Washington D.C.

[tallguy]

GF and I are going to Washington D.C. next month.  We've got ten days and many museums and other attractions to try and see.  Have scheduled a U.S. Capitol tour and are still waiting to hear about a White House tour.  Which of the others are "must-sees" and which are a bit over-rated?  Thanks.

[Tennesseer]

Always Arlington National Cemetery and the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

Holocaust museum too.

[tallguy]

Unfortunately, those are two that GF won't do.  I may anyway since she wants to see some that I am not particularly interested in.  Who says we need to spend every day together, right?

Come to think of it, we may have to spend several days apart to see what we want.  Already know that ten days is not going to be nearly long enough.  
  

[saveinla]

Spy museum was good.

[tallguy]

We will obviously do the various presidential and war memorials.  She is big on Lincoln, so wants to do Lincoln's Cottage and Ford's Theater.  I'll go along with those.  She also wants to do the National Gallery of Art and the Sculpture Garden, along with the new African-American Museum that is supposed to be outstanding.  I'm happy to do those as well.  A couple that she has listed that I am not as enthused about are the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Portrait Gallery.  On the other hand, I am more interested in the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Zoo, and probably the National Archives than she is.  It'll be a fun trip, and the first time to D.C. for both of us.  We just may have a bit less togetherness than we usually do when travelling.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Separate experiences might make an enjoyable end of day conversation. 

[resolution]

I tried to go to the African-American Museum about six months ago, and they weren't allowing walk ins. It was so popular that you had to reserve tickets in advance to get in. Idk if it is still that overcrowded, but you may want to reserve your tickets in advance.

[seriousthistime]

Washington D.C. is one of the most beautiful places at night with the monuments lit up.  

Maybe take a Viator tour around the city one evening? 

[Tennesseer]

Last time I was in Washington, D.C. was in 2003.  A former manager of mine asked that I assist her in a company EEO investigation.  All week, during the morning, we worked on the investigation.  Afternoon and evenings were spent touring and dining.

One of my favorite stops was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  I had been there before as a young teen with my family.  Forty plus years later I was back for another visit.

[tallguy]

Mar 28, 2024 10:50:38 GMT -5 resolution said:

I tried to go to the African-American Museum about six months ago, and they weren't allowing walk ins. It was so popular that you had to reserve tickets in advance to get in. Idk if it is still that overcrowded, but you may want to reserve your tickets in advance.

We've got a couple weeks so will be checking to see if anything needs to be set up in advance.  Thanks.

[tallguy]

Mar 28, 2024 11:21:08 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Last time I was in Washington, D.C. was in 2003.  A former manager of mine asked that I assist her in a company EEO investigation.  All week, during the morning, we worked on the investigation.  Afternoon and evenings were spent touring and dining.

One of my favorite stops was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  I had been there before as a young teen with my family.  Forty plus years later I was back for another visit.

We did what we called "Museum Week" in Chicago a few years ago.  One of the tremendous museums there is The Field Museum of Natural History.  That was pretty impressive, but I'm guessing the Smithsonian would be even better.  The others we did that week were the Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, and there may have been one more.  We did miss the Adler Planetarium because it was still closed from COVID.  Can't have everything, I guess. 

[swamp]

Zoo

[busymom]

DD did an internship there for a semester.  These are her suggestions:  they should go up the Washington Monument, visit the Holocaust Museum, visit the Spy and Crime Museums, also both the Smithsonian of American History and Smithsonian of Natural History. They should also make an effort to visit the Jefferson Memorial, MLK Memorial. The Korean Memorial looks best at night.

Whatever you decide to do, there is a lot to see there.  Enjoy!     (Personally, I liked the WWII Memorial, but that's because my Dad served our country in that conflict.  I also visited the Spy Museum many years ago, and was delighted when I heard Hetty's voice from NCIS overhead narrating my tour.)  

[tallguy]

Mar 29, 2024 0:05:49 GMT -5 busymom said:

DD did an internship there for a semester.  These are her suggestions:  they should go up the Washington Monument, visit the Holocaust Museum, visit the Spy and Crime Museums, also both the Smithsonian of American History and Smithsonian of Natural History. They should also make an effort to visit the Jefferson Memorial, MLK Memorial. The Korean Memorial looks best at night.

Whatever you decide to do, there is a lot to see there.  Enjoy!     (Personally, I liked the WWII Memorial, but that's because my Dad served our country in that conflict.  I also visited the Spy Museum many years ago, and was delighted when I heard Hetty's voice from NCIS overhead narrating my tour.)  

The actress' name is Linda Hunt, and she has done a LOT of voice work over the years as a narrator.  Those credits include maybe a dozen episodes of The American Experience, as well as some other documentaries.

[Tennesseer]

Mar 29, 2024 0:41:07 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Mar 29, 2024 0:05:49 GMT -5 busymom said:

DD did an internship there for a semester.  These are her suggestions:  they should go up the Washington Monument, visit the Holocaust Museum, visit the Spy and Crime Museums, also both the Smithsonian of American History and Smithsonian of Natural History. They should also make an effort to visit the Jefferson Memorial, MLK Memorial. The Korean Memorial looks best at night.

Whatever you decide to do, there is a lot to see there.  Enjoy!     (Personally, I liked the WWII Memorial, but that's because my Dad served our country in that conflict.  I also visited the Spy Museum many years ago, and was delighted when I heard Hetty's voice from NCIS overhead narrating my tour.)  

The actress' name is Linda Hunt, and she has done a LOT of voice work over the years as a narrator.  Those credits include maybe a dozen episodes of The American Experience, as well as some other documentaries.

Linda Hunt won a Best supporting actress Acadeny Award for playing a man in the movie The Year Of Living Dangerousiy. Good movie.

[tallguy]

Got started for real today.  Went to the Lincoln Memorial first.  Walked along the reflecting pool to the WWII Memorial.  Went by the Washington Monument but haven't managed to get a ticket yet so didn't go up.  Then went to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  Saw everything but not as much in depth on the last one as I wanted to.  Still, a good day and good weather.  Have reservations for the ones that need them the rest of the week, but have time to add more if we can.  Weather may not hold for us though.

[tallguy]

So if anyone is interested, here is Day Two:

Started at the Jefferson Memorial.  Then walked around the Tidal Basin to the FDR Memorial and the MLK Memorial.  Went from there to the Korean War Memorial and the Viet Nam Memorial.  (Yes, we should have done those yesterday since they are so close to the Lincoln Memorial but I was letting the GF decide.)  Then walked to the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture.  It was very good, but it was too crowded to read as much as I wanted. 

GF was getting tired of walking, so wanted to leave and then try to come back another day to finish.  I let her know we would need to get another pass for another day.  It had begun to rain when we tried to leave and then the hail started.  She was trying to arrange an Uber but it was taking a while.  I suggested that since it was raining so hard we should just go back in and finish what we didn't see, so she cancelled the ride.  Went back and viewed the exhibits upstairs on music and sports, then left again.  Clear weather and didn't get rained on.  Perfect.  

[tallguy]

Day Three - Started at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  We have the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and I have also been to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, so I have seen replicas and reproductions.  To see the real and the original is just...different.  The real Wright Flyer that Orville and Wilbur built and flew in 1903.  A piece of that plane and the wing material that Neil Armstrong took to the moon in his pocket and brought back.  One of only five Wright bicycles known to exist.  The real Apollo XI command module.  Armstrong's space suit from that first landing, along with some other items he took home from that mission.  Eugene Cernan's boots from his trip to the moon.  The Gemini VII capsule.  Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 capsule.  And for those whose interests are more land-based, the cars that Mario Andretti won the Indy 500 and that Richard Petty won his 200th race, along with a rocket sled that broke a land-speed record going 632 mph.  A lot of incredible things there, even with half the museum closed for renovation.  One of the most surprisingly fascinating was the heat shield on the Apollo XI Command Module, "Columbia" where you can see the holes and missing chunks resulting from re-entry, along with a side-by-side comparison of an ablated and non-ablated tile.  Next to that are the several individual layers of material of which the tiles are made up.   

Went next to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.  It is a beautiful curved-stone building.  There were some good parts to the museum, but not as interesting to me as the others I have seen.  Two big parts focused on were the various tribal treaties that were made and broken by the United States and the removal of tribes from their native lands.  Met one of GF's long-time family friends there and then walked to a wonderful restaurant which he recommended for dinner.  A James Beard Award-winning chef at a restaurant that was once listed among the 100 best restaurants in the country?  Okay, if I have to, I guess....  Then went to his apartment to visit and meet his partner, who was also delightful.  GF set up a visit from them in Seattle next month, and a likely reunion with both along with his parents in London later on.  As days go, it wasn't bad.  

[Tennesseer]

Apr 16, 2024 22:35:32 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Day Three - Started at the Smithsonian National Air and Space...

Is the FedEx Falcon aircraft still exhibited at the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum? At one time one of the Falcons was on display.

[tallguy]

Apr 16, 2024 22:53:43 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Apr 16, 2024 22:35:32 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Day Three - Started at the Smithsonian National Air and Space...

Is the FedEx Falcon aircraft still exhibited at the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum? At one time one of the Falcons was on display.

I did not make particular note of it, but do think I remember seeing some things related to FedEx at the museum.  The actual plane may be at the Udvar-Hazy Center though.  That is a separate facility.

[wvugurl26]

Udvar Hazy is definitely worth it although it's a drive. One of the space shuttles is there along with the Blackbird.

The Spy museum was recommended to me this week by a trainer who used to work for Defense Intelligence.

My niece did a school trip a year or two ago and I want to make it the archives now.

I'm trying to plan a short kid friendly trip for June. My cousin is bringing her kids to visit.

Visiting more of the museums is on my list. I can drive to a Metro station and take the train in. We should take advantage of that more.

[tallguy]

Very interesting couple of days.  Yesterday was the White House tour.  The process to get tickets is bad enough, but the screening process to get in?  Wow.  Once inside, you can look into certain rooms: The Movie Theater, the Library, the Vermeil Room, the China Room, and maybe a couple others.  You can then walk through the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room.  According to the sign, the East Room is where LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where President Ford took the oath of office in 1974, and where the Camp David Accords were signed in 1978.  Seven of the eight presidents who died in office have lain in state there, including Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.  We also did a couple of other things, such as the Department of the Interior Museum (which was nice but small), and the DAR building and library.

Today's adventures began with a U.S. Capitol tour.  That is a guided group tour with headphones, and was very good.  The Rotunda is particularly impressive, with the structure itself, the friezes, the paintings, and the statuary.  We then went through the Supreme Court building.  There was a presentation which we missed the start by a minute. Would have been nice to see, but they did not allow entry once it had begun and waiting an hour was not an option, so we left.  I then had to go find my senator's office to get gallery passes for both the House and the Senate.  Representatives only have House passes available.  Senators have both.  I also went to the office of my representative to thank the staff and pass along a note to the Congressperson with thanks for requesting the White House passes.  I also stopped at the office of another Representative to ask that a note be passed to possibly confirm a family connection to the Congressperson.  Will see where that goes.

During my explorations of three office buildings, I walked right past the offices of such notables as Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, and representatives Jim Jordan and Paul Gosar.  You can imagine how thrilled I was.  

We then went back to the Capitol.  Nothing was really happening in the House, other than a lone speaker talking about the border.  I then went to the Senate gallery and found my GF there (we had split briefly as she went to lunch and I went elsewhere.)  The senators were hearing about H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act.  They then held the vote.  Very few senators were there during the roll call, but they trickled in over time and voted.  It was strange to see people come in, look at the clerk, flash a thumb up or down, and have it be counted as their vote.  Somehow I was expecting it to be a little more formal.  Some of the ones I recognized were Senators Romney, Warren, Cruz, Hawley, and Rubio.  I think I saw Senator Murray walk through, and may have seen the Vice-President come out briefly.  My GF had arrived there earlier, and said she saw Senators McConnell and Schumer speak.  

The best part was on my walk alone after GF had gone to lunch.  I was walking back by the Supreme Court building, and was just in time to see an outdoor press conference on the sidewalk in front of the Court.  Representatives Melanie Stansbury, co-leads Jamie Raskin and Ilhan Omar, another gentleman I did not catch his name but I assume to be a representative, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (who led the version in the Senate) were announcing the Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act.  Each spoke for several minutes, and I recorded both Senator Blumenthal's and Representative Raskin's remarks from 10-12 feet away.  Yes, Clarence Thomas was mentioned more than once in the remarks.  And yes, I truly enjoyed it being right in front of the Supreme Court.

This trip is making me feel much better as an American.  Seeing and hearing people like Jamie Raskin gives me hope, and I was able to shake his hand and thank him for his work.  

Oh, forgot to mention.  We also walked by the ceremonial office of the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson just outside the Rotunda.  That one thrilled me too.  

[Tennesseer]

tallguy - did you see any bags of cocaine in a cubby near the West Executive entrance of the White House?   

[tallguy]

No, they didn't let us anywhere near there.  Much less of a chance to find anything anyway, now that Ronny Jackson isn't running things any more. 

[tallguy]

A LOT of walking the last few days.  Split up and did things separately.  I went to the National Zoo on Friday and Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday.  Enjoyed the Zoo and was impressed by Arlington, since "enjoyed" is probably not the right word for a cemetery.  19,000 steps both days, so not exactly light.  Went together to Lincoln's Cottage on Saturday, which was surprisingly good although we did pay for that one.  To sit at an exact replica of the desk, in the exact spot in the room, that Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation was pretty cool.  There is even a copy of the hand-written pages on the desk to read.