Physically exhausting, but fabulously rewarding...

DC - Day One...

After a 7:15 wake up call that roused Ms. How-lee (and I do appreciate the effort to address guests by name, but just wish my name weren’t so often mispronounced) from fewer than 5 hours of sleep and a lovely yogurt, fresh berry and granola parfait from room service (and btw...God bless the person who invented room service...yes, it’s overpriced, yes, it’s probably frivolous, but YES, I sure do enjoy having my breakfast --or any other meal for that matter -- delivered to me in my room on a lovely teak wood tray that has a few sprigs of alstromeria in a small vase next to my chef-prepared meal)...we headed out to Ford’s Theater.

Ford’s Theater like several other free attractions throughout DC does require tickets. So, upon arrival at the theater we got our tickets and had some time to kill before our tour of the theater. (DC travel tip #1 -- if you are coming to DC, and you look online and it says tickets required, search diligently to see if that page also has an option for obtaining said tickets ahead of time. This option may seem unnecessary, but trust me when I say it will help you stay -- or at least attempt to stay -- on schedule for the day. And I say attempt to stay because travel tip #2 is... Be prepared to NOT stay on schedule unless you are of course only scheduling one or two sites a day and have unlimited time in the capital city OR you have trained for a marathon and are in such phenomenal physical condition that you often run home three or four miles after a 45 minute spin class and an hour and a half session of weight training because you are simply never tired enough after your work outs...) As with any time before tour that I’ve encountered, the time you have before your assigned tour time will likely NOT be enough time to go and see anything else. It will be enough time to wander around the gift shop that is no doubt convenient to the area where you will wait and will allow time for you to spend money, which is exactly what I did while we waited. The Ford’s Theater has a really good gift shop. I bought a couple of family members gifts -- I won’t mention which family members or what gifts here just in case someone in the fam is reading this...I don’t want to ruin the surprise --

In the waiting area there is the coat that Lincoln was wearing the night he got shot -- It’s in this great protective case so it’s very difficult to get a good picture of it. I tried, but really just no luck...I will include the pic of the back of the case that shows Lincoln and tells about the garment he was wearing as well as a good deal of info about how the jacket is protected from the environs.

The museum at Ford’s Theater is very nice...It has lots of great things to read...I will admit that I did not read them all by any stretch of the imagination...I was particularly fond of some of Lincoln’s great quotes (ie, I have found that people who have no vices generally have few virtues.... AND...I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America.) Clearly Lincoln had a good command of the use of the English language and was eloquent and articulate -- qualities that I certainly am ardently appreciative of. His words and incredible contributions to our country were beautifully displayed and explained in the museum. I was also fond of the way the Gettysburg Address was displayed. There was an entire wall were the title was printed a printed copy was displayed and where a video screen was present that showed on a continual loop the currently living ex-presidents each reading a portion of the address. It was a lovely display.

There is a room that details the conspirators in his murder, their initial plan of kidnap and the information about the night of the murder and subsequent arrests and revelation of information surrounding the plot.

I was impressed to see the gun that was actually used to shoot him on display in the museum. After we toured the museum portion we went into the actual theater where his murder took place. We did not stay for the park ranger’s presentation of the information surrounding his death. We instead went at that point across the street to the Peterson House where Lincoln actually was when he died. The room where he died is available for viewing and is interesting to see.

I learned a great deal about Lincoln’s family life that I was not aware of as well as many things about all that he accomplished and how truly interesting he was.

After we left Ford’s Theater we went right back down the street to our hotel. We passed St. Patrick’s Cathedral which is truly beautiful. We went back had a in-room picnic lunch and headed to the Metro to travel to Union Station.

Once we arrived there, we got our tickets to the DC Duck Tour...Jessie and I have both been excited about this tour since I first came across it on the Internet...She also felt that it was something Cody would really like. The DC Duck tour is also something that you must have tickets for although they aren’t free and we actually did have some time before this tour to do some walking.

We walked down to the Capitol Building. I took lots and lots of pictures. We walked back by a fountain and returned to Union Station to jump on the back of our duck -- Lame Duck was the name of the particular duck we were on. Our captain, Captain Briton was a nice guy, who I thought was actually pretty witty... He made some jokes...and although I can’t remember what exactly it was he had been explaining, he made a comment about it being Al-a-Gore-ical...I found it humorous, but I know my sense of humor isn’t the same as most folks...

The duck tour goes by practically ever major attraction in DC. It’s a pretty relaxing ride and while you can’t actually get a great look at most things from the back of the duck if you only had one day in DC, I’d suggest doing the duck tour to at least catch a glimpse of things. You also get these wonderful quackers...Plastic yellow duck bill-like noise makers...at first they seem fabulous, eventually they are just obnoxious...BUT I am bringing mine home with me because I am convinced it will make a good football game noisemaker or possibly in a pinch scare off would be muggers/rapist/and other generally bad people...

All in all the DC duck tour is enjoyable and does give a nice overview of the city ...Travel Tip #3...If you take a duck tour, sit on the left side. Although the captain does point out things on the right, it seems that every single thing I wanted a photo of was on the left...except the Pentagon... and really you can’t get a good photo of it anyway.

After the duck tour, which last about 90 minutes, we took the Metro back across town and made the miles long trek to the White House, the Washington Monument, the WW II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.

Several things that struck me in this portion....1) I think I would have been much more excited to see the White House if Dubya and Laura still lived there (no disrespect meant to the current President or to my Democrat friends...wait...Do I have any Democrat friends ?? ;) 2) I never realized that there were so many grassy fields around the White House OR that these grassy fields were the perfect place for intramural Kickball leagues...that’s right Kickball...We did see a few soccer games and a handful of baseball teams playing, but by in large the fields were covered with Kickball teams. (and for those of you who relate to DC in Hollywood terms I do believe that these are probably the fields where Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon and other from A Few Good Men were probably supposed to be playing on their baseball team early in the movie) ... 3) I think that I find things interesting at sites that other people do not. I LOVE the inscriptions...which are usually powerful and beautiful quotes. I LOVE the details -- the fact that the grates in the sidewalks are imprinted with stars or that the hinges on the bathroom stalls at the Washington Monument have a little Capitol building printed on them...or really lots of other small, abstract and random details -- and that my photos of DC probably represent this fact because I find myself taking pics of things no one else seems to be photographing...including the dozen or more US flags I’ve taken photos of or things I’ve seen engraved here and there that remind me of people in my past or in my life now...IF you ever see all my pics you will see what I mean.

Anyway, as sunset approached we headed toward the Lincoln Memorial...We passed the reflecting pool and honestly I kept thinking of the scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny and Forrest run and embrace in the pool (I told you before I had a Hollywood version and point of reference for most things DC...as do many of you probably, unless of course, you've actually been here...)

Once we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial I was truly overwhelmed by its beauty at dusk. It is indeed the perfect place to sit and reflect on the beauty of the capital city, to look down the Mall toward the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building and to just feel really proud and privileged to be an American.

We left the memorial after dark and briefly stopped by the Korean War Memorial. This is a beautiful memorial as well, but my pictures are terrible because it was so dark. I was most struck by a wreath of fresh flowers that had obviously been placed very recently at the site and which had a ribbon attached that simply stated, “We Remember You.”

We walked what seemed like endless miles back toward our hotel. We did stop for just a few minutes and listen to the Marine Corps Band play a free outdoor concert at a stage just a hundred yards or less from the base of the Washington Monument. It was another amazing DC moment.

When we arrived at the hotel, my body felt as if I had been through some sort of battle myself. My feet ached, my right knee was swollen and tight and even my back, hands and neck were not feeling just right.

And once again, thank God for room service. I received a lovely meal complete with another small vase of alstromeria ((-- this time pink and by the way I did keep both little vases of flowers in my room -- fresh flowers are a lovely touch to any decor)) which I ate in my pjs, sitting right up in the middle of my bed, (and for some reason that’s also especially pleasurable, probably because my mom would never ever let us eat in our rooms and certainly not on our beds) and staring out over the magnificent Washington DC.

I turned in early -- before midnight -- and as I drifted off to sleep I thought at first about how tired my feet were, and how sore my shins and knees were...BUT then I thought of how lucky I am...Fortunate to be able to walk the streets of DC, fortunate to live in a country so richly blessed, fortunate to be free, fortunate to be an American drifting off with so many new inspiring and interesting things I’d seen to fill my dreams...