We took on America and Won!
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2008
1
6
Trip End
Sep 04, 2008
Washington DC,
District of Columbia,
United States
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Day 1 - We had decided to meet up at the local starbucks - a now must in my schedule - and walked to the metro from there. We headed straight to the White House- which is indeed white and very far away from where you can stand....still to say that we have been is kind of cool! We then walked up through the national mall - taking plenty of rest stops and intaking a lot of water as it was very humid (a bit of a shock to both of us) - and through to Lincoln's Memorial which is a huge as you think it will be and gives an amazing view down the Mall through to the Capitol building. We then headed through the many memorials in the park, including the Korean War Memorial (which is a interesting piece of art) and the World War II memorial. We also walked over Kutz Bridge and finally to the Holocaust Museum. Having only been to the Holocaust museum in Israel this was interesting to see it done in a different way. It was a fascinating exhibition showing the timeline of the Nazi Period. It was especially interesting for me having just said goodbye to my new German friend and my memory of the discussions we had really enhanced my time in the Museum. Once we had finished at the Museum we moved on to the famous Air and Space Museum which was good fun - there was a hands on exhibition which brought back my time in A-level Physics and the actual plane that the Wright Brothers created. We then headed back to respective rooms (Jess to her hotel, me to see my cousin Sandra) before meeting up with my friend from Toronto, who now works in DC, for dinner. We had a great time with her and ate a good meal nearby where we were staying. And that was the end of our first day or so we thought....unfortunately Jess had 3 friendly cockroaches waiting for her in her bedroom so after a few words with the night manager we moved her back to the apartment I was staying in, and thus ends Day 1.
Day 2 - So we had breakfast at my cousin's apartment (two floors up) before heading to Jess's hotel to sort out the issue. To give the manager some credit he dealt with two angry ladies well. He gave her money back for the previous night and moved her to a 4* hotel in the chain. We then headed into town feeling empowered by our success and surprised at how easy it was....although I think he was scared that she was going to sue. We then headed to the Capitol building for a tour. Our timing was perfect as we only had to wait 10 minutes for our tour. It turned out to be very interesting. The building itself is interesting, about 130 years old and split into many sections, each built in different periods. There is a lot of great art and statues. We also saw the old senate chamber and the old state house. After the tour we grabbed lunch at the American African Museum - which someone had recommend just for the food - and left without seeing the museum. We then walked down the mall to the International Gallery to see the Jim Henson exhibit. This was perfect for me - apart from the fact you could not take any photos. Within in the exhibit original sketches by Henson, videos of the muppets, and some of the actual muppets themselves (including Kermit, Ernie and Bert). We then tried to go to the Spy Museum but there was no space on the interactive tour so we went to the Post Office tour (which we almost walked past) that gives a great view of Pennsylvania Avenue down to the Capitol and the rest of the city. We then headed back to the apartment where I was staying for a rest and Sandra made dinner for us. It was lovely to have homemade meals again (which I hadn't had since Seattle with her sister Susan) and it was delicious, even the sprouts which she had roasted (yum yum). She then took us around DC for an insiders tour including Foggy Bottom Metro Station, Albert Einstein's memorial and a general look at the city at night. So far DC has been better than I thought it would be and is certainly more beautiful than I had imagined. We have one more day and then we head to New York, New York!
