I have started to write this as the Vamoose bus crosses over to Maryland at around 6:00 PM on January 3rd, 2016. The sun has set, the weather has started to get uncomfortably cold, and the guy next to me has sneezed 14 times since I boarded the bus at 5:30 PM at Rosslyn, Arlington (as I'm about to publish this post, I'm also watching The Da Vinci Code on Netflix, and Robert Langdon has just walked into the Rosslyn Chapel - eerie coincidence, or is it?).
A couple of weeks back, my roommate and I were at home, drinking champagne (of course), and on a whim, began to make resolutions for the new year. I will go into these resolutions and their rationales in a different post, but I wanted to focus on a couple of items through this particular one -
- Resuscitate my blog that has seen no activity since mid-2011
- Travel to at least 12 states in 2016
Given my general apathy toward New Year Parties & Other Shenanigans (shocking, considering my feelings towards spirits), I was eager to get out of NYC, and took up my cousin's (well, technically, he is my uncle) offer of spending NYE with him and his family in Virginia. I had been to VA & DC only once before, and that was way back during Thanksgiving of 2009 when I was an immature, budget-conscious student - this time, I was no longer a student.
Not intending to digress, I want to keep to the general theme of this blog - sight-seeing in a limited amount of time. In this case, I had around 5-hours available to cover some key tourist attractions in the capital of the US.
My addiction to touring on foot resulted in the following path - starting from the Smithsonian Station to the Holocaust Museum to the Washington Monument to the World War II Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial to the Korean War Veterans' Memorial to The White House to the Capitol to finally the Federal Center SW Metro Station.
You might wonder why on earth I chose to visit the Holocaust Museum on the second day of the new year (Jan 1st is a washout, as you might expect, due to drunken shenanigans from the previous evening). I really don't know why. Except that I wanted to. And it made sense to me.
While the museum allows visitors to take photographs without flash (a lot of visitors choose to ignore this and then are yelled at by watchful volunteers), there was a certain poignancy to each exhibit, each artifact, each photograph, each painting throughout the museum that made me not want to take any pictures filled with such despair. I was particularly surprised to find out that prior to 1941, it was relatively easier for Jews, the Romani and other persecuted communities to escape Germany & seek refuge in other European countries (such as, France) and the US, but unfortunately for them, the doors to seeking asylum in these nations were pretty much closed off due to prevailing anti-Semitism and petty politics. Knowing what's happening today in Syria, clearly, we haven't learned anything in the past 70-odd years.
I did, however, take one photograph in The Hall of Remembrance...
I would estimate around 3 hours to visit the Museum on a less crowded day, whereas it can take you close to 4-hours in case of larger crowds, as was the case with me.
From here, I walked over to the Washington Monument, which is the world's tallest obelisk dedicated to the memory of Washington and constructed in 1888.
And the one below represents the West Coast (the light was clearly better on this side)...
While the museum allows visitors to take photographs without flash (a lot of visitors choose to ignore this and then are yelled at by watchful volunteers), there was a certain poignancy to each exhibit, each artifact, each photograph, each painting throughout the museum that made me not want to take any pictures filled with such despair. I was particularly surprised to find out that prior to 1941, it was relatively easier for Jews, the Romani and other persecuted communities to escape Germany & seek refuge in other European countries (such as, France) and the US, but unfortunately for them, the doors to seeking asylum in these nations were pretty much closed off due to prevailing anti-Semitism and petty politics. Knowing what's happening today in Syria, clearly, we haven't learned anything in the past 70-odd years.
I did, however, take one photograph in The Hall of Remembrance...
I would estimate around 3 hours to visit the Museum on a less crowded day, whereas it can take you close to 4-hours in case of larger crowds, as was the case with me.
From here, I walked over to the Washington Monument, which is the world's tallest obelisk dedicated to the memory of Washington and constructed in 1888.
When you visit the monument, you will observe a large number of tourists lying down at the base of the obelisk looking up at it - some will even have their feet against the walls of the monument (not exactly sure what thrills they experience from this exercise, I decided it wasn't worth the effort).
There were a lot of tourists though... me included.
And more people ambling about the Mall...
From here, it's a straightforward walk over to the Lincoln Memorial. Be forewarned however, it's a deceptively long walk. On the way, you will come across the recently constructed World War II Memorial (well, as recent as 2004 anyway). 56 pillars and a couple of triumphal arches surround a fountain, and the memorial is dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces & as civilians during World War II.
The following photo represents the East Coast...
And the one below represents the West Coast (the light was clearly better on this side)...
But at the same time, I couldn't help specifically take a photo of Georgia.
Onward to the Lincoln Memorial - as you walk over, you can catch a glimpse of the Washington Monument once more.
After roughly a 15-minute stroll, you reach the Memorial. My understanding is that the Memorial is always packed with tourists no matter when you actually visit.
Fight through the crowds here in order to get inside quickly, unless you're a nice guy who does not mind being pushed around... Once inside, you see the imposing & very, very impressive statue of Abraham Lincoln.
To your right (and the north side of the memorial) is the inscription of Lincoln's second inaugural address...
And to your left (and the south side of the memorial) is the inscription of his Gettysburg address...
Another factoid about this memorial - Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech on the very steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and the exact spot on which he stood has an engraving commemorating the speech. I was unable to find this spot, but I do blame the hundreds of tourists (damn tourists) for this. If you do manage to locate the spot, do not tell me and make me go green with envy. However, I managed to briefly stalk this couple...
From the Lincoln Memorial, you can choose to visit the Korean War Memorial (time permitting). I found myself at this Memorial mainly because I lost my way and walked south instead of north. I really just wanted to walk over to The White House, which is what I'll discuss next. Only when you undertake long, touristy walks through previously unvisited locations do you come across random (or maybe not-so-random) buildings of importance, such as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Anyway, The White House. Understandably, because the villa (is that the right word?) itself is currently "leased" to someone, you can't really walk in and check the place out. But I promise you that the food trucks near The White House serve amazing food - lucky Obama...
Even this place had thousands of wandering tourists...
There are dozens (more like a hundred) Secret Service agents & policemen that patrol the general area of The White House - you can take photographs of (or with) them, if you want to. I did not want to.
From The White House, you walk down Pennsylvania Avenue toward The Capitol.
On your left, you will come across a very nondescript building between 10th St & 9th St. This is the FBI Headquarters, and is only recognizable by the fact that its name is the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Opposite this nondescript building is the Department of Justice. Some might call that ironic.
A longish walk later, you will find yourself at The Capitol. This is a pretty impressive structure - currently, its dome is being restored (estimated completion in 2017).
Once you complete the fly-by visit of the Capitol, the Federal Center SW Metro Station is just a couple of blocks away.
Now, I was able to finish this touristy walk (inc. the time spent at the Holocaust Museum) in about 5-hours - started at 11:45 AM and reached the metro station at 5:00PM. There are pros and cons to any such quickie -
- Pros
- You get to do a few things properly (the Holocaust Museum, the Washington Monument & Lincoln Memorial)
- You get satisfaction from checking things off your bucket list (yay, I visited DC)
- Cons
- You rush through a few things without a sense of true accomplishment (the Capitol)
- You only get to check things off your bucket list but don't really experience it (so many museums & government buildings left to see)
Some places that I encourage you to take the time to visit:
- Arlington National Cemetary (I literally only caught a glimpse of this as my bus drove into DC)
- The Capitol (there are tours that take you around the place)
- SO. MANY. MUSEUMS. AROUND. THE. MALL.
The bus has just entered the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. It's 6:45PM or so. The guy next to me has sneezed 18 times since I started writing this.
Until the next post, which hopefully will be sooner than 53-months from now.
Kthxbai.
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