great sushi place Cafe Asia (definately, a competitor for Blue C).
July 12 I did get a chance to go to the Newseum! Being so new it is one of the only museums you have to pay for but so worth it. As a news junkie I enjoyed going through all the news archives and viewing past radio and tv clips they had to show. There's a Berlin Wall Gallery and for another exhibit they have a wall covered from top to bottom with all the news articles from around the world covering the event of the 9/11 attacks. Thanks to Komo I have already been lucky enough to sit at a real news desk (Thanks Jenni!) and be in a radio booth (Thank Eric and Lisa!). But, for those who haven't they have those booths set up at the museum for tourists (and future reporters) to practice their news anchoring skills.
One of the most powerful and moving exhibits to see there is the Pulitzer prize photos for 2008. You can read the stories that go a long with each picture. While reading each story rips at your heart strings as you develop a new relationship with each photo and event that occured. For a finale we watched the 4-d 20. min. film about the beginning of news. That concluded my day at the Newseum.
Another great walk through Georgetown and Washington Harbor eating soft-serve peanut butter, oreo ice cream was a great follow-up to the museum.
WOW! I can't believe it's already July 15th!
I think I could really get used to this East Coast Livin'.
Dan you were right when you said how much I would like it out here. Next trip you take you definately need to come here again!
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