Gary-Summer: March 22, 2023

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: March 22, 2023 - Washington DC
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: Tourist

4.1 miles

Description:

I must have been tired from yesterday or the time change or the time zone change or some other excuse. I slept until 8am. Even Sherri was awake when I woke up.That is something. I took a shower and felt so much better. We have granola for breakfast-we need to leave her by 9:40, preferably 9:30. So not much time. While Sherri takes a shower, I also have a peanut butter sandwich-I am feeling like I need something else.

Statue of Freedom

Sojourner Truth

Our itinerary include-lets see how much we can actually do:

US Capitol at 10:50
Sojourner Truth Memorial within the US Capitol’s Visitor Center
Smithsonian American Art Renwich Gallery
Philip Randolph Monument within Union Station
Smithsonian-Portrait Gallery
Old Post Office
White House Visitor Center

Father Junipero Serra

We start our walk at 9:45. Instead of heading down 1st St NE-that NE is important--we go down North
Capitol. Seems a bit more pleasant than First.We make good time and get to the Capitol’s Visitor Center about 10:20. This gives us time to wander around a bit. School kids abound and the visitor center echos with their sounds. We examine some of the state statues. Some are sort of prosaic and expected. Others I am not familiar with. Two do catch my eye. We had been discussing what the character on top of the Capitol building is. We got the answer: the Statue of Freedom. There is the casting model on the floor of the Visitor Center. Also right beside it is the bust of Sojourner Truth. Admittedly Freedom dwarfs Truth in this instance. One wonders if there is significance in its placement.

Rotunda Ceiling

As we wait, one of the Visitor Center people comes over to us. It is the same person we saw yesterday. He actually recognizes us out of the thousands of people who came through here each day.PD James in The Children of Men says: To be selected from the crowd is always gratifying to self-esteem; one feels the need to make some return, a fact which accounts for a number of otherwise surprising marriages.

Center of DC

At 10:50, we are let in with at least two schools of kids. But they are separated from us for the tour. The start is a 15 minute film about the background to the Capitol. We are put into a group of thirty, non-school aged people. Because of the number of people in the groups, we are working the tour backwards. We are in the Rotunda of the Capitol. The artwork is fabulous, starting from the top. First, the Rotunda could fit the entire statue part of the Statue of Liberty under it. Next the artist who did the fresco took a couple of months to do it as it is bigger than an NBA basketball court. There is symbolism throughout the entire painting. Then moving down the dome to the wall, the relief wrapping around the Capitol is really a painting done in a French style of three dimensional work.

Sherri listening to the tour guide

We then go downstairs to the Hall of Statues. There is a statue from each state. Ronald Regan is the one from California. The guide talks about the notables and the interesting ones. I see that Jefferson Davis is Missippi’s. When asked about this, the guide says it is up to each state to decide on who represents them.

He talks a bit more about how this used to be where the House met until expansion created the need for more room. Also the Capitol was burnt during the War of 1812.

He also leads us to a star in the middle of the Capitol building which will explain a lot about our stay in DC. This star is where all the roads in DC reference. So the NW/NE/… all originate from here. It is an aha moment about how to navigate.

Now our tour lets out and we start walking to our next place of enlightenment; the National Portrait Gallery. It does take awhile for us to walk over there. We pass by several interesting restaurants, which we make a mental note to check out when we are in the area again: Cocina Mexicana and Carmine's Italian food. Both look a bit pricey by our standards. But we are on travel so we should splurge a bit.

Sherri at the Portrait Gallery

We came to the National Portrait Gallery. Like many of the older buildings, this one has a great many steps to climb to get into the building. I suspect the steps are there as a means of establishing grandeur. I am not expecting a whole bunch from this place, a few faces of note painted by period painters and then we are out. There is a new Lincoln picture which I am interested in seeing.

The new Lincoln portrait

But my estimation is wrong. There is fascination with seeing the faces of the people of our past-and some of our present. What catches my attention immediately are the eyes. Some are painted with a sparkle, like I would really like to know that man. Others have a cagey look, making you wonder how anybody trusted them in the first place. We go through periods of American history where we see people of import of that day. Some are politicians, others military, a fair number of religious persons are portrayed and some just pivotal people. There are hardly of the common people in these paintings. I guess that is because the commoner would have better things to spend their money on than their own image. Is this because the rich want to live on in perpetuity?

We get hungry and go to their cafe. We were hoping to get something like we got yesterday at the Gallery of Art. Instead we got pre-made sandwiches and bottled drinks. We eat in the courtyard which is a pleasant closed in area. But the food is really plain, not worth the price we paid for it.

Trump Portrait

After eating, we go upstairs to the portraits of Presidents. It is amazing how much empathy one gets by looking at these people’s faces. Many of them show their strength just by looking at you. Most try to show their compassion and care. Two stand out as being what they were thinking when they painted them: Kennedy and Clinton. Both looks are painted in a modern way which to my old mind really does not strike me as very presidential. And then there is Trump. Trump looks like he is trying to show power. But the impression I got was a man who was trying to compensate for inadequacies. Maybe I should re-evaluate the man with a bit of compassion. There is the Lincoln, larger than life. Looking sad, stately and one who knew himself. Glad we saw them.

[On May 14, 2023, AP News did an article on KeHinde Wiley, the artist who did Obama's portrait.]

Old Post Office Building

We do not have anything definite on our list. We head towards the White House Visitor Center. The Old Post Office is on the way there. We realize that we cannot do both as they end at 4 and it is approaching that time. The Old Post Office is now a hotel, which used to be a Trump hotel, but he sold the rights to the Waldorf-Astoria. The tower though, NPS has always kept the rights to that. So we, the public, can go up into the tower. It is reported to be the second or third tallest building in DC.

We go to a waiting area. On our way up, we talk to a gentleman who teaches at Middlebury College, Vermont and spends time in Hartford, Connecticut. Both areas I have relatives in. We talked some-he is an interesting fellow. He is here chaperoning students from the college and this is his free time.

Capitol from the top

Reflection

In the waiting area are the ropes for the bells. They hang from the ceiling, but the bells are much higher. I recognize the various choirs played by the plaques on the wall. It is helpful reading Dorothy Sayers. She wrote a book called The Nine Tailors. A man is killed when he is in a bell tower when a choir is rung. Hopefully that does not happen here.

When it is our turn to go up, we ascend in another elevator to the very top windows. From here, we see all around DC. Places where we were yesterday and places where we still want to go.The only thing which breaks the wonder of the scene is the screen, bars and plastic windows to protect people from dropping stuff out. It hampers good picture taking. We spend probably 15-20 minutes up here before heading down.

Now it is time to head back to our rooms-it is past 4pm. If this was later in the week, we would have found a bus or a Metro station But still inexperienced, we walk, and walk and walk back to our rooms. My legs and body are really tired. We have a Zoom call at 9:30 which we get on. It is delightful to talk to our kids and my brother. But after an hour plus, I am ready for bed. I get harassed a bit about this. But then they realize it is closing in on 11 now.

Background

Trip Advisor:

Courtyard Café. Let's start with the positive. The eating area, in the building’s courtyard, is a magnificent area to eat-rain or shine. It is covered with a clear ceiling. You are surrounded by plants. Even if they run out of tables, there is plenty of space to sit on the planter area.

We were hungry for a meal similar to what we got at the Gallery of Art. Instead, all the sandwiches available were prepackaged. They tasted like they may be a few days old. To top it off, this may have been the second most expensive meal we got in DC-two sandwiches, a bag of chips and a couple of drinks.

Extra Photo's