More Juicy DC Goodness

Well, I posted a LOT of pictures today, so the Cliffnotes version of the day for the casual non-family reader is we went to the Museum of Natural History, over to the Old Post Office Pavilion for lunch, wandered over to the White House Visitor Center to confirm where we needed to be for our Saturday morning tour, gaped at the spectacle surrounding the lighting of the White House Christmas Tree, walked over to the Washington Monument to ride the elevator to the top (denied - closed due to high winds!), back to the apartment, then down to the waterfront to eat supper. I took around 300 pictures, half of which are decent, so it was tough to pare down the selection. As you other bloggers know, our blog serves as our scrapbook to ourselves, so a lot of these are on there just for me to review our vacation five months from now when I've been working four months straight, 11 hours a day, just to remind myself why hard work pays off.

The weather was absolutely perfect today, partly sunny, mid-50's . . . . .

Approaching the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, a true gem of a place.

The elephant in the Rotunda, greeting you first thing.

Gotta photograph the Ty Rex baby!

Triceratops and stegosaurus have always been my favorites.

Some of the dioramas are simply breathtaking. I told Goldfish that Chico and I would like to be posted in manly (and dog-ly) poses by the taxidermist when we pass and she assured me she would have us taking down something suitable to our fierceness - like a sparrow or something . . . . . no respect!

Pretty hard NOT to photograph this little guy . . . .

Lots of pictures from the mineral exhibit for my Dad - he was the one that first brought me there many years ago.

Maine tourmaline Dad!

Taking a break on the second floor, overlooking the Rotunda.

This was Goldfish's absolute favorite item there, a crown that Napoleon gave his wife. I tried to explain to her we were visiting a museum, not Christmas shopping, but I'm not sure she understood - I fear she is going to be mighty disappointed on Christmas morning . . . .

The Hope Diamond, on display in its own room with its own guard. Pretty enough, I guess . . .

The Old Post Office Pavilion where we had lunch.

Because of the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, there were some serious cameras heading towards the White House. Serious camera envy on my part . . . .

The Willard Hotel, right next to the Treasury Department, which is right next to the White House. A wee bit out of my price range, I'm guessing . . . .

The Treasury Department.

The DC Police are all on Harleys, some with sidecars with covers (holding some serious armament, I bet). Well, not ALL on Harleys, there are also bikes and horses and cars and of course all those black SUVs as well. A motorcade went by while we were there with many police cars in front and back of a blacked out Lincoln Towncar - probably the Obahma children coming home from school . . . . heheh . . . .

This is about as close as we could get to the White House tree (left of frame) as you needed tickets well in advance to attend. The really funny part is that the night before when we were walking by, returning from the Lincoln Memorial, the tree was lit - they were probably testing everything out.

The wind really was whipping but I suspect the real reason for the closure was they didn't want anyone up there during the Tree Lighting Ceremony. It would have been a beautiful day to ride to the top, maybe tomorrow . . . .

We ended the day at Cantina Marina on the waterfront. My Jambalaya Pasta was AMAZING, I would go back there but I thing Goldfish already has a different place line up for tomorrow night. No 10 Thoughts from DC tonight folks, it's past my bedtime! Cheers and goodnight!

Day of Semi-Rest

Our first trip down to the subway. My blind niece has used the DC public transportation system and had nothing but praise for it so we couldn't wait to check it out. I have to say that after a mis-step or two, we found it to be first rate as well - clean, easy to figure out, convenient. It takes just five minutes for us to get to the National Mall from our doorstep.

We slept in this morning, enjoying the apartment and giving Goldfish a chance to get lots of rest to kick her cold. After a late start we did get down to the National Mall, spending time visiting the Washington, Lincoln and WW II Monuments. It was raining off and on and the light was too flat for good photos until dark when they lit everything up.

My very favorite woman!
The pool by the World War II Monument.


The ceiling at Lincoln's Memorial.
The reflecting pool was drained for maintenance, this being the off-season. You could still get some interesting pictures from the base of the Lincoln Memorial looking towards the Capitol Building.

Just amazing. So beautiful. I cried . . . .


Today's Ten Observations From DC:

1. Four shower heads really are four times better than one.

2. I think people in DC may be even more friendly than in Unalaska, which is strange. We are friendly in Unalaska because we all know each other - here they are friendly for other reasons.

3. If you want to feel at home in a new place, light a candle or two . . . . this works in the wilderness as well . . .

4. If you expect life to be safe, fun and full of wonder then it will be . . . . prepare for the worst but expect the best.

5. There are very few better things in life than travel with a best friend.

6. A greying civil servant whistling Revolutionary War battle hymns while walking in the rain down Independence Street to the subway entrance . . . good stuff.

7. The best food can come from a street vendor.

8. The Vietnam War Memorial is best seen in daylight.

9. If you spend enough time around beautiful things, you will cry eventually.

10. Have a plan but be willing to change it at the drop of a hat - trust your instincts.

Safe in Washington DC

Quite a beautiful moon we had this evening - I took this from Reagan National Airport just after landing this afternoon.

The capitol dome just visible across the river from Reagan National.

Goldfish found us a great apartment in DC for our 6 nights stay. Just a $12 cab ride from the airport and maybe a mile from the National Mall where all the action is - the monuments, the White House, the Smithsonian Museums, and all the rest. Great little kitchen . . . .

Living room opens onto a good sized balcony with chairs and table to admire the view. There is a computer in the corner and also wireless.

Enormous television, too big for the small room actually, with a mounted fish for fun . . .

The bedroom is super quirky - the bed takes up 80% of the room and there are two entry doors to access the two sides of the bed. Another TV conveniently mounted on the wall . . .

The bathroom is small but swanky with a deep jetted spa tub and upscale fixtures . . .

And looking from the bathroom out into the kitchen and living room.

But what sold us on it was the view from the balcony! We're on the 8th floor and can see the river, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Monument - love it! You can see how close we are to all the fun stuff . . . .

Out flight from Seattle went great, we had a tailwind over a 100 knots and got here in less than 4 hours, the fastest crossing I've ever had. The unit manager met us at the apartment with the keys and then we went across the street to the Safeway (Unalaska phone number worked fine for the Club Card discount) where we stocked up on groceries for the week. The subway entrance is right in front of the Safeway so we really are in a great location, Goldfish did her homework.

Speaking of Goldfish, she is still fighting a cold, I'm going out on the balcony for one last look at the city then off to bed so we can get a decent start tomorrow. Cheers!