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Post by htmb on Oct 25, 2012 1:37:37 GMT
I recently had a delightful visit to the Washington, DC/Virginia area. The weather was crisp, clear and cool most of the time, and the autumn leaves were gorgeous shades of red and yellow, orange and gold. I spent the first two days of my visit in the center of DC, walking the streets, viewing monuments, art, a variety of buildings, and generally exploring the city center. I was able to take a metro bus to the Pentagon and pick up the metro train from there. (It is forbidden to take photographs while anywhere on the premises of the Pentagon, of I would have taken lots.)The Washington, DC area has a marvelous public transportation system. It's clean, fast, and seems to be well run. Since I was staying in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday morning I traveled to the Foggy Bottom metro station next to George Washington University and then headed out towards the White House. (This is not the closest metro stop, but I was traveling to another location first). It was an interesting and easy walk and I soon came to Lafayette Square, located across the street from the White House. The surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1970. The square is named for the Marquis de Lafayette, who was loyal to George Washington and instrumental in the outcome of the American Revolution. The first statue I saw was of the Comte de Rochambeau, who also came to America with 5,000 French troops to help George Washington win independence. The French played a very big role in the American Revolution! In the center of the park is a statue of Andrew Jackson, an American hero who was also president from 1829 - 1837. These folks were camped on the sidewalk. And behind me stood the White House. After taking photos, I walked around towards the Ellipse behind the White House, and as I approached I heard two helicopters take off and travel south. Perhaps President Obama was leaving to do more campaigning? One of the helicopters is the speck between the top of the tree and the crane seen in the distance. My destination was the National Gallery of Art, so I set off towards the east end of the Washington Mall. I spent the rest of the morning exploring the west wing of the National Gallery of Art, took a lunch break, and then toured the Korean War Memorial on the opposite end of the Mall before heading back to Virginia. I have made reports on both the National Gallery and various monuments and memorials. Links to both threads, as well as others, will be posted at the end of this report. NEXT: Touring the Capitol Building
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Post by htmb on Oct 25, 2012 2:35:10 GMT
It had rained a lot on Thursday night and the skies were just beginning to clear as I left the metro Friday morning, this time at the Federal Triangle station. I wasn't exactly sure which direction I needed to walk to get to the Washington, DC Mall area until I recognized the old post office building. I was traveling to the United States Capitol building where, a couple of weeks earlier, I had booked a tour. Because I had been on a Capitol building tour several years earlier I wasn't really sure I wanted to go again. The tour turned out to be interesting because I got to see the new, and very nice, visitors' center, as well as observe some interesting people. During my walks in the area around the Mall, and to and from the various locations I visited, I passed many different sights such as the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, and the Newseum. Both places I'd like to return to see. I also passed the Canadian Embassy several times. There was a sign out front listing what sounded like a very interesting talk coming up soon. Perhaps another great resource to check out sometime in the future? The headquarters of the Smithsonian is a fabulous building I have not entered in years, so I'm also adding that to my list. While progress had been made on reconstruction of the Mall since my visit in August, parts of it were still incomplete. And the huge Arts and Industries building seems to have been closed for renovation and restoration for several years. I continued my walk towards the Capitol Building, knowing I needed to get all the way around to the back side of the hill.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 25, 2012 3:44:47 GMT
Htmb, this is a glorious report -- I'm panting to see more of it.
That first photo is a knockout -- obviously for the colors, but also for the brilliant composition & the clever way you have nature eclipse a major monument. I love the way you explain your route, its timing, & what you see along the way.
That clear autumn light shows up beautifully in your super pictures.
I'm intrigued by the landscaping glimpse in the sculpture garden. It's really nice to see something so different & un-formal in a public space.
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Post by mossie on Oct 25, 2012 6:59:11 GMT
An excellent look at your capital buildings. Lovely photos, you had the right weather.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 7:35:58 GMT
Everything looks great, but I was wondering -- is there still any trace of damage from last year's earthquake?
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Post by htmb on Oct 25, 2012 10:29:42 GMT
Everything looks great, but I was wondering -- is there still any trace of damage from last year's earthquake? I'm glad you brought that up, Kerouac, because I've failed to mention that the interior of the Washington monument is closed to visitors due to repairs. The National Cathedral, which I have not visited, will be undergoing a renovation estimated to cost at least $5 million.
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Post by htmb on Oct 25, 2012 20:29:08 GMT
Capitol Hill really is a hill. You can actually see the dome of the Capitol building across the Potomac River from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, several miles to the south. If you look closely you can see the dome in the center of this photo taken from the Old Town docks. The last time I visited Capitol Hill was with a huge group of eleven year olds from my Florida county on a safety patrol trip, so I was thinking I might avoid the crows of kids at this time of year. Not so! As I approached Capitol Hill from the west I encountered what seemed like five hundred teen age students who had just gotten off their buses. This group of football players was being led through stretching exercises by one of their coaches while they waited to start their tour. I must say that all the students I encountered on this trip were polite and behaved very respectfully. I passed by the students and there in front of me was the Capitol. A closer look reveals work already being done to prepare for the January inauguration of the President. As I walked around the southwestern side of Capitol Hill I encountered more high school students who were preparing for group photos in front of the building. I could see the 19 1/2 foot high bronze-coated statue of "Freedom" standing on top of the dome. I then walked around to the east side of the building where I would locate the entrance to the visitors' center. I found the entrance to the center near the bottom of these stair steps. I remember being confined to a very cramped space when I was touring with the safety patrols, but this new center is open, spacious, and very well arranged for handling large crowds.
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 0:26:27 GMT
Walking inside the Capitol Visitor Center, one of the first things I saw in Emancipation Hall was the plaster model used to cast the statue of "Freedom." It serves as a focal point for the large room. After checking in at the reservation desk, I waited with two more groups of teenagers and one groups of older, retired, folks. Emancipation Hall has several different statues, but I am sorry to say that I didn't photograph the space as I should. I will list a couple of links, at the end of this section, to websites with details for anyone interested in more information. The tour groups were formed up and we were ushered into a large theater where we saw an excellent video on the construction of the Capitol. We later gathered with our guide and were given earphones so all could hear her talk. We were not allowed to leave our group, but were told to remain with the guide at all times. After going up an escalator and a few sets of stairs, we arrived in the rotunda of the Capitol. The large floor is used for ceremonial events and is the space where some American dignitaries, such as former presidents, are "laid in state" so the public may pay their respects to the deceased. There is a lot of artwork on the walls, but my photos of the space do it a terrible injustice. While we were in the rotunda I realized that the group across from us were military veterans who were visiting Washington, DC and its monuments as guests of the Honor Flight non-profit group. Honor Flight arranges free transportation to Washington, DC, along with tours and the folks you see in the red shirts are the hosts. Every veteran appeared to have their own very attentive host as they traveled through the Capitol (moving pretty fast, too!). After we left the rotunda we were led first into the old House of Representatives chambers, the site of the luncheon to be held after the presidential inauguration. Next we were taken downstairs to the "crypt" which I suppose isn't technically a crypt since no one is buried there. It was supposed to be the burial place of George Washington, but he preferred to be buried at Mount Vernon, and died before the building was completed anyway. At this point I was ready to leave the tour, so the only photo I took in the crypt was of this large bust of Abraham Lincoln. I ran into the Honor Flight group once again as I exited the building. I began the descent back down the hill by following the path on the north side of the building. About two-thirds of the way down I came to this hexagon-shaped brick "Summer House," completed in the early 1880's as a space for weary travelers to rest and have their fill of water. It was closed. Near the summer house was this cylindrical structure which appeared to be fairly old. I haven't found out its use, but it appeared to be used some sort of a chimney for exhaust. And here's the northern side view of the staging equipment for the front steps. ******** I was glad to have spent a couple of hours on Capitol Hill, but it was time to move on towards the other end of the Washington Mall, as I planned to spend the afternoon in the east wing of the National Gallery. For more information on the Capitol Building here are a couple of web sites that were interesting to me: Explore Capitol HillWelcome to the U.S. Capitol******** I have divided up my visits to Washington, DC area monuments, memorials, historic places, and art galleries by placing them in other AnyPort threads listed below. The different threads contain numerous photographs of my travels around the area.
Monuments and Memorials of Washington, DC
Intriguing Structures of Washington, DC and Virginia
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Smithsonian National American History Museum
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 26, 2012 2:33:35 GMT
Stellar pictures, Htmb! That one of the Capitol from the western side is beautiful. I don't remember ever seeing a photo of it from that angle before.
I undoubtedly should know this, but ..... what is the pool(?) in front of the Capitol?
That picture of the stairs down to the visitors' ctr is lovely, and the bust of Lincoln is so expressive & different from the norm.
I couldn't have told you at the point of a gun what was on top of the Capitol, so am happy to now know of that magnificent statue.
What a good idea to explain your thread divisions & to include the links -- thanks.
(although I was very tired when I looked at that the first time & read it as "... my 2,012 vists to Washington D.C ..." and was amazed that you'd been so many times!)
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 2:52:19 GMT
Good point, bixa. I removed the 2012 reference at the end. Too confusing.
Did you mean the "Capitol Reflecting Pool?"
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 6:12:49 GMT
Somewhere, I have a photo of me and my brother standing in front of the White House, on the steps of the Capitol and at Arlington Cemetery. I was about 4 years old at the time, and that was my last visit to D.C. (except passing through the airports a few times), so I am very happy to get this overview of all of things I need to see when I finally manage to return there.
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 15:38:42 GMT
Maybe you could dig those pictures out, Kerouac. Would love to see them. My first view of Washington, DC was from the back of my friend's parents camper truck. We were on a two week trip up and down the east coast between Florida to Vermont. My friend's father circled the White House twice at night while driving through town and yelled back at us to look out the camper window. (And this man was supposed to be an educated engineer from Purdue University
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 15:49:27 GMT
One observation I meant to mentioned earlier was the use of barricades in front of governmental buildings. Seeing barricades is now very common in the United States post 911. While in earlier years concrete beams were merely dropped down in front of passageways, now there appears to be an artistry to building barricades. I do believe that the concrete planters are a major aesthetic improvement, even those with simple greenery on top.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 16:39:17 GMT
And let's just hope that they never have to test their efficiency.
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 17:39:48 GMT
And let's just hope that they never have to test their efficiency. Absolutely, Kerouac! I truly felt a sense of being in a place that had been under attack and had experienced great terror. Security at the Pentagon, as well as other locations, is extrementy tight, as mentioned before. It's taken quite seriously. I must say it was a bit disconcerting to me at first to experience flying low along the edge of the city to land at Reagan National Airport, and I still have not quite gotten use to planes flying overhead while I'm walking among monuments and memorials off the Washington Mall. The two planes in the photos below illustrate how major airlines fly low along the Potomac River to land at Regan, while also flying past the Pentagon building which is basically between DC and the airport. Looking west towards the Lincoln Memorial Looking southwest towards the center of the Mall.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 17:50:09 GMT
When I landed at Washington National, I was pretty sure that we were going to hit some monuments. It was sort of the same feeling at the old Hong Kong airport where it seemed that the planes were going to rip the roofs off the tenements.
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2012 17:54:11 GMT
I do believe this is my favorite photograph of the Mall area. I happened to turn around and look behind me as I was approaching the Korean War Memorial. The afternoon light seemed to catch the Washington Monument and make it shine.
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Post by htmb on Oct 27, 2012 23:43:53 GMT
Just after i returned to North Central Florida a local Honor Flight group left for a day in Washington, DC. One thing I learned from this newscast is that the escorts accompanying each of the older veterans also served in the military. Honor Flight News Report
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 28, 2012 3:47:52 GMT
Oh, Htmb, thank you so much for following up on the Honor Flights and including that information here. The news clip is extremely moving, yet happy. I'm going to see if I can get my stepfather on the next flight from his state, which will be in April of 2013.
You've added even more wonderful pictures. I like the flower-planted bollards & the photo captioned "looking west toward the Lincoln Memorial" very much, but you're right that #16 is a real triumph.
Re: the reflecting pool ~~ I really didn't know the Capitol had one as well, always associating the other one with the many iconic pictures of the Washington Monument reflected in it w/DC.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 29, 2012 19:20:36 GMT
I agree, the flowers in the bollards look much better than the standard concrete blocks. Very interesting and informative Htmb great photographs too. ;D
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Post by htmb on Jan 21, 2013 18:37:51 GMT
Watching the Presidential inauguration today and seeing many of the places I visited back in August and October was especially meaningful for me. Washington, DC is a wonderful city and a most interesting place to visit. I'm looking forward to returning sometime in the near future.
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 3:58:44 GMT
Continuing in late winter 2013...
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 4:07:18 GMT
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 12:40:07 GMT
The Native American Indian Museum is huge, with many different types of displays. Here's a random sampling of a few.
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 12:47:24 GMT
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 13:27:29 GMT
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 14:29:34 GMT
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Post by htmb on Mar 3, 2013 0:10:49 GMT
I went back to the Capitol Building and took another tour. This one lasted two hours and was a personal tour conducted by an aide to my United States Congressman. I was able to see more than I had on the basic tour I took in October. I met the Congressman's aide in his office, located in a House of Representatives building across from the Capitol. I also happened to meet the Cngressman who came into the office just as we were leaving. He was very personable and welcoming. Congressional offices are located off this hallway. The staff person led me through a tunnel under the street and into the Capitol building. The walls are lined with art work from high school students hailing from each state in the Union. We traveled through the visitors center and down another hall where we came to the room used by the Supreme Court from 1810 - 1860. As you can see, it was very dimly lit. Outside the old Supreme Court chambers is this beautiful light fixture.
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Post by htmb on Mar 3, 2013 0:23:07 GMT
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Post by htmb on Mar 3, 2013 1:11:38 GMT
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