
We found out the hard way how quirky our hotel room was. Steam from the shower sets off the smoke alarm EVERY time. The maid, totally unconcerned with the shrill noise coming from our room, tells us to open the window to help with ventilation. There also isn't much water pressure, you need an elevator to get into the very high bed, but hey--it's location, location, location that makes this room worth $500+ per night for some.
We also found that it was convenient to use our tour bus for a taxi and bus service. The third of our "circuits" took us to see the FDR Memorial. This is another of my favorite places in DC, and I really, really wish it wasn't raining so hard while we were there.

I wish we had had time to savor the quotes in each "room", but I'm determined to get the book, so I can read them all again and again.


We had also thought about walking out to the Jefferson Memorial, but the rain really dampened the desire for another trek.

Next stop was the Native American Museum. We met our friends
TJ and Terri, and had a great lunch--so many of our friends told us to eat in the restaurant in the museum, and they were right--it was wonderful. You have to make up your mind to be adventurous; there are 4 quadrants, and each has a cultural specialty. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the museum and visiting with
TJ and Terri. The exhibits are just overwhelming, and I know that they barely touch the diversity of Native American life. The top level is a history of Native American peoples, and the displays are full of artifacts. The next level down describes modern day life for a few tribes. I just kept wondering what would have happened if the white people had not intruded so heavily on Native American culture?

Going down another level lead us to two special exhibits; a fun one on skateboarding, and another of the works of an artist who makes art from everyday objects.
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Terri and
TJ, and also sadly, it was STILL raining! We had some time to kill before heading out to dinner with a friend of Karens, so we decided to check out the National Gallery of Art.

Maybe we walked in the wrong door, but it took us about 15 minutes to find a piece of artwork. We went down the steps, along a walkway, through a gift shop and a cafeteria, up some stairs, through another gift shop and cafe', and around the rotunda. Who knew art could be so elusive? As Karen says here, "Where's the ART???"
We didn't have a lot of time, so we chose to focus on American and British artists, with the Impressionists thrown in for good measure.

Who says art can't be entertaining?

We had the BEST time in one gallery in particular, imitating the people in the portraits. That's yet another reason I love Karen so much--she does goofy stuff like that with me.

Dinner that night took us to Alexandria, Virginia, so Karen has another state to add to her list.
The next morning was the first I spent without Karen, and I had a full itinerary to complete before I met her in the afternoon. Strangely, I found I was talking to myself as I got ready; guess it was just too quiet in the room without Karen.
First stop was Au
Bon Pain (I ate there every morning);

I had an incredible cherry danish (aren't you glad I got a photo before I finished it?)--it kept me full for hours.

I jumped on the Metro and took it to the National Archives stop--first of my stops for the day. The ride ended up being a little more expensive than I had anticipated, because I lost my Metro ticket--I consoled myself with the thought that someone more deserving than I had found it.
I was thinking about the movie
National Treasure as I walked to the building--Nicolas Cage sends some kid in to the National Archives to figure out a code that is hidden on the Declaration of Independence. The first case I came to was the
Magna Carta. Why does the US have the
Magna Carta? Did we steal it from someone? I stood in line with some squirmy,
squirrely middle
schoolers, and then approached the humidity-controlled, bullet-proof security cases that hold our countries' most important documents. To my surprise, the Declaration of Independence is almost unreadable--the ink is that faded. The Bill of Rights is much more readable--I know it's not as old as the Declaration of Independence, and was probably handled and stored differently. I was disappointed not to be able to see the Public Vault; it was closed.
There was not much else to do, so I headed out on to the Mall.

It was such a beautiful day, I walked through a bit of the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.
They were installing a new piece of artwork, and were beginning to set up the ice skating rink, so there was plenty to see in addition to
all the quirky sculptures.

It was such a beautiful fall day, I called my sister to tell her I missed her and that she should be in DC with me--it would have been a perfect sister's autumn outing!
On my way to the Supreme Court building, I passed a Congressman (didn't know who he was, so I didn't punch him), and a very important dog. I say this because I saw this dog twice during the day, both times being walked by some very important-looking people. No, it was not Bo Obama.

There was a line forming at the front steps of the Supreme Court building, but I didn't know what for, so I ignored it and instead asked for directions to the cafeteria. The Supreme Court cafeteria is billed as the best in town, so that's where I had lunch. I have to say, their chicken salad was very good, and fairly inexpensive.

This statue of an earlier Supreme Court was just outside of the cafeteria--it made me laugh, to see the Court depicted as these very small (puppet-sized)
caricatures of themselves.

I still didn't know exactly how to get in to the building to see the actual Court room, so I asked a very helpful officer. Turned out I needed to stand in that line at the front steps after all. I'm still not sure what these students were doing--they have tape over their mouths that says either "Life" or "Lies". I would have asked them but thought it would be rude to make them break their silence.
I still was clueless as I stood waiting in the line--I knew that when the Court is in session, they will allow you to stand in the back and listen for 3 minutes at a time. I wasn't even sure the Court was in session, but I did want to see the Court room, so I stayed put. Finally, an officer took a group of us inside, and told us to put everything in a locker--we were allowed to keep a piece of paper, and a pen. No cell phones, no bags, nothing else. I marveled at the strict policy, but complied--those guards are not to be messed with. Finally, we were escorted into the Court room, and to an actual bench. I sat down and there they were (well, all but Alito--he had recused himself from the case)--20 feet away (except for that fierce-looking guard, there was nothing else between us)!!! Sotomayor was speaking as I sat down. Clarence Thomas sits 2 seats away from her, and it was clear to me that he despises her--he does NOT have a "poker face", and was rolling his eyes, leaning way back in his chair, rubbing his eyes--anything to show he was so annoyed at the time she was taking to discuss this case. Justice Ginsberg also asked questions, as did Justice John Paul Stevens; the rest of the justices' asked a few questions or none at all (Thomas was the only one who didn't ask a question). The two women justices' looked to be very engaged, or at least paying attention--they were sitting up in their chairs, and focusing on the lawyers as they spoke. Some of the male justices looked as if they had just discovered how their chairs worked--they were rocking back and forth, swinging around, or leaning back as far as they could. The audience was much better behaved--they were attentive (that fierce guard came and got in your face if you appeared to be asleep--I never did, because I was so facinated), and there was a certain energy in the room--the audience was engaged, interested, and not distracted by things like cell phones or computers. Alot like the "good old days". Needless to say, this was one of the highlights of my trip; I never thought I would get to do something that cool. If you're interested, here's the
link to the case that was being argued. It was very interesting, but hard to follow, and harder still to explain.

I met Karen at the Library of Congress. The building is an impressive place of mosaics and color, but it's hard to figure out where to go and what to do inside.

The Reading Room (another setting in
The Lost Symbol) is inaccessible to the "lay person", but you can look at it from a viewing area upstairs. I was able to impress Karen by telling her that there are no shadows anywhere in the room--the lighting is such that you will always be able to see a whole page of print
clearly.
We found, by accident, the Congressional Reading Room, but there were no members there, so again I had no one to punch.

The best part of the building was a miscellaneous collection of speeches and writings--we saw Martin Luther King's draft of his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Then we headed off to the National Portrait Gallery--our favorite place by far. Maybe it was the way the art was displayed (with writing on the walls and an unpretentious feel to it), but the Portrait Gallery was such a better place than the National Gallery of Art. There was a fabulous gallery of artwork from the Depression (all were dated 1932-34). What struck me was the color of the paint used on the canvasses--each artist seemed to use color to evoke a certain energy, and although these were Depression-era, not a one of them was depressing.

The other gallery we visited was a Folk Art exhibit, with a room dedicated to an enormous altar made of construction paper, glue, and tin foil. Just when you think you've seen nearly everything in this world!
We made a vow to go back to the National Portrait Gallery later in the week, and rushed off to meet my college friend, Gail, at a nearby tapas restaurant. We all started with Hook and Ladder ale, and then Karen and I differed to Gail for the ordering--she had been to the restaurant many times, so knew her way around the menu. Who knew watermelon, tomatoes, and goat cheese would make such a tasty dish? We had figs wrapped in bacon and lightly breaded, wild rice with a creamy cheese topping, a garlic shrimp dish to die for, an asparagus dish, olives and pickles, and the best gazpacho soup I've ever had. The bonus was that I got to see Gail again--she's one of the few friends from college I still hear from, and I've always been in awe of what she's accomplished in her life--for starters, she's been in DC for 30 years.

From the restaurant, we waddled over the the Newseum, to hear Robert McNeil and Tom Brokaw talk about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Turns out the Newseum has the largest whole chunk of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany--it's....well...quite colorful.
After the energetic walk back to the hotel, Karen and I decided we
needed Ben and Jerry's ice cream (yet another reason I love this woman!). As we ate, we wandered through Union Station, where we met "Chris". Chris was a very drunk, middle-aged, white guy who said he wrote for the National Review AND the Westchester Times. He said he wanted to buy us a drink, because we looked "refreshing". We kept walking until he said he was a Log Cabin Republican--with a line like that, you just gotta stop to see what he's all about. Turns out he really wasn't a Log Cabin, but he was a Republican, and he just wanted someone to talk to. He was a likable Republican--was one of the "old school" Republicans who are fiscal conservatives, and believes that government should just leave everyone alone. He feels his party has been hijacked. He loved, loved Barry Goldwater--must have told us that about 25 times. I actually enjoyed talking to him, but was relieved when his cell phone rang, so we could get away before he tried to follow us back to our room.
The next day was Election Day, and the highlight of the whole day was hearing an Asian man, trying to get out the back door of the bus, say in a very polite, sing-song voice, "Open the door, bitch!" Not aggressive or angry at all--made the whole bus laugh.

After Karen went off to work, I headed to the Museum of American History. This is the Smithsonian home of Dorothy's ruby slippers, the Greensboro lunch counter, Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs, and the American flag that inspired "The Star Spangled Banner". Last time I was at this museum, the flag was being cleaned and patched or something, and I must say that now, it's a visually stunning display.

But dammit, the Toy Section was closed!!!!! Instead, I took my time and really enjoyed the "America on the Move" section--lots of old cars and other forms of transportation.

The America at War exhibit was interesting too--I especially appreciated the area dealing with the Vietnam War--you know, the war that took place in our living rooms:


Sigh...they've even saved, and now display, campaign buttons and protest signs. I...was...in...Heaven!
Of course, the highlight of the day (since the Toy Section was closed, dammit) was Julia Child's kitchen--yes, they actually took possession of her home kitchen, and rebuilt it in the basement of the museum! Thanks to the popularity of the book and the movie
Julie & Julia, the place was packed!

I was so pleased to see that even Julia had cool magnets on her fridge.


Today was Karen's "late day", so we decided to go to Georgetown for dinner. There's a bus that goes from Union Station to Georgetown for $1, so it was a cheap trip out there. Otherwise, it would have been a cab ride--turns out the snooty residents of Georgetown didn't want "those" people coming out there to build a Metro stop, so they don't have one. Sucks to be them now. The barbecue restaurant was good, but the rest of Georgetown was underwhelming.

Very trendy, very posh (we wandered around a grocery store to laugh at the outrageous prices), but not all that remarkable otherwise. But our hearts nearly stopped when a large, muscular man put out his hands and prevented us from walking down the sidewalk--he said, "STOP!!! We have a motorcade coming!!" Sirens were blaring, lights flashing, and I got my camera ready.

THIS would make the trip to Georgetown worth it!!! We would finally see a celebrity, and the celebrity would be the best of all--Barack Obama!! I grabbed on to Karen, raised my camera, took this photo, and out of the second car stepped.......................a guy in a monk's robe and his wife.
Really. Sigh.
To console ourselves, we went back to the hotel and had Dubliner Amber Ale, followed by trifle for dessert.

I spent our last full day in DC at the National Zoo. This zoo is so much better than I remembered it from my trip to DC in the 1980's. There are far fewer animals, but larger spaces for them to roam. The orangutans even have a "skyway" about 60 feet in the air, and they can crawl across the width of the zoo, to whichever area they want to be in that day.
Of course, the pandas were cool, and the cameras set up allow you to see them even when they're "hiding".

The adolescent male apes were hilarious as they tried to open a water bottle that got into their enclosure--I say go out and buy one for your kids, because this one was ape-proof!


The mom gorilla and her baby (10 months old) were sweet, and it was interesting to watch the orangutans use a computer--they are participating in a memory study.

I
was disappointed not to see the "Big Cats" or the elephants, but both enclosures are being renovated, which has to be a good thing.
Back to meet Karen in the afternoon, and then to the White House!!! As we stopped to take photos of the South Lawn, I swear I counted 6 different languages being spoken. No words are needed there though; if someone hands you a camera, you know you're supposed to take their photo!


If you want to get close to the White House, and if you want to see the "working side" (where the television cameras are, and employees are wandering in and out), you should find a way to the north "lawn". For all you
West Wing fans, this is where Donna walked when she couldn't make campaign calls from the building.

There's also a lone "demonstrator" camped out there--an ancient woman who has been there, protesting against nuclear weapons, since 1981.

On a lighter note, we saw this statue in Lafayette Park--proof that the gays ARE everywhere!
One more delightful trip to the National Portrait Gallery, and we weren't disappointed!

We saw Katherine Hepburn's 4 Oscars, and this great portrait of her.

The special exhibit was SOOOOO cool--a neon map of the United States--inside each state were televisions, and on each television screen was something that represented that state--The Wizard of Oz for Kansas, the Indianapolis 500 for Indiana, and so on.
We also loved the David Hockney room--it was a painting on the floor and on the wall, with little pegs sticking out of it. The room was dark, and the rest of the walls and floor were black. The light changed in the room, ever so slightly--to the naked eye, it was beautiful, but seen through the "eye" of a camera lens, it was spectacular! I'm so glad Karen got these amazing shots.



Finally, an end to a wonderful trip--
pizza at Ella's. If you ever go to DC, and if you ever eat at Ella's, be sure and save room for the Double Chocolate pudding. You will not be sorry.
We took one last walk down the Mall, past the Capitol.

You know, it's easy to dismiss Washington DC because of the politicians who reside there; during the Bush years, I don't think I could have stomached a trip to our nation's capital. But it's a beautiful city, and the buildings that house the three branches of our government are grand--they are there to inspire, and they do. The politicians come and go, but the buildings remain. They are a lasting legacy, and they stand for the beauty that is the democracy Americans have built.