In November 2012 Tim and I went on a trip just the two of us. We decided to go to Washington, D.C. Tim had never been and I had not been since I was very little. What a fantastic choice! Pixie kept standing on my suitcase when I was trying to pack. I'm not sure why her eyes look so weird in this pic. I think she was trying to go with us as a stowaway!
At breakfast our 1st day there! We stayed at a Courtyard in Arlington, just a short train ride away from the center of D.C. It was probably the crummiest Courtyard we have ever stayed in. Good thing we were not there very much!
On March 19, 2013, 4 months after we were there, the White House closed to the public. Fortunately, we were able to go on a tour. We had to apply weeks in advance via a letter and request including some personal information to John McCain. He then approved our visit and we were required to go at a certain date and time to tour. They take you on a very limited tour, of course, but it was still super interesting. They give you quite a bit of history on the tour and tell you a little about what goes on in different rooms.
This is a view of the Washington Monument from the back side of the White House.
This is a view of the park next to the White House from the back side.
At the end of this street below you can see the Nation's Capitol. I very much enjoyed all of the architecture and took a ton of pictures! I just wish we had a half way decent camera to take pictures with! (These are all cell phone pics!)
Unfortunately, there was an earthquake a couple of years ago and the Washington Monument was damaged so it was closed.
We went to all the Smithsonian Museums. So incredibly interesting and cool. Tim made fun of me for taking a picture of Harry Potter's robes. He's just a dumb muggle though...
Cannot even imagine crossing the plains in one of these suckers!
An early locomotive / train engine.
The exhibits were all set up very creatively. They didn't just have the car sitting there, they made it look like it was part of a little town. Same with this travel trailer below. Seeing this travel trailer made me think of the "I Love Lucy" movie about the travel trailer...so funny!
Such cool cars.
An old subway car.
A statue of George Washington that was given as a gift from an artist in Greece.
This exhibit was absolutely amazing. The Star-Spangled Banner, the original piece of cloth sewed together was on display in a special room that was of a certain temperature, humidity, and low lighting. No photos were allowed.
This is what it actually looks like. Scraps are gone and were cut out. It is said that pieces were cut out and given as souvenirs to certain people. The flag was originally 30 ft by 42 ft and is currently 30 ft by 32 ft due to this and just plain weathering.
Abraham Lincoln's death mask.
We thought this was soooooo cool! In the American History museum, there was an original sun stone from the original Nauvoo temple. It was incredibly completely in tact. Below in the little glass box is a commemorative plate from the year the temple was built.
Took this picture for Chance...a baseball signed by Babe Ruth in 1929 at the height of his amazing batting career.
I was incredibly bummed. I went to the Smithsonian wanting to view the Star-Spangled Banner (it was amazing) and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Sadly, they were temporarily taken off exhibit and sent to freaking London. They had Kermit the Frog in their place, the original puppet used in 1970.
The Old Post Office. The statue is of Benjamin Franklin.
Tim Yelped this place and it was raved about for its burgers. Can't remember what it was called. It was a ghetto dive, and those places are usually good. But this place was just plain a grease pit. Oh well.
Capitol Hill! The best part about D.C. was that we didn't plan out trip at all, except for arranging our tour through the White House. We just showed up and did everything we could, went to every building we could and walked and walked to every memorial we could and to every museum we could. Such an amazing trip! There was a lot we didn't realize about D.C. until we got there. For example, we didn't know that you could tour the capitol until we went inside and signed up for a guided tour! So interesting!
Pictures of the Rotunda of the Capitol.
There were these gorgeous paintings in the Rotunda of early American History.
And carvings on the walls, each depicting something different as well as displaying symbolism.
Lots of statues and busts were there too...
So the below picture shows where Abraham Lincoln's desk was when he was a Senate Representative. Of course, now, the entire room is used for touring, history and museum type purposes now.
I can't remember which building this was...I was just taking all the pics I could of all the amazing architecture. This was across from the Capitol.
We had amazing Peking Duck while in D.C.! Mmmmmm my mouth is watering just looking at the yummy food.
This is one of the ways that Tim reacts when I want to take a picture of him. Brat.
Chinatown! We didn't do much there...just wanted to take a picture.
Tim found a cell phone holder! Actually, it wasn't a cold as it normally is there the middle of November. We got really lucky and I guess we brought the sunshine from Phoenix with us!
Another dive we went to is actually pretty popular and super busy and very old. Lincoln's Waffles. Perfectly cooked greasy and wonderful breakfast food. Crappy service by people you can hardly understand. You don't really want to look too closely at the floor and you certainly don't want to see the kitchen. Awesome.
This is the front of Lincoln's Waffles.
When we finished breakfast and walked outside, a ton of people were lined up across the street. We are apparently idiots and didn't realize that Lincoln's Waffles was across the street from the Ford theatre. So we go inside and were trying to get in line to get into a tour that day. The cost for a guided tour (with headphones) throughout the theatre and museum was about $35. A woman approached us and told us she had two of these tickets if we wanted them because her family members didn't show up. We tried to pay her for the tickets and she refused. Wow!
The tour was amazing. (I need to come up with better word to describe things on our blog...maybe I should use a thesaurus. Nah, too much work; I am barely getting this journalling done as it is!)
The theatre has gone through a bit of renovation, but the booth where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated is all original, as it was that night of the play. There was an intense reverence that I cannot quite describe. I don't know if it is because Abraham Lincoln in general greatly intrigues me or that we were physically in the space where he was brutally murdered, or both, but tears came to my eyes as we stood there.
Inside the museum...there actually weren't any pictures allowed in the museum and I accidentally took this one before I realized it. This is an actual suit of Lincoln's. They also had the pillow with his blood on it that he was laid on in the hotel across the street from the theatre after he was shot. They had an exhibit that described in detail the whole kidnapping efforts to take Lincoln.
The J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
You couldn't see into any of the windows. The building was quite ominous looking, I thought.
The Museum of Natural History!
Giant Squid! 36 freaking feet long!!!!!
It was so grotesque looking!
They had an interesting exhibit about the deep ocean animals. Creepy!
The Jewels Museum...this is the Hope Diamond. Due to the glare and the glass around it, I couldn't get a clear picture of it with my crappy phone. It is HUGE when you realize you are looking at one diamond. 45.52 carats, and it used to be much bigger! The following pictures are of the history and evolution of the diamond. It was extremely interesting to me.
The National Air and Space Museum! Timmy liked this one, of course. The Air Force band was playing; they were incredibly good. I could have listened to them all day but Tim walked away after listening for only a few minutes.
The Spirit of St. Louis!
These 2 people were dressed up outside the museum. Random. Cool.
The National Art Museum. We could have spent a lot more time in here...there is soooooo much to do in D.C. and ALL of it is interesting!
I love this painting depicting the birth of our Saviour. Each picture should have a matching description in the photo below it.
I've always loved Monet and Pissaro. I am not an art buff by any means, but I think impressionism is beautiful and uplifting always.
Very exciting to see in person.
Fogo de Chao!!!! Mmmmmm my mouth is watering and my tummy is grumbling just looking at these pictures! Fogo de Chao is a Brazilian BBQ, or Churrascaria, is a magical place where you can eat multiple cuts of beef and other meats too, all perfectly prepared in an oven in the ground. They come around to your table offering you fresh cuts right off of the grill and you eat all you want. There is also usually an incredibly huge buffet, complete with the best rice and beans among other items. And of course, the little soft, cheesy bread balls from heaven called Pao de Queijo. Oh man..............
The Archives of the United States of America building. We went there to see amazing things like the Declaration of Indepence! Wow there were so many historical articles, I can't even begin to name them all. There were no pictures allowed but man it was a high in my life. They also had an exhibit with original recordings and transcripts and documents from The Cuban Missile Crisis. So magnificent! There, that's a new word!
Another dive Tim yelped was a hot dog place, specializing in these chili dogs that look like poo! This place, apparently, is wildly popular and it is off the beaten path, kind of in the ghetto. It was called Ben's Chili Bowl. I have to admit that it was good.
Next up, the World War II Memorial. Every state has a pillar like this.
Still at the World War II monument, looking toward The Lincoln Memorial.
On our walk next to the reflection pool. I didn't realize how incredibly long this was until I walked it!
Nice face Tim...
Really???
Ok, that's better, thank you.
Again? What a goofball I am married to!
The Lincoln Memorial.
This statue of Abraham Lincoln that I have seen dozens of times in movies and TV shows took my breath away at its sheer size. I didn't expect it to be that big.
I love to read words that The President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln has written. Such an eloquent speaker and writer. Wish I could be as proud of our president today...
Then down the hill to the Vietnam Wall Memorial. I thought of my dad and all the men, women and children he watched die in the war in Vietnam. I read the names on the wall. I took pictures to try to remember how I felt. I cried.
Can you see Tim's reflection?
I did this for Chance. He likes Albert Einstein. We ran into this enormous bronze statue while walking the streets of D.C.
Our last stop (we were so tired at this point from walking ALL OVER D.C.!) was the Arlington Cemetery.
This is the view of D.C. from the burial site of the Kennedys.
The grave sites for President John F. Kennedy and Jack Kennedy Onassis. That flame is referred to as the Eternal Flame, and has only been extinguished once while repair was being done on the site.
Grave of Robert F. Kennedy
And the grave of Edward Kennedy. These two were close to the Eternal Flame.
With the fall colors the scenery was breathtaking. Even more breathtaking was the amount of headstones. There are 624 acres of deceased soldiers fighting for our freedom spanning centuries, casualties as well as veterans.
At the top of the hill is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This national monument is in dedication to the services of an unknown soldier, Marine, airman or sailor and the memories of all soldiers killed in any war. It references many soldiers who throughout history, have died in wars with their remains being unidentified.
There is always a soldier on duty.
I found this extremely interesting and I also found it to be a beautifully reverent place.
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"
Q: How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
A: 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
Q: How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
A: 21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number 1.
Q: Why are his gloves wet?
A: His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
Q: Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?
A: No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
Q: How often are the guards changed?
A: Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
Q: What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
A: For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30".
Other requirements of the Guard:
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.
After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.
The first SIX MONTHS of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
The Sentinels Creed:
My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I protect. His bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.
On the Tomb it reads: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD
Behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a huge coliseum called The Memorial Amphitheater. Apparently many people consider the services at this amphitheater to be the nation's official ceremonies to honor all American service members who serve to keep the United States free.
It was breathtaking.
This was a huge mall we went to in the city. We went shopping and got Timmy a nice suit and I got some new Nike's.
Below are extra pics, all that I posted to social media while on the trip, so they got loaded separately and I barely got this post done as it is, so there they will stay! This was a wonderful trip; it really reminded us of where our country came from, and all of the blessings we have to live here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment