Grand Train Journey across USA (2006) - Day 16

[Guest]

Day 16 - (3/7/06) – Setting a President!

We had a lie in this morning after our late arrival at Union Station. Our hotel is the Monaco, part of the Kimpton Group. The building was once a Post Office and they have done a very sympathetic conversion – very boutique-y.

The lobby area is like some mad furniture store – but we love it.

Every afternoon at 4p.m. they have a wine hour. The Kimpton hotels welcome pets and if you don’t have one they will lend you one – a goldfish in a bowl!

We are located on 7th Street and a half mile walk takes you down and over Pennsylvania Avenue and to the National Mall. We are just 3 blocks over from the White House - the blue square shows our location:

In the open centre of the hotel is a sun deck where you can enjoy snacks and a drink.

Our room:

We have a bust of Jefferson on top of the wardrobe:

We have a lazy - in the room - breakfast before making our way down to the Mall which runs from the Capitol Building in the east of this vast city to the Lincoln Memorial in the west near to the Potomac River. We take the Metro subway (the tunnels are enormous) and emerge at Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Institution, established in 1846 is a group of museums and research centres administered by the Government of the United States. It was established with funds from James Smithson (1765-1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

Smithson, the illegitimate child of a wealthy Englishman, had travelled much during his life, but had never once set foot on American soil. Why, then, would he decide to give the entirety of his sizable estate—which totalled half a million dollars, or 1/66 of the United States' entire federal budget at the time—to a country that was foreign to him?

Some speculate it was because he was denied his father's legacy. Others argue that he was inspired by the United States' experiment with democracy. Some attribute his philanthropy to ideals inspired by such organizations as the Royal Institution, which was dedicated to using scientific knowledge to improve human conditions. Smithson never wrote about or discussed his bequest with friends or colleagues, so we are left to speculate on the ideals and motivations of a gift that has had such significant impact on the arts, humanities, and sciences in the United States.

You can see Smithson’s crypt in the Smithsonian Castle:

138 million artefacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian's collections. The scope of objects in Smithsonian collections is staggering—from ancient Chinese bronzes to the Star-Spangled Banner; from a 3.5 billion-year-old fossil to the Apollo lunar landing module; from the ruby slippers featured in The Wizard of Oz to presidential memorabilia.

There is a series of museums along the Mall and it has the NASA museum, natural history and many others under its umbrella. The one we are quite taken by is the National Museum of the American Indian. The exterior is built to look like a mesa with tumbling waterfall.

At the National Air and Space Museum we get to see the original propeller from the Wright brothers airplane. A mock up of the Wright Flyer shows how flimsy the device was.

We see Amelia Earhart’s plane - Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

There is even a Lunar Landing Module:

Time to move on.

Because Independence Day is looming there’s a folk-life festival going on with food, dance and cultural features.

We eventually arrive at the Washington Monument. We have pre booked our visit and we are so glad we did. The standby line is unbelievable.

They are sticklers to you entering at the exact time so as we have a few minutes and the temperature is reaching 90 F we go sit in the shade and lean on the base of the monument.

Constructed of 36,000 pieces of marble and granite this edifice is held together by gravity (like the pyramids). There is no mortar or cement whatsoever keeping the stones together. About a third of the way up, the stones change colour. This because they ran out of funding and building ceased for some 20 years. More funding was raised and military engineers completed the job from 1876. It originally had a steam operated hoist to get people to the top, taking some 15 minutes to get there. Nowadays you go up in an elevator in 90 seconds.
There are tiny viewing windows at each compass point side from which you can gaze on the city, monuments and river below.

The monument sits on a hillock surrounded by 50 stars and stripes flags representing the States of America.
Some views from the top of the monument -

Looking towards the Capitol Building along the Mall. You can see some of the museums on the right of the picture:

Jefferson Memorial and the Potomac River:

The Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial:

The Ellipse and White House. To the left of the White House is the West Wing where the Oval Office is located. If you look carefully at the top edge of the Ellipse you can see the tree that is decorated each Christmas as the official White House tree.

I mentioned the weather was HOT! In the low nineties now and so we opt for the Tourmobile – a sort of diesel tram that calls at all the main memorials and points of interest. A breeze blows when the tram is moving which helps to cool us down. We take it to Union Station not to catch a train but to look at the grand architecture and have a late lunch in the main hall. The Tourmobile is a hop on / hop off service so we can catch it again later.

The café is atop of the ticket office. You can see the stairs up to it in the photo.

This building is a cathedral to train travel.

We enjoy roasted shrimp Caesar salad and ice cold tea. It’s great people – watching as we eat. The station also has a great shopping centre incorporated in its many levels.

We rejoin the tram and head out across the Potomac (it means trading place) River to Arlington Cemetery. J F Kennedy’s grave is here. The land here was confiscated from the Arlington estate of Robert E Lee and, by the end, of the Civil War over 16,000 soldiers were interred here. We will visit here properly another day.

We return over the river and choose to call off at the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials. Lincoln sits on his seat and towers some thirty feet above the crowds who come to look at him.

Lincoln looks troubled and his gaze seems to convey that he is thinking “Why are all these people trampling around here?” The Pantheon style monument was built in 1914 and the statue of Lincoln was carved from 28 blocks of marble because no one piece could be found that was big enough.

In contrast the Vietnam Veterans memorial was created by Maya Lin, a 21 year old Yale University student. It is beautiful in its simplicity – two triangular black walls pointing towards Lincoln’s Memorial at one end and the Washington Monument at the other. It lists, in chronological order, the names of all the Americans who died in the Vietnam War from the first casualty in 1958 to the last in 1975. We see some folk with stepladders trying to obtain rubbings of names – the only remaining recognition of a family member. It is a very reflective place of calm.

Across the way there are plans to build a memorial to Martin Luther King.

We also call at the Roosevelt Memorial. Designed by Lawrence Halprin in 1978, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial was built to honor the 32nd president of the United States. The memorial is divided into four outdoor “rooms,” signifying FDR’s four terms in office –my favourite are the granite rocks from South Dakota with cascading waters.

Roosevelt’s statue is accompanied by his dog Fala.

This is the only Presidential Memorial to include a First Lady – Eleanor Roosevelt.

We make our way to near the White House - opportunity for photos:

On the way back to our hotel we discover a great store that sells all things American Politics. Geoff obtains a set of “Bill Clinton” cuff-links. These would have been given by the former President to visitors and dignitaries.

Our anniversary is 4th July but as we will be busy tomorrow we decide to have our celebratory dinner over the road from the hotel at the Rosa Mexicano:

Whilst we decide what we will have from the menu a guy comes to the table with a gigantic mortar and pestle and proceeds to make fresh guacamole to go with the tortilla chips that also arrive at the table.

We start with Quesadillas – grilled flour tortillas filled with roasted peppers, corn and Chihuahua cheese.

I follow this with Arrachera – chilli and tequila marinated skirt steak with chill rajas and Menonita cheese.

Darrin chooses Pollo Pibil – Yucatan dish of pan seared chicken breast marinated in orange – achiote sauce topped with pico de gallo (Tomato, onion and jalapeno salad), crema and queso fresco (a cow’s milk cheese).

We finish with Churros en Bolsa – Mexian doughnuts served with 3 dipping sauces – chocolate, caramel and raspberry.

Thank Heaven we only have to walk over the street to get back to our hotel.


INDEX: http://DIBB.in/11466192

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Geoff. What a detailed and enjoyable report. Your hotel looks lovely, it must certainly have been equally as impressive when it was a Post Office. Love the lend a pet system!
So much to see and do in Washington, the Roosevelt memorial is new to me, after my last visit.
Just shows I need to go back!
Some very interesting facts about the construction of the Washington Monument. Somewhat akin to the Statue of Liberty which was left lying around for years still in boxes!
I can never see the lake without thinking of the Forest Gump film.
Those railroad stations are certainly something else aren't they.
Churros look nice.. Mmmm

[Guest]

Thanks Mr T.M.
Our only regret is that we never visited Georgetown but that will be remedied in the future!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by geoffa

Thanks Mr T.M.
Our only regret is that we never visited Georgetown but that will be remedied in the future!

See more...

Personally not that over impressed with Georgetown we like Old Town Alexandria better.

[OB1LukeLucas]

I'm really enjoying the train journey but I bet it was great to get off and explore...and of course a proper bed to spread out and relax. The hotel is great, I love your pet! All your food today looked amazing, I think you would have needed to roll me back to the room after that delicious meal

[Guest]

I forgot to mention the champagne!

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Geoff. What's skirt steak? I have seen it on menus for years but never queried what it is. I am a rump person on the rare occasion I do eat steak, or in the States filet.

[anji]

I had no idea you could actually go up the Washington Monument! The view from the top is vast. Also the Smithsonian's collection looks amazing - the slippers!

Like the tram idea and Washington is now definitely further up my list of places to visit. A great day.

Love Miguel !

[Guest]

Originally Posted by anji

I had no idea you could actually go up the Washington Monument! The view from the top is vast. Also the Smithsonian's collection looks amazing - the slippers!

Like the tram idea and Washington is now definitely further up my list of places to visit. A great day.

Love Miguel !

See more...

It's recently reopened, it was closed for a good while, it was quite badly damaged by the earthquake.

If any if you do go, take the monuments by moonlight tram tour, gives a whole new perspective.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Geoff. What's skirt steak? I have seen it on menus for years but never queried what it is. I am a rump person on the rare occasion I do eat steak, or in the States filet.

See more...

Skirt steak is flank steak in England I think. It's not usually served as a piece of steak, like rump steak. It's can be tough but when it marinated and cooked on a grill it's delicious. We use it for fajitas. It's my Grandsons favorite.