April 4, 2005 - Day 1 -
Bot.Garden,Mall, WWII Mem, Shrine
We had been to
Washington, DC a few times but never in Cherry Blossom time. This year the
prediction was for the peak flowering would be between April 4 and April 9 and
we decided to spend a few days in DC during this time to see the blossoms. More
about this later. We stayed in Largo Town Center where the motel provided
shuttle service to Metro - the Metrorail system in DC. Our objective for the
three days was to see the American Indian Museum, the WWII memorial, Cherry
Blossoms and also anything else we decided to do.
We purchased day
passes for the Metro for $6.50 each which gave us unlimited access to the rail
system for the day. This type of pass is valid for the day after 9:30 AM which
was no problem for us. We arrived at the Le'Enfant Plaza at around 10:30 AM. We
had decided to spend this day bumming around DC rather than a museum and headed
towards the Capitol. At the Capitol the earliest pass for the tour was at
3:00PM. We accepted the passes on the chance that we would be around the capitol
at that time. We started back towards the Washington Memorial and the WWII
memorial but took a detour into the National Botanical Gardens. We couldn't
understand the need to go thru the full security routine for a botanical gardens
but went with the flow. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous and are free to the
public. Smaller than the Longwood Gardens in Pa. but impressive just the same.
From the gardens we walked the mall past the Smithsonian towards the WWII
memorial. We stopped at the entrance to the Washington Memorial and noticed that
a wall had been placed around the memorial with entrance controlled thru one
gate. The landscape has been torn up and is being restored. Not a pretty sight.
At the entrance we learned that tickets for the memorial are distributed every
day at 8:30 AM and that within an hour the tickets for the day are gone. What a
difference one day in 2001 9-11 has made. The WWII memorial is placed between
the Lincoln Monument and the Washington Monument and is an impressive sight. An
Oval fountain pool with an arch on each end inscribed Atlantic on one and
Pacific on the other. Spaced around the pool are concrete pillars carrying the
names of the US states and territories. The sides of the way leading to the
memorial are lined with bronze relief castings depicting scenes of pre-war US
and then the road to the events that shaped our history. One of the quotations
from General George Marshall was impressive:
"We are determined
that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized
throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming
force on the other."
Another quote will be
included in the pictures gallery.
From the WWII
memorial we walked past the National Cherry Blossom Festival headquarters and
were advised that three trees had been spotted blooming. The volunteer there
pointed out one of the trees and you could see a very faint shade of pink. We
were assured that with temperatures for today and tomorrow expected to be close
to 70, that the trees would be in full bloom by Thursday. We will be leaving on
Wednesday so we will see how far it all gets by then. Up to this time - no
visible blossoms.
From the WWII
memorial we headed back to the Metro to take the train up to the Catholic
University Campus which houses the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
We lunched at the college food court where the videos were playing the visit of
Pope John Paul II to the campus in 1979. The popular Pope had just passed on
Saturday. The basilica is huge and beautiful and is listed as the 8th largest
church in the world and the largest in Americas. We walked throughout the
basilica and were amazed at its beauty. Definitely worth the effort to get
there. We will not mention that in my rush to catch a metro on the way back
I almost got Mom stuck in the doorway of the train. Everything worked out.
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American Indian Museum
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US Capitol
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Tulips at the very secure Botanical garden
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WWII Memorial
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Another Quote at the WWII Memorial
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No Cherry Blossoms yet - but close
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Inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
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Mosaic behind the altar
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Mosaic to Our Lady of Guadaloupe
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Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
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April 5, 2005 - Day 2 - National Museum of the
American Indian
Today we spent the whole day in the NMAI starting
our visit with a one hour tour led by a young Navajo/Apache female guide. She
led us through the major exhibits in the museum and explained that the aim of
the museum was not to educate about the history of the native peoples but rather
to show how the native cultures are being carried forward by the descendants of
the original "Americans". The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts
which are intermingled in the areas depicting today's culture for the numerous
represented tribes. However the emphasis is on the cultures not the artifacts.
Another interesting fact was that the museum covered the Indian cultures of all
of America - Canada,US.,Central America, South America and Caribbean. At some
point Hawaii will be included in the displays. The cafeteria was a bit pricy but
the food was excellent and authentic native cuisine.
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Photo of Denver POW WOW March
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Mexican Culture - Day of the Dead display
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Intuit Winter Fur
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Carvings in Case
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Beaded Tea Cozy
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Fancy Beaded Vest
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Beaded Footwear - Old
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Beaded Footwear - New
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Hawaiian Canoe and Eskimo Kayak
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Ceramic Dolls
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Allan Houser Bronze Statue
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I am still looking for the oak tree.
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April 6, 2005 - Day 3 - Cherry Blossoms, Tidal
Basin, Baltimore
If you get there before 10:00 am you can get a
parking place at the Tidal Basin area around the Jefferson Memorial. We arrived
there at around 9:45 Am and had no trouble finding a spot. When we left the area
at around noon, people were having a hard time if not impossible time in finding
a spot. When I left, there were 2 or 3 cars jockeying for the spot I vacated. We
walked along the Potomac towards the Jefferson Memorial and enjoyed the cherry
trees planted along the river. At the tidal basin there was a sign explaining
that the Japanese Cherry trees were originally planted there in the 1900-1910
time period. It is a wonder that the trees survived WWII although I imagine they
were not called Japanese Cherry Trees during this time. Across the road from the
Jefferson Memorial in an area called the Pansy garden there is a sitting statue
of George Mason. Mason was a contemporary of Jefferson and penned the precursor
of the "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" phrases that Jefferson
modified into the Declaration of Independence. Mason also participated in the
Constitution Convention in 1787 but withdrew his signature from that document
because it did not originally include the "Bill of Rights" and also did not
outlaw the slave trade. We will have to make a trip to his estate "Gunston Hall"
to learn more about him.
From the Jefferson Memorial we visited the FDR
Memorial which occupies a large area along the Tidal Basin. The memorial traces
the events that shaped his presidency - from the depression thru WWII. After
this memorial we started to head for home but first had to stop at Inner Harbor,
Baltimore for a crabcake lunch. It was delicious.
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Cherry Blosssoms along the Potomac 04/06/2005
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Washington Monument over the Tidal Basin
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Thomas Jefferson Memorial
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George Mason Statue
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Guess What?
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FDR Memorial
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USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore
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Chesapeake Lightship Museum - Baltimore
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