July 14, 2011

We spent a few days in Washington DC, which is full of wonderful monuments and historical artifacts.  The Washington Monument stands tall and serious, just like the man.  The reflecting pool in front of it was not reflecting anything while we were there; it was drained for maintenance.  

We walked to the Vietnam Wall, which wasn’t as depressing as I thought it might be; probably because I was not looking for somebody’s name.

It was great to see the Lincoln Memorial, and we learned a little about the statue.  One hand is closed to represent the strength needed to win the war, while the other hand is open to represent the heart to pardon.  The drapery behind his chair is actually the US flag.  Randy and I both think that President Lincoln was the best President the US has ever had.

The White House was cool to see, but right now we are so discouraged by what is going on in all branches of government (and in all parties) that it wasn’t that exciting.  

Ford Theater was destroyed at one point, but it has been completely restored.  If you didn’t know it was restored, you’d think it was the original.

A surprising number of original artifacts are on display there.  Back in 1865 Brooks Brothers created a special coat for President Lincoln to wear to his second inauguration.  On the inside lining was quilted design of an eagle holding a banner with “One Country, One Destiny” on it.  The President must have liked the coat because he wore it to Ford’s Theater.  And now they have it on display there.  By the time the coat was saved for posterity, souvenir hunters had snipped off pieces of the right shoulder, causing the sleeve to de-attach, but still...  It is displayed behind a heavy curved glass cover and doesn’t photograph well, but that’s OK, since the glass is necessary to preserve it.  They also have Lincoln’s gloves displayed  (surprisingly small).  They even have the actual gun that John Wilkes Booth used; it was weird to see that.  Across the street is the Petersen house where President Lincoln died, but it was closed for restoration. 

Arlington Cemetery made a profound impression on us.  As you walk into it, the rows of small white grave markers go on and on.  You think one section ends, and then notice the hill beyond it with more rows.   President Kennedy is buried here, with his wife and two of their children who died very young.  Their graves are in a large section marked with granite fieldstones and an eternal flame.  Nearby Bobby Kennedy’s marker is a simple white cross.  

The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also in Arlington.  Every half hour the guard is changed, in a very formal process that conveys great respect for those soldiers.

Tuesday we caught a special bus out to the Iwo Jima Memorial to watch the US Marine Sunset Parade.  The Marine band (aka the Commandant’s Own) played several numbers, marching in formation, and then a group of marines in dress uniforms marched onto the field and performed a Silent Drill.  This is an exhibition of precision drilling without any audible commands; just soldiers moving in perfect unison, with only the sound of rifle clicks.  The great Iwo Jima memorial made a perfect backdrop.  

After the show, the return buses filled up quickly.  Just when we thought we’d have to walk, a Marine bus showed up and opened it’s doors.  So we got to ride in the Marine band’s bus!  By the way, it’s a pretty nice bus.


The next day we went to the Pentagon; no photos are allowed, even though we could only walk around the outside.  The 9-11 memorial gave us some serious thoughts.  9/11 has left it’s mark everywhere.  Even where there are no memorials, there are new rules and regulations.

We had lunch at the Department of Agriculture cafe.  The food was reasonably priced but unfortunately it was also mediocre.

The Smithsonian is the BEST.  A lot of free museums full of the best stuff ever!  First in the day and in my heart - dinosaurs!    At the museum of Natural History.  I just love old bones; can’t explain it.  I took a quick look at the Hope Diamond, but to me it didn’t compare with those dinosaur bones.  

Of course, they have some interesting shark jaws, too,

The Space and Air Museum is wonderful; it starts with the Wright Brother’s Kitty Hawk plane (the original, although the cloth has been replaced), and goes all the way to stealth planes, with everything in between.  There is a section about aviation and war, which is somber.  Many original space exploration vehicles were strictly one-way and therefore are not around anymore (at least not on this planet), but the Smithsonian has the test versions of those vehicles.  And Russian donated a lot of their early space crafts - I recognized Sputnik right away which dates me, but that’s OK.  Below is the Gemini IV capsule, carefully enclosed in a clear container to protect it from the thousands of tourists:

Apollo Command Modules, Skylab Orbital Workshop, Minuteman rockets - it’s all here, plus a full scale model of the new rover that will go to Mars this November.  

In the American History museum we saw the original (and very huge) flag that flew over Fort McHenry in the war of 1812 and inspired Frances Key Scott to write the “Star Spangled Banner”.  It’s too threadbare to hang so it’s carefully laid out behind glass, at a slight angle so it’s easy to see.  Another important artifact that is still accessible to the public, thanks to the Smithsonian.  

Also in the same museum is Julia Child’s kitchen.  It was so cool - Julia was an inspiration to so many people.  Randy was checking the cookbooks on her shelves, and he has most of them!  Wish we could have met her. 

The museum also has a great section on travel: ships, cars and trains.  I didn’t think I would be interested in that, but they have so much good stuff there that I was.

At the end of the day we took a quick tour through the First Ladies exhibit.  I am no fashionista but I do like learning about women in history.  They actually have a dress worn by Martha Washington!!   And Mary Lincoln’s dress is there, although I didn’t think she was that . .  slender.

From the Natural History Museum:  I love this.  I don't know what to call it - something like "Tim Burton's Angry Birds"!