Peoria Illinoisan

Welcome. From the shopkeeper inside Reagan International Airport who let me borrow his lighter with the only stipulation being that I return it when I am done, to the stranger at the MetroRail station who helped us buy our passes after pointing out the machine we were having such trouble was with was out of order, the people of D.C. couldn’t have been friendlier. That’s good because I was in full tourist mode, making no attempt at trying to fit in as I try to do in other cities. I had a camera around my neck and gawked to my hearts content.

Arlington National Cemetery. There is no better way to understand the turmoils our country has been through and great sacrifices our veterans have given us than to visit Arlington and the Memorials at the National Mall. The Mall contains the memorials and reminders of our history in war. Most memorable is the Vietnam Memorial, which is everything people said it was. Flowers, pictures, and even a beer can (unopened) placed at the foot of the wall by loved ones. Watching a group of three veterans talk and point to names really drove it home for me. As one of the vets pointed to a name on the wall, I overheard another say “He pulled a piece of shrapnel out of my cheek. I’ve still got the scar.”

If the memorials remind you, Arlington drives the point home with a seemingly endless supply of perfectly aligned headstones. Arlington is also a great teacher of history featuring the tomb of the unknown soldier, JFK’s burial ground, and Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s home. After we toured the home, now known as the Arlington House, we stepped over to what appeared to be a large above ground tombstone. It was the tomb of the unknown civil war soldiers and we were standing on top of a mass grave of 2,000 dead. If that doesn’t give you the chills, I don’t know what will.

Smithsonian Museums. We visited 4 of the Smithsonians: The Museum of Natural History, Air & Space, National Gallery of Art, and the American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery (which is a twofer in one building). What I thought I would like I didn’t, and what I thought I wouldn’t like turned into my favorites. I found the Natural History Museum to be dated and uninspiring. Although the displays of natural crystals were interesting, I was pretty blase about the Hope Diamond. The Air and Space Museum was interesting for about an hour, but after eating lunch at McDonalds and finding a 64gb SDcard cost $35, I had nearly enough of the Disney type food, prices, and crowds. Thankfully we found a CVS a few blocks away and they were running a special on 1GB SD cards: 2 for 1, $34.00

In contrast, we found the National Gallery of Art and the American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery to be absolutely engrossing. As a bonus, no-one seemed to care much for them, so we could really take our time and lose ourselves in the experience.

Hidden Gems.

• The Chinese run convenience and liquor store next door to our hotel. We visited at least once a day.
• A man selling bottled water for $1 in the National Mall. In response to my telling him what a bargain it was, he had this to say: “Just trying to make a living sir, not trying to rip anyone off.”
• Our plane did not crash, the metro never derailed and I didn’t fall down the steps at the Lincoln Memorial.

In Room Movies: 4 in 5 nights.

National Archives. The only time we had to stand in line for anything was here, to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution in person, and yes, it was quite a sight. The movie “National Treasure” was mentioned by more than one person waiting in line with us, and I myself found it necessary to take a picture of my wife in the gift shop, declaration in hand. Told you we were in full tourist mode!

Georgetown. After a long day of endless walking we would retreat back to the hotel, regroup and refresh before heading into Georgetown for dinner. We ate four of our dinners there, and excepting one bad experience, it was a nice area to unwind in and strolling the neighborhoods full of meticulously restored townhouses couldn’t be beat.

Tips. We are consistent 20%+ tippers, so it came as a shock to find myself wanting to leave $2 for a $75 meal. My wife is nicer than I and left 10% with an accompanying love note. The table next door was seated after us and shortly thereafter was delivered a bottle of wine. Our drinks were not delivered until after we ordered and our waiter was assured that us unsophisticated tourists weren’t going to be scared off by the high falutin food and prices. He seemed slightly annoyed that we ordered an appetizer but passed on the $9 ala carte salad. Neither the food nor the atmosphere was deserving of the prices and the service was nearly non-existent.

This is in direct contrast to the professional and courteous service we received earlier the same day for lunch at Union Station. Without prompting, my wife’s sandwich was comped because she doesn’t like tomatoes and left them on the plate. “I apologize for the end cut tomatoes; I took the turkey club off the bill.” We left 20% based on what we thought the bill would’ve been had he not taken the sandwich off.

Overheard in D.C.

• 40ish white male speaking to 40ish white female: “Most people shower everyday. It’s been two weeks now. You really need to shower!” - overheard in the National Mall
• 30 something white female speaking to her friends: “Eating Jalepenos engorge my lips.” - overheard near the Washington Monument.
• My wife: “Next time you have to sit in the middle. He has touched me at least 30 times. Once with his feet (he took his shoes off.)” - handwritten note to me on the flight from DC to Chicago

National Mall. Having preconceived notions of what the National Mall looked like, I was initially disappointed in what I found. Dead and dying yellow grass, weeds and dirt, gravel walkways, and a tent city that we referred to as shantytown. Hardly the awe-inspiring sight that I had envisioned. Add to that miles of temporary fencing and a large stage blocking the view of the Capital Building in preparation for the July 4 fireworks. Once I accepted the reality that this is not supposed to look like a golf course and the miles of temporary fencing and VIP tents were a necessary evil of the big event, I began to enjoy the sights and sounds of the mall.

It turned out that the “shantytown” in the middle of the mall was the ultra-cool Smithsonian Folk-Life Festival and we were so fortunate as to catch the blues duo Cephas and Wiggins inside one of the performance tents.

Didn’t Have Time For. Life is full of choices and we had to cut some sights for lack or time and/or energy. A few things on my must see list to that didn’t happen for various reasons: The Holocaust museum, Jefferson Memorial, Spy museum, Building museum, Dupont Circle area, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and inside the Library of Congress (closed on Sunday.)

Chicago Cubs. As luck would have it, the Cubs were in town starting a four game series against the hapless Nationals on our last night. We scored two tickets on the lower level behind home plate and joined the thousands of other loyal Cub fans who cheered them on to a 7-2 victory.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.