Vacation 2010: DC - Brett's Bike Tour.

Soon after we told Ryan and Katie that we planned to visit Washington, DC, they discovered that there's a Six Flags in Maryland. They quickly insisted that if we were going to do all of that educational stuff, we'd have to take advantage of our season passes and spend some time at that park. Tuesdays tend to be the best summer days to hit amusement parks, so that was the plan. However, Tuesday was our last day in DC, and with the clock ticking on our stay, I was really regretting our promise to forgo history for roller coasters. And when I didn't get my fill of the Newseum on Monday, I REALLY wished we could have more time in the District.

Brett felt my pain, and around 3:30 a.m. that Tuesday, he had a great idea: Why couldn't we go to Six Flags America Tuesday afternoon? It was the perfect compromise. The kids still had plenty of time at the park, I got my return visit to the Newseum, and with an impromptu internet reservation, Brett was set to take a bike tour of DC.

We had seen the ads for these bicycle tours soon after our arrival, but we didn't think we would have time to take one. When Tuesday morning opened up, though, we knew this was a can't-miss opportunity for Brett.

I tried to get Brett to give his side of the story. He IS a writer, after all. Apparently a guest post on my blog doesn't pay as well as his other gigs, though, so I'm on my own.

Besides, he said, he didn't remember details. Well, I remember that he said the three hours just flew by, and that he LOVED getting to see DC this way. He also thought it interesting that his guide was thankful to have some Europeans on the tour. She said they can handle the ride without slowing down the group.

During the ride Brett got to see some places again but from a different perspective. He also saw one monument that's missing from most tours' itineraries.

The tour guide

Smithsonian Castle

Sculpture somewhere near the National Mall



The Capitol

Another view of the Capitol

(I'm glad Brett got to spend a little more time here since we ran through this area in such a hurry!)

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Honest Abe

The new sight Brett got to see was this monument to Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II. (The official name is the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II.) The guide said this is the rare monument in DC that acknowledges the government's wrongdoing.

Part of the memorial includes quotes from well-known Japanese Americans.



The tour also took Brett to the Ellipse where he got this view of the White House. The rest of us never managed to walk that way, so it's good that he was able to see this side of the presidential mansion.

The tour was one of the highlights of Brett's trip, so we're thankful he was able to fit this into his day. If we're ever in a city with Bike and Roll tours, Brett will be ready to ride!

Vacation 2010: DC - Library of Congress and Supreme Court.

This was our last landmark to visit at the end of a busy day. We were pretty much over the whole sightseeing thing by the time we walked into the Library of Congress.
We got there just in time for a guided tour, but the kids weren't as enthralled as Brett and I were. Fortunately, Ryan and Katie were able to skirt the edges of our group to keep themselves occupied while we grown-ups struggled to hear our enthusiastic docent point out the "whys" behind the "wows."
And my goodness, there were a lot of WOWs!

The intricate designs on the floors, walls and yes, ceilings were something to behold.

What's cool is that everything has a particular meaning, a reason for being there.

These guys, for example, are "putti" and represent the New World and Africa.

On the opposite staircase, two other putti represent Asia and Europe. The little fellas beside them indicate a wide variety of trades and professions.




The detail is incredible. It's impossible to take it all in.

One highlight of the tour was seeing the great reading room:

Pictures aren't allowed (to maintain privacy for the few researchers there), so I grabbed this one online. Our guide pointed out that in these digital days, far fewer people occupy those rounded desks to peruse the printed documents. It's a gorgeous room, but I couldn't stop thinking about the great zoom-out scene from All the President's Men!


In this area of the Great Hall, we could see paintings of various virtues.

Beneath each is a quote about that virtue. The seals above them are actually printers' marks from the United States and Great Britain.

The metallic ornamentation of this ceiling was first thought to be silver leaf, but during a renovation, it was found to be aluminum leaf. When this ceiling was constructed in the 1890s, aluminum was more valuable that silver. Wow.


Before leaving we visited a tiny part of the Library of Congress experience, and it was a thrill to see what's left of Thomas Jefferson's contribution to the collection. When the British burned the Capitol (and the Congressional library) in 1814, Jefferson sold his library to Congress to re-establish their holdings.

Crowds, fatigue and a near-disaster involving a dropped iPhone led to some disgruntlement, so we didn't wait for the rain to let up before making our exit. As we walked along the east side of the Capitol, we said goodbye to the Library of Congress and hello to
the highest court in the land! Too bad we were there too late to go inside the Supreme Court.

From there we walked to Union Station to see that great depot and hop aboard the Metro to get a little closer to our hotel. Once there, we crashed and crashed hard! We were long overdue some downtime to rest our feet and cool our tempers. As much as I wished we could hit the monument trail again, we all knew our bodies and brains needed a break!

Vacation 2010: DC - U.S. Capitol.

After our visit to Ford's Theatre, we made our way to the destination I was most excited about seeing: the Newseum. Talk about journalism heaven! Unfortunately, because of our date with the Capitol, we didn't get nearly enough time in the Newseum before we had to make the hike to the Hill. Fortunately, though, I'm married to a very wise and thoughtful man who was willing to rearrange our schedule so Katie and I could return to the Newseum the next day. Both visits were incredible, so the Newseum gets its own post!

ANYWAY, back to Monday...

Because we were making the most of our time at the Newseum, we really had to hustle to make it to the House office building in time for our Capitol tour. It's funny how I imagined us leisurely strolling around the grounds, snapping picture after picture of our seat of government. In reality, we were practically jogging when I managed to take this one shot:
We made it to our congresswoman's office just in time, and one of her interns walked us through security and through the public areas of the Capitol.
We started in the new(ish) Capitol Visitors Center. What amazed me was how very crowded it was. I know, I know—we were there during SUMMER. Still, my memories of the Capitol from previous visits did not include the masses.


All around us were huge tour groups following their guides. We were happy to have our congressional escort to give us a more personal tour for just the four of us. She started by taking us into the Crypt to the center of the Capitol,
which is also the center of the District of Columbia.

There in the Crypt we saw a model of the District,

and this symbolic statue of Abraham Lincoln. The crypt is filled with large stone columns that support the weight of the rotunda floor and the dome above.

We saw the original Supreme Court chamber:

and the former Senate chamber:

Then we made it to the rotunda.


After seeing the Texas Capitol's rotunda hundreds of times, it was fascinating to see the detail of this structure. Like everyone else, we were compelled...

...to just look up.

Then we had to look around...
to see the great works of art that line the perimeter.

I was pleased to see an acknowledgment of some of the many women who helped make this country great.

And especially just a few days after our visit to Monticello, it was good to see the signing of the Declaration of Independence represented.

After that we walked through the statuary hall. This space used to be the House of Representatives chamber.

Each state has a statue representing it somewhere in the Capitol. Some of the statues are in locations inaccessible by the public (isn't that kinda sad?), but ol' Sam was in plain view!


Plaques marked where famous Americans sat during their tenure in the House.


It's pretty cool to hear the acoustics in that semicircular room, too. It's known as a whisper chamber because in certain spots, you can clearly hear conversations on the other side of the room. John Quincy Adams used to sit at his desk with his head down, and when people thought he was dozing, he was really eavesdropping on his colleagues!

Near the end of our guided tour, we saw this massive door. It was intended to be installed elsewhere in the Capitol, but because of its size and weight, it couldn't be moved. I'm sure there's a joke about government inefficiency somewhere in there...

When our tour ended, our intern gave us our gallery passes so we could see the House and Senate chambers. This meant surrendering all of our stuff (phones, cameras, bags, etc.) so we could sit in the gallery. This was a far cry from my last visit to the House, when I got to walk on the House floor and sit in the speaker's chair. This time, we just watched a student group (they looked like pages) on the floor. Although Congress was reconvening after the Fourth of July break, there was no floor debate for us to watch.

Although we had Senate gallery passes, we passed (hardy-har-har). Instead, we took the tunnel from the Capitol to the Library of Congress. It was overwhelming to go from one architectural wonder to another!