Gary-Summer: DC-White House

Showing posts with label DC-White House. Show all posts

Sunday, March 26, 2023

March 26, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: March 26, 2023 - Washington DC

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type:Tourist

Walking: 2.9 miles

Description:

Farragut Statue

We have been on the road for exactly one week. This raises the question of, do I like it? There are a lot of aspects which I do like, such as meeting people and learning new things and seeing new wonders and experiencing the emotions which come with a place. But would I want it to be a permanent existence? I do not think so. It is a good change of pace. I am really too much of a homebody. I enjoy my own bed, my own room, and my own books.

Renwick Figure

I got up this morning at 7:00, pretty well rested. Read some and now will work on doing some dishes. There is not much rush in leaving today as our entry pass calls for a 1pm entry time. So we leave at about 11am on the Red Line. We get off at the Farragut North Metro station. The only thing on the agenda is to wander around the area. But we also note that one of Sherri’s items to visit is the Renwick Museum, so we head into that direction.We pass through Farragut Square with his Statue.

Seat at the Renwick

A short ways further is the Rewick. This is much more of a physical art museum than image, cultural or historical. Not much in the way of classical sculpture. But there are bowls, quilts, a few furniture items, and what I would call brick--brack. But what really catches my attention is this one large room with almost nothing in it. There is a carpet which I, and several others, lay on, to gaze at the ceiling. There is a multi-colored, iridescent bit of fishnet hanging from the ceiling. The museum has colored lights fading in and out giving me the feeling of clouds catching either the morning or evening sun. I lay there for ten minutes just enjoying the scene. Sherri is a bit stand-offish for a while and then lays down and enjoys it as well.

African-American Museum

After 45 minutes, we left the Renwich and headed towards the Smithsonian’s Museum of African-American History.

I notice that the street behind the usual view of the White House is blocked off. I wonder why? Maybe the President is going out? There are crowds of people on the sidewalk and in the park in front of the White House. Looks like everybody wants to enjoy a sunny Sunday in a park. Kits fly by the Washington Memorial and people mill around. Instead of taking 10-15 minutes to get to the Museum, it is more like 20 minutes.

An exhibit

The first thing we noticed about this African-American History building was from our walk down the National Mall Tuesday. Instead of the marble and column or block structure, it reminds me of baskets built on top of each other. The weave it turns out is a copper colored metal. The inside of the building is much more like a normal building.

We enter the Museum a little after 1pm. and stay in until 5. That is how interesting it is. Also this museum is pretty crowded. And it is the makeup of the crowd that interests me. My assumption coming in was that the people inside the museum would be predominantly Black. While there are more blacks here than lets say at the Portrait Gallery, it is not nearly so. But there seems to be at least half white with a good number of Asians mixed in. I am thinking that this is to get a better understanding of the background surrounding the African-American experience. Isn’t that why I am here?

The first stop is the cultural aspects of the African-American experience. This includes how Africans were shipped across the Atlantic, some of the slave markets, and how they were treated more like meat and machinery than humans. I suspect in order to make a slave two things have to happen. First you have to get the person into that mindset. The second, is the enslaver needs to lose any human compassion, consequently they will lose their own humanity.

As part of the culture, there was talk of the religion, “stepping”-a type of initiation dance which Black Greek Letter societies would have, and the Green Book. Even prominent Blacks who were to entertain whites would be subject to where they could eat, stay and pee. Hence the Green Book was like a AAA book of places where they would not be discriminated against. It was like a Black Bible of travel.

Then on another level was music, literature and entertainment. What can I say, this level had the most energy. You heard various performers and saw their outfits.

There was another level, but frankly, the whole experience all merged together. The museum offered not only the transition to becoming slaves and the slave experience, but also the times after the Civil War through the Civil Rights movements. How Blacks were treated, and more important today the effects past discrimination has on current Blacks. But then you also have cultural affects Blacks have had on America, from the music, to dance, to how care is provided.

We left the building around 5pm. There is still lots of activity in the Mall around us. We do stop and have our sandwiches while observing the crowds on the grounds and kites in the air. It is a regular party atmosphere. But with the crowds, there is traffic and it is classic gridlock. Pedestrians have the right-away, particularly when the stop lights give their signal to go. And we go with the flow so there are cars which cannot get out of the intersection causing more cars not to be able to move. We are so glad we are walking. But even the buses need to move through this traffic, at least they are experienced.

DuPont Circle

We get on board 52 and head towards what is considered the downtown area. I noticed that a place we saw a couple days ago is nearby-the Shake Shack. We decided to indulge there before heading towards Kramers. The hamburger is good and the shake is wonderful. A good place to stop in and get rejuvenated.

Then it is a 15 minute walk to Kramer’s Bookstore on the Dupont Circle. This probably qualifies as one of Sherri’s “creeky” bookstores. It is a fun little place-I think almost all bookstores are fun places. It is a bit small, but cozy. Of course, I look at several books and take note of a few titles.

Sherri at Kramers

And then we are off. There is a Red Line Metro which goes to DuPont Circle. But where? We see one place, but it is caged off and then walked to a second, and that is caged off as well. How do we get down? Google to the rescue! There is an entrance right next to Kramers. Oh well, we get a few more steps in. But the escalator into the station almost scares me off. It is long, it is steep. It seems like it takes forever to descend and then add in both my fear of heights and the bumpiness of the escalator. I wonder if we will make it down safely or not.

We do. The Red Line will go directly to our NoMa station. We get out there and get to our room about an hour before our family Zoom time. This gives just enough time to get a few minutes of rest. Usually one of the kids is the first off. David goes off and at 11pm, I say I need to exit as I am getting tired. This gets me some minor harassing, but with understanding. And then I go to bed..

Extra Photo's

Washington Monument through Cherry Blossoms

African-American Museum

Looking out through the screen of the museum

Col Allensworth

Fishnet cloud at the Renwick

Renwick Quilt

Renwick Vase

Renwick Faux Wood Teapot

Renwick-Stairway to heaven?

Admiral Farragut statue

Friday, March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: March 24, 2023 - Washington DC

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Tourist

Walking: 3.2 miles

Description:

General Puraski

It is raining here in DC this morning. I do not think that our outdoor activities are going to happen. So we might try a few indoor things like museums. I did get up at 8am to see if we could get tickets for the Holocaust Museum, but I do not see any availability. I guess I am still tired after 9 hours of sleep as I flop on the couch, waiting for Sherri to get up.

This will allow us to have a relaxing morning with pancakes for breakfast. Then we will figure out which museums to see today. We work through a list and come up with a short list of places which we have not been too yet:

We head off to our now favorite Metro Station: NoMa. We take it to the Metro Central station and climb out of the pit of the beast onto 14th Street. From there we meander towards the White House Visitor Center. Along the way, we come across a statue to Brigadier General Puraski. I think he fought with distinction in the American Revolutionary War.

World War I Mural

Before we get to the Visitor Center, we see another memorial. This is the one to the Americans-both men and women who participated and fought in World War I. This turns out to be more moving than I thought it would be. One of the criticisms of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was its simplicity and lack of celebratory aspects. But that is what made it so powerful is how understated it is. The same goes for the World War I Memorial. There is a statue of General Pershing. But this is a stark plaza. Beyond a small waterfall is a mural, which will have a bronze casting of the story of the Americans, there are bare walls and a depressed area. This leaves the words etched in stone. The starkness gives the words potency. It evicts a sense of the sacrifice and the dedication to the ideas of America. I am glad the words speak for themselves without the need to interpret.

Sherri and the White House Visitor Center

We continue on to the White House Visitor Center. I get more National Park Passport Stamps there. We spent about an hour and a half there. What impresses me is how most of the past families which have lived in the White House had a sense of awe and an understanding of the privilege they had living there. They looked at it as a means to express what was good for the people of the United States. I guess with how guarded the White House and the restrictions placed upon entry-justifiably-there is no longer a sense of the people’s house. It is good to hear how the Presidents are affected going into this place.

George and Us

As we are about to leave, Sherri meanders over into the gift shop to look around. I tag along and do not find too many things of interest. As I circle past the cashier’s counter, one of the ladies asks, can I help you? My response? My wife has tried for 46 years and has not succeeded. This starts off a ten minute gabfest of one liners between me and the three ladies there, all are cracking up. We still did not buy anything.

Emerging from the Immigration Office

We are still full from our late breakfast. So we head down to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I am expecting it to be a somewhat linear retelling of American history. Instead it is thematic, but roughly linear within the theme.

The first exhibit we visit is what I remember about this Museum from 54 years ago: the Flag. Today, it tells the story of the Star-Spangled Banner. How the flag was sewn by a woman and how it shrank after the War of 1812 by bits of it being given away. And then comes the flag. I remember it hanging at the end of a vast auditorium. Now, it is laying on an incline. One of the signs explain that when it was taken down for renovation, it had become so fragile the curators realized it could never be hung again.

We “race” through an exhibit of home life through the ages. Race is a relative term as we do not doddle, but we do spend about 20 minutes on it.

Washington Monument

But the next two exhibits: Out of Many, One! and American Democracy were of interest. They seem to have parallel tracks of thought. How we are stronger as a nation since we are diverse and can compensate for weakness through others' strength. But there is a sub theme in there as well. We need to work through our differences rather than looking down on those who are different.

It is around 5pm when we get out of the museum. Also our bodies are tied and complaining that “we want nourishment.” But where? So far we have not found food, except for food trucks, around the mall. But we do notice there is a Panera’s a few blocks north. That is acceptable. So we travel up to where Google says it is. And there is the US Customs and Border building. What does this mean? When we double checked with Google, it says it is here. So in we go, and go through security. It looks like there is a food court down below, so down we go. We do not see Panera’s, but we spot a hamburger place doing a good business. We ordered a couple hamburgers, fries and drinks. Either our senses have been deprived or this is pretty good stuff. We do not remember what the place is called and Google is not of a lot of help. (Figured out later it is Flamers Charbroiled Hamburgers and Chicken.)

We are now feeling more energized-it is amazing how good one can feel when you get food in you. It is starting to get towards twilight and the city’s lights are coming on. So it is a good time to walk down the Mall towards the Lincoln Memorial. We stop at both the Lockkeeper’s House and Independence Island (its real name is (56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence). The lights are starting to come on and it looks amazing.We will have to hang around some night to get the full effect.

We climbed the steps tonight up to Lincoln sitting in his chair. On one level, the Lincoln Memorial is seen so much, that it is hard to be in awe. But when you enter into the presence of his gaze, I could not fail but to go silent. You realize the greatness of this man’s actions in saving the Union from remaining divided. Even as the shadows fall, the words from his Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address seem to provide their own light. After the American History Museum, this is a good way to end the day.

We find a Metro station and drop down into the pit. But I can tell I am still learning how to get around. When we get on the Red Line, after a few stations, I realize we are going the wrong way. So off we go and get onto a train going the right way. It is comforting getting back to our rooms to rest and enjoy.