I'm just going to do a series of entries here about my trip to DC. I don't seem to be able to manage the time to sit and write a chronicle of events.
I spent most of Thursday traveling and getting settled in. I stayed at a hotel in Arlington, VA which wasn't too far from the Rosslyn Metro station. It was less expensive out there than it would have been right in DC, but the metro made it close enough. The public transportation took a little getting used to, but after a couple wrong turns and a few missed stations, I'd pretty much figured out how to get everywhere I needed to go. Not a bad system, and there was only one suspicious-package-in-the-station alert. Unfortunately, I was on a train in the tunnel when we got that alert and we had to stop and sit there for a short stretch of time. It didn't scare me, but it was an awfully creepy feeling. Everyone got very quiet except for one woman who was babbling away in a very loud voice, only to realize after several long minutes that we'd stopped. Of course she'd missed the announcement that everyone else had heard, and had no idea why we were sitting there. I immediately decided she wasn't the one I'd want to be sitting next to if there were some kind of disaster.
I used the free time to wander around DC a bit. I met four other people from San Diego for dinner Thursday evening, and then was on my own until Candace arrived with her sister on Friday afternoon. Friday morning I ventured out to explore the city and I made my way to the National Mall. (overheard: why do they call it the National MALL. You can't BUY anything here.) My first stop was the Veterans for Peace "Camp Casey" tent that was set up near the Washington Monument. They had the memorial crosses placed in the ground outside the tent, and another area with the boots of some who've been killed in this bloody war. There were several reporters there and the group was just setting up their camp, so I wandered around the tent a bit and looked at the photos, and teared up a bit, but was soon on my way down the mall.
I spent the rest of the morning visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. I'd done a complete circle from Arlington to Arlington.
After C and her sis arrived we went to the FDR memorial which is great. Probably my favorite...it's so well done. Large granite blocks, waterfalls and pools of water and greenery. His words are etched into the blocks. There are several statues on the premises...two of FDR, one of Eleanor, another of men waiting in a soup line. I think it's a beautiful memorial.
I spent most of Thursday traveling and getting settled in. I stayed at a hotel in Arlington, VA which wasn't too far from the Rosslyn Metro station. It was less expensive out there than it would have been right in DC, but the metro made it close enough. The public transportation took a little getting used to, but after a couple wrong turns and a few missed stations, I'd pretty much figured out how to get everywhere I needed to go. Not a bad system, and there was only one suspicious-package-in-the-station alert. Unfortunately, I was on a train in the tunnel when we got that alert and we had to stop and sit there for a short stretch of time. It didn't scare me, but it was an awfully creepy feeling. Everyone got very quiet except for one woman who was babbling away in a very loud voice, only to realize after several long minutes that we'd stopped. Of course she'd missed the announcement that everyone else had heard, and had no idea why we were sitting there. I immediately decided she wasn't the one I'd want to be sitting next to if there were some kind of disaster.
I used the free time to wander around DC a bit. I met four other people from San Diego for dinner Thursday evening, and then was on my own until Candace arrived with her sister on Friday afternoon. Friday morning I ventured out to explore the city and I made my way to the National Mall. (overheard: why do they call it the National MALL. You can't BUY anything here.) My first stop was the Veterans for Peace "Camp Casey" tent that was set up near the Washington Monument. They had the memorial crosses placed in the ground outside the tent, and another area with the boots of some who've been killed in this bloody war. There were several reporters there and the group was just setting up their camp, so I wandered around the tent a bit and looked at the photos, and teared up a bit, but was soon on my way down the mall.
I spent the rest of the morning visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. I'd done a complete circle from Arlington to Arlington.
After C and her sis arrived we went to the FDR memorial which is great. Probably my favorite...it's so well done. Large granite blocks, waterfalls and pools of water and greenery. His words are etched into the blocks. There are several statues on the premises...two of FDR, one of Eleanor, another of men waiting in a soup line. I think it's a beautiful memorial.
posted by Terry at 2:14 PM
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