Wednesday was another full day, this time exploring Washington a little. The weather is cloudy, and a little cool, but we're grateful it's not hot, and that it's not raining on us!
If you've ever seen the show "Amazing Race", it will give you a glimpse of our day. We let ourselves sleep in a little at Mike and Becky's, then had a nice home cooked breakfast at their house, but we didn't leave ourselves quite enough time for the drive in to Washington. We had tickets to tour the Capitol, and you're supposed to be there 20 minutes early to go through security. We parked the car at Union Station and then ran, literally, to the Capitol. We got in the security line at the time we were supposed to be in line for our tour! Fortunately, things run a little slow there - either that or they were holding up 200 people, waiting for us! :) The tour starts with a 13 minute movie that teaches both about how our system of government works, and about the history of our country that led to the Founding Fathers setting up this system. It was very well done. After that, you are grouped with your tour guide, and led through the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and the Crypt (so named because it's a lower room with columns to support the rotunda, not because there is anything buried there.) Our guide was very good - nice loud voice, because there are several tours going on at once time - knowledgeable, and a little entertaining. After that, we moved to a different line, for our visit into the House of Representatives Gallery. They are even stricter with security there, so we went into a room where we left our cameras, hand sanitizer, and umbrella with an attendant. Then upstairs to go through a metal detector, right before going in the gallery. The House was in session, although not very well attended. The gentleman from New York and the lady from Florida were disagreeing on an amendment that, if passed, would have an effect on other amendments. That's all the info we could garner from our short time sitting there. The room is beautiful, but there was no one to tell us about it, like the paintings on the wall, or what the designs meant, etc.
After the Gallery, we went back to the Visitors' Center. This is a brand-new building, completed less than a year ago, and I must say, I was very impressed. It's beautifully done, and in many ways mirrors the Capitol building, i.e. the stone, and style. They have moved some of the statues over from the Capitol building (each state has two), so it feels like part of the Capitol building, not just an afterthought. There are two parts - Emancipation Hall, and the Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition Hall has, yes, you guessed it, exhibitions. A giant 3-D model of the Capitol dome, from the inside and the outside, to closer study it. Small replicas of DC through the years provide a visual of how the area has changed. There are also documents and objects from our history, such as the table next to Lincoln during his second inaugural address: "With malice toward none, with charity for all; with firmness to do the right, as God gives us to see the right..." One of the ten great speeches of our country - look it up online and read it for yourself, I'm sure you'll agree!
Emancipation Hall is where room where we lined up for the tour, and also houses the dining room. This was probably our best lunch of the vacation - the food in there is amazing. We're not talking hot dogs and pizza here. Laura had "American Bounty" which was turkey, cabbage and cranberries with cornbread. Tony, Julianna and Bodie had the salad bar, and I had a softshell crab sandwich with a side of buttermilk mashed potatoes. And all of that meant saying no to the pastas, pizzas, burgers, American hot dog selection (Chicago, New York, Fenway, etc) and the International selection of the week: India.
From the Visitors' Center, you can walk through a tunnel to the Library of Congress, where we viewed the Great Hall. From there, we walked to the most popular Smithsonian museum - the Air and Space. Apollo 11 capsule and lunar module, the Spirit of St Louis, the Wright Brothers' flyer, military planes, a small replica of an aircraft carrier... so much to see. We were getting tired by this time, but there was always something to compel you into the next room.
From there we had to run - again - this time back to Union Station, for our "Twilight Tour of the Monuments". We made it in time to pick up our tickets, but hadn't left enough room for a proper dinner. So we did the next best thing. The Godiva chocolate store next to the ticket kiosk. Oh, don't worry, it was healthy. Chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered almonds, and coconut macaroons. Oh, and then Laura found a place selling french fries, so we had our veggies, too! :)
We had a wonderful tour guide for our trip. She told us lots about the buildings we were passing, and was jocular and friendly. We stopped at the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR, the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korea, and the WWII. The FDR, Korea and WWII were new to me, having been built in the last ten years, but all were stunning. Even though it had been cloudy all day, as it starts to get dark, the monuments are a beautiful sight. And, of course, the fireflies had come out! Each monument has much to study, quotes to read, and each does a wonderful job of making you think, reminding you, and giving you cause for appreciation. This is a beautiful city, indeed, and we owe our gratitude to the artists who design that beauty, the brave Americans who have kept this country free, and "ordinary" Americans who make the monuments happen, and who keep the city, and the government, working. God blesses America, indeed.
After the Gallery, we went back to the Visitors' Center. This is a brand-new building, completed less than a year ago, and I must say, I was very impressed. It's beautifully done, and in many ways mirrors the Capitol building, i.e. the stone, and style. They have moved some of the statues over from the Capitol building (each state has two), so it feels like part of the Capitol building, not just an afterthought. There are two parts - Emancipation Hall, and the Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition Hall has, yes, you guessed it, exhibitions. A giant 3-D model of the Capitol dome, from the inside and the outside, to closer study it. Small replicas of DC through the years provide a visual of how the area has changed. There are also documents and objects from our history, such as the table next to Lincoln during his second inaugural address: "With malice toward none, with charity for all; with firmness to do the right, as God gives us to see the right..." One of the ten great speeches of our country - look it up online and read it for yourself, I'm sure you'll agree!
Emancipation Hall is where room where we lined up for the tour, and also houses the dining room. This was probably our best lunch of the vacation - the food in there is amazing. We're not talking hot dogs and pizza here. Laura had "American Bounty" which was turkey, cabbage and cranberries with cornbread. Tony, Julianna and Bodie had the salad bar, and I had a softshell crab sandwich with a side of buttermilk mashed potatoes. And all of that meant saying no to the pastas, pizzas, burgers, American hot dog selection (Chicago, New York, Fenway, etc) and the International selection of the week: India.
From the Visitors' Center, you can walk through a tunnel to the Library of Congress, where we viewed the Great Hall. From there, we walked to the most popular Smithsonian museum - the Air and Space. Apollo 11 capsule and lunar module, the Spirit of St Louis, the Wright Brothers' flyer, military planes, a small replica of an aircraft carrier... so much to see. We were getting tired by this time, but there was always something to compel you into the next room.
From there we had to run - again - this time back to Union Station, for our "Twilight Tour of the Monuments". We made it in time to pick up our tickets, but hadn't left enough room for a proper dinner. So we did the next best thing. The Godiva chocolate store next to the ticket kiosk. Oh, don't worry, it was healthy. Chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered almonds, and coconut macaroons. Oh, and then Laura found a place selling french fries, so we had our veggies, too! :)
We had a wonderful tour guide for our trip. She told us lots about the buildings we were passing, and was jocular and friendly. We stopped at the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR, the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korea, and the WWII. The FDR, Korea and WWII were new to me, having been built in the last ten years, but all were stunning. Even though it had been cloudy all day, as it starts to get dark, the monuments are a beautiful sight. And, of course, the fireflies had come out! Each monument has much to study, quotes to read, and each does a wonderful job of making you think, reminding you, and giving you cause for appreciation. This is a beautiful city, indeed, and we owe our gratitude to the artists who design that beauty, the brave Americans who have kept this country free, and "ordinary" Americans who make the monuments happen, and who keep the city, and the government, working. God blesses America, indeed.
Oh what memories! They seemed like years ago that Brandon & I were there yet it was only 2 months. I just remembered a question I could have put in the kids question...... can't remember what you called it, but did you know there was a missed spelled word in one of the speeches in the Lincoln Memorial?
ReplyDeleteWhat a full, busy, fun day!! What's wrong with that dinner? Sounds good to me!!
ReplyDelete