Today was wet. It rained almost all day. Combine that with temperatures in the 50's and we were in winter again. We started our day with a tour of the US Capitol. Waste of time. We waited in various lines for about 30 minutes for a tour of basically two rooms with a tour guide who could be the daughter of Gretta Vansustren. We saw the Rotunda and Statuary Hall. After that we went over to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Cool stuff! After that we headed over to the Natural History Museum and saw the Hope Diamond. Then we headed down to the American History Museum saw the Ruby Slippers, Kermit D. Frog, Oscar the Grouch and a bunch of gowns worn by former first ladies. We had dinner at Old Ebbitt's which was a PJ Blands. Back at the hotel now staying out of the rain.
Tomorrow we are renting a car and heading to Udvar-Hazey, National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery, and to dinner with some friends.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Washington, DC - Day 2
Today was started with rest. We did not leave the hotel room until almost lunch to head off to Steven Udvar-Hazey. We stopped off at a Subway on our way to the subway. We headed out towards the airport where the air and space museum was. We arrived to realize we were not carrying exact change bus fair and could not find somewhere to get change on a Sunday. SOOOOO we turned back around and headed to the mall. We went to the museum of modern art and saw some disturbing stuff. Jeremy said ti best, "modern art is something anyone could do, the artist was just the one to think it up." My favorite piece was the big man. He looks SO REAL.
We wondered through some sculpture gardens then over to the American History Museum to find it packed. We'll be going back during the rainy week ahead. We then went over to the American National Holocaust Museum. This place was terrible. It was laid out like a 4-story Ikea, death march and all. The place was packed, over-loaded to be exact. The experience of the museum was greatly diminished because we were shuffling through oh so slowly.
We finished up at the museum and got back to our hotel around 5PM. This hotel is the most curious place I have ever stayed. It's like if a Star Trek and a James Bond film collided.
We rested a bit and then headed out to Marvin's a Belgian/Soul Food fusion restaurant. It wasn't amazing, just good. We walked back to the hotel and have decided to call it a night.
Tomorrow we go see the Capitol and do more museuming.
We wondered through some sculpture gardens then over to the American History Museum to find it packed. We'll be going back during the rainy week ahead. We then went over to the American National Holocaust Museum. This place was terrible. It was laid out like a 4-story Ikea, death march and all. The place was packed, over-loaded to be exact. The experience of the museum was greatly diminished because we were shuffling through oh so slowly.
We finished up at the museum and got back to our hotel around 5PM. This hotel is the most curious place I have ever stayed. It's like if a Star Trek and a James Bond film collided.
We rested a bit and then headed out to Marvin's a Belgian/Soul Food fusion restaurant. It wasn't amazing, just good. We walked back to the hotel and have decided to call it a night.
Tomorrow we go see the Capitol and do more museuming.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Houston to Washington DC trip report and first night in DC
Wow, it what a long day! We left the house today at 9:30 AM for our 10:50 flight. Made it to the airport around 10:10 (just in time to check our bags by 10:20 AM). (This schedule is called the Guy Felder plan. The ultimate goal of the Guy Felder plan is to arrive at the gate after everyone has boarded and before they close the cabin door. With the Guy Felder plan there is very little waiting in line and no standing in the gate area. However, the Guy Felder plan makes some people nervous. I concede to those people that the Guy Felder plan leaves very little room for error, this is why it should only be deployed at one's home airport.)
We were on the plane by 10:40 in the morning getting settled in for our flight. We ended up sharing a row with Anise Parker (who is running for Mayor of Houston and has my support), so that was cool. We were told around 10:45 that we did not have a full crew and that they were waiting for a first officer from a flight from Austin so we would be leaving shortly after 11:00AM. I turned to Anise and Jeremy and said, "We we won't be out of here before noon." Ten minutes later the pilot came on again and announced that the airport was closed due to weather and we were going to de-plane.
Weather delays happen. There is no point in getting upset about it; it's one of those "help to accept the things I can not control" sort of things. Jeremy and I got comfy around an electrical outlet and began to entertain ourselves with various movies. At first they told us 12:30, then 2:30 then 4:00. We did not get back on again until 4:00 in the afternoon, five hours later. I can't say that the delay was difficult. I watched a movie and read a book and just took it in stride. I could be sitting at home or sitting at an airport. We landed in Washington, DC around 8:00 PM (5.5 hours late). If you ever fly to Washington DC I suggest landing at Reagan National Airport and sitting on the left side of the plane with a window view. On approach the plans flies right past the National Cathedral, Watergate hotel, Kennedy Center, all the monuments on the mall and then turns to touch down. You get to see a great aerial view of how the mall is laid out. We grabbed our luggage and hopped on the Metro into DC.
I have to say that I always enjoy being a city where there great public transit and DC, while no New York or Chicago, has pretty good mass transit. The metro stations are clean and the trains come at pretty regular intervals. We had to walk about .25 miles from our station to the hotel with luggage in tow.
The subway stations on the DC Metro or beautiful. They look as though they were designed in the 1960's. I am not a design expert but the use of concrete and lighting is amazing. Most subway stations in New York and Chicago or these low ceilinged, drippy, dank platforms where the train is preceded by a rush of dank air. These metro stations were like being inside a large coffered archways with lights that shine up from either side and from the middle.
After we checked into our hotel we checked out the maps to find the best way down to the mall. We hopped back onto the subway for a short ride over to the Smithsonian museums and then did the rest of the trip on foot.
I love seeing the mall at night. The entire mall is either dimly lit or not lit at all which is in stark contrast to the monuments which are brightly lit. It is a really neat affect. I like it because it tends to mask the people, it almost feels like it's just you and monument.
Click here to see a map of our treck (I can't figure out how to get it to embed).
We started out over on the Smithsonian side of the mall and headed straight for the Washington Monument. We walked around the monument watching the shadows of the people who played in the lights. Just after the Washington Monument is the newest monument, the World War II monument. The best way I can describe it is theatrical. It is full of waterfalls and lights with huge pillars. Very loud and bombastic. it is nice to visit, but not one of my favorite ones. We left the World War II monument and decided to walk down the reflecting pond towards the Lincoln Memorial. I love the Lincoln Memorial, especially at night.
As you walk towards it you begin to see President Lincoln's statue appearing from behind the columns, it is almost like it is glowing. Then you walk up the main steps and into the monument and I find that I have to just stand there for a moment in front of that huge statue of President Lincoln seated in that chair. Every time I go there I am moved deeply. I am moved because it is a very tangible realization of my national heritage which is something we do not have a lot of in places outside of our capitol.
On either side of the Lincoln Memorial there are two great speeches inscribed; the Gettysburg Address and his 2nd Inaugural. I am familiar with both, however, I wanted to read them again. As I read the Gettysburg address I felt a great sense of shame towards those in my state who, today, talk of secession. I stood there, reading these lines inscribed on the wall:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I thought to myself, "how dare they?" How dare they who bring up secession because the freely elected leaders of this country are not leading as they see fit even suggest that such a thing should happen. How dare they devalue the lives of every person who fought in the civil war? I went and sat on the steps of the memorial and looked back out over the reflection pond at the Washington Monument. I snapped this picture (that's Jeremy's head.)
We then headed off to see our last monument, The Jefferson Memorial. To get there you have to walk past the Korean War Memorial. Out of all the war memorials the Korean War and World War I memorials are my favorites. The Korean War memorial is just statues of soldiers in tableau. It is very moving (no pun intended). World War I is a stone gazebo tucked away in the woods on the side of the mall. It is so peaceful, many times people can be seen there just reading a book.
I snapped a few photos as we headed around the tidal basin to the Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson Memorial is another one that I find very moving. This larger than life statue of Jefferson standing in the middle of a beautiful rotunda. The proportions are just awesome. As I read the text on the walls this one stood out to me the most:
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
We landed back at the hotel around midnight ready for bed. Today we plan on the following:
National and and Space Museum
United State Holocaust Museum
To see all the pictures from last night go to: http://gallery.me.com/casperey1978#100042
We were on the plane by 10:40 in the morning getting settled in for our flight. We ended up sharing a row with Anise Parker (who is running for Mayor of Houston and has my support), so that was cool. We were told around 10:45 that we did not have a full crew and that they were waiting for a first officer from a flight from Austin so we would be leaving shortly after 11:00AM. I turned to Anise and Jeremy and said, "We we won't be out of here before noon." Ten minutes later the pilot came on again and announced that the airport was closed due to weather and we were going to de-plane.
Weather delays happen. There is no point in getting upset about it; it's one of those "help to accept the things I can not control" sort of things. Jeremy and I got comfy around an electrical outlet and began to entertain ourselves with various movies. At first they told us 12:30, then 2:30 then 4:00. We did not get back on again until 4:00 in the afternoon, five hours later. I can't say that the delay was difficult. I watched a movie and read a book and just took it in stride. I could be sitting at home or sitting at an airport. We landed in Washington, DC around 8:00 PM (5.5 hours late). If you ever fly to Washington DC I suggest landing at Reagan National Airport and sitting on the left side of the plane with a window view. On approach the plans flies right past the National Cathedral, Watergate hotel, Kennedy Center, all the monuments on the mall and then turns to touch down. You get to see a great aerial view of how the mall is laid out. We grabbed our luggage and hopped on the Metro into DC.
I have to say that I always enjoy being a city where there great public transit and DC, while no New York or Chicago, has pretty good mass transit. The metro stations are clean and the trains come at pretty regular intervals. We had to walk about .25 miles from our station to the hotel with luggage in tow.
The subway stations on the DC Metro or beautiful. They look as though they were designed in the 1960's. I am not a design expert but the use of concrete and lighting is amazing. Most subway stations in New York and Chicago or these low ceilinged, drippy, dank platforms where the train is preceded by a rush of dank air. These metro stations were like being inside a large coffered archways with lights that shine up from either side and from the middle.
After we checked into our hotel we checked out the maps to find the best way down to the mall. We hopped back onto the subway for a short ride over to the Smithsonian museums and then did the rest of the trip on foot.
I love seeing the mall at night. The entire mall is either dimly lit or not lit at all which is in stark contrast to the monuments which are brightly lit. It is a really neat affect. I like it because it tends to mask the people, it almost feels like it's just you and monument.
Click here to see a map of our treck (I can't figure out how to get it to embed).
We started out over on the Smithsonian side of the mall and headed straight for the Washington Monument. We walked around the monument watching the shadows of the people who played in the lights. Just after the Washington Monument is the newest monument, the World War II monument. The best way I can describe it is theatrical. It is full of waterfalls and lights with huge pillars. Very loud and bombastic. it is nice to visit, but not one of my favorite ones. We left the World War II monument and decided to walk down the reflecting pond towards the Lincoln Memorial. I love the Lincoln Memorial, especially at night.
As you walk towards it you begin to see President Lincoln's statue appearing from behind the columns, it is almost like it is glowing. Then you walk up the main steps and into the monument and I find that I have to just stand there for a moment in front of that huge statue of President Lincoln seated in that chair. Every time I go there I am moved deeply. I am moved because it is a very tangible realization of my national heritage which is something we do not have a lot of in places outside of our capitol.
On either side of the Lincoln Memorial there are two great speeches inscribed; the Gettysburg Address and his 2nd Inaugural. I am familiar with both, however, I wanted to read them again. As I read the Gettysburg address I felt a great sense of shame towards those in my state who, today, talk of secession. I stood there, reading these lines inscribed on the wall:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I thought to myself, "how dare they?" How dare they who bring up secession because the freely elected leaders of this country are not leading as they see fit even suggest that such a thing should happen. How dare they devalue the lives of every person who fought in the civil war? I went and sat on the steps of the memorial and looked back out over the reflection pond at the Washington Monument. I snapped this picture (that's Jeremy's head.)
We then headed off to see our last monument, The Jefferson Memorial. To get there you have to walk past the Korean War Memorial. Out of all the war memorials the Korean War and World War I memorials are my favorites. The Korean War memorial is just statues of soldiers in tableau. It is very moving (no pun intended). World War I is a stone gazebo tucked away in the woods on the side of the mall. It is so peaceful, many times people can be seen there just reading a book.
I snapped a few photos as we headed around the tidal basin to the Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson Memorial is another one that I find very moving. This larger than life statue of Jefferson standing in the middle of a beautiful rotunda. The proportions are just awesome. As I read the text on the walls this one stood out to me the most:
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
We landed back at the hotel around midnight ready for bed. Today we plan on the following:
National and and Space Museum
United State Holocaust Museum
To see all the pictures from last night go to: http://gallery.me.com/casperey1978#100042
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