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20 April 2004
Feeling that yesterday was somewhat wasted driving around aimlessly, I decided to start touring in earnest, and this time... fuck the traffic, IM TAKING THE METRO!!!! Being a large city boy (as opposed to being a metropolis big-city cynic)I was somewhat hesitant about taking the metro- not so much as out of fear of a terrorist bombing, or even price, but fear of crime and being lost, not to mention that I just like having the freedom to drive where I please. I was hoping to save time by not having to spend an eternity driving to the location THEN finding a place to park, THEN pay for parking. Unfortunatly it took me long enough to find a parking spot at the east falls church station, and at .25/hr, it wasnt too entirely expensive I suppose...
And the Metro, I have found, while being a tad crowded at times was easy to navigate, and I felt safe the whole smooth ride. Since it stopps directly at most points of interest, I think that I will rely on the metro (as well as the bus) for most of my daytime transportation downtown.
But off to the Smithsonion. Being a history major/buff, I was especialy looking forward to visiting. The Smithsonian is not one, but SEVERAL museums, each with a specific focus of exhibit, similar in size and scope to that of a major state univeristy. And I cannot reitterate enough how beautiful it all was. The sun out, the trees in bloom, kids in the park, the picnics, families playing catch, etc. Like heaven on earth...
The first museum I visited was the Asian art building, which was exhibiting a special on the evolution of chinease caligraphy. After a breif stop at the tourist/souvinear center, it was off to the natural history museum. All the museums had security checks before entering. Being from Wichita, I could never fully understand the post-WTC day paranoia/xenophobia, but being in DC, with its size, political importance, and cultural diversity, I began to understand. Everyone's innocent until proven guilty of course, but with the annunomity that the big city provides, I know now how hard it can be to trust your fellow citizen...
The natural history museum, while not really teaching me anything new, was fascinating to tour. Full dinosaur skeletons were something to behold (I was something of a dinosaur nut back in my early grade school days, and in some ways I still am to an extent), as well as the exhibitions on current, and prehistoric wildlife (great taxidermy) and the cultural exhibits. While 3rd world cultural anthropology/archeology was never one of my favorite areas of study, it was still interesting enough to view the artifacts on display, especialy Sitting Bull's Winchester, Teddy Roosevelt's Samuri Armour (betcha didnt know he had one of those!) that was presented to him by the japanese at the end of the Sino-Japanese war. Most of the edutainment videos on exhibit took alot of my time. Suddenly, at 5:30 EST, they began to close down... WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! How the hell is that enough time to view everything at the Smithsonian?!?!?!! Does DC *really* have THAT early a bedtime? But I suppose that its just as well... I was running out of film, and my metered parking was almost up.
At first, I wondered if one week would be too much time to spend in DC. Now Im begining to fear that it may not be enough. That, and Im starting to get worried that my money is being spent faster than I would have liked. Time to step it up into high gear. Tomarrow, finish the smithsonian, tour the mall, monument, memorials, watergate, shop a little, then thursday visit the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, National Archives, The Kennedy Center, The Old Post Office, the National Cathedrial, Embassy Row, and the Zoo. Friday, visit the Pentagon, Iwo Jim, Arlington Cemetary, Naval Yard, and Saturday the White House, the FBI building, the Masonic Temple, the Naval Observatory, Union Station, and Ford's Theatre. Tonight- it might be too late for that Arlington Mall, I can at least try for the local goth night in Arlington... as I said, the 3rd time's the charm...
Who knew that a vacation could be so stressfull?
Feeling that yesterday was somewhat wasted driving around aimlessly, I decided to start touring in earnest, and this time... fuck the traffic, IM TAKING THE METRO!!!! Being a large city boy (as opposed to being a metropolis big-city cynic)I was somewhat hesitant about taking the metro- not so much as out of fear of a terrorist bombing, or even price, but fear of crime and being lost, not to mention that I just like having the freedom to drive where I please. I was hoping to save time by not having to spend an eternity driving to the location THEN finding a place to park, THEN pay for parking. Unfortunatly it took me long enough to find a parking spot at the east falls church station, and at .25/hr, it wasnt too entirely expensive I suppose...
And the Metro, I have found, while being a tad crowded at times was easy to navigate, and I felt safe the whole smooth ride. Since it stopps directly at most points of interest, I think that I will rely on the metro (as well as the bus) for most of my daytime transportation downtown.
But off to the Smithsonion. Being a history major/buff, I was especialy looking forward to visiting. The Smithsonian is not one, but SEVERAL museums, each with a specific focus of exhibit, similar in size and scope to that of a major state univeristy. And I cannot reitterate enough how beautiful it all was. The sun out, the trees in bloom, kids in the park, the picnics, families playing catch, etc. Like heaven on earth...
The first museum I visited was the Asian art building, which was exhibiting a special on the evolution of chinease caligraphy. After a breif stop at the tourist/souvinear center, it was off to the natural history museum. All the museums had security checks before entering. Being from Wichita, I could never fully understand the post-WTC day paranoia/xenophobia, but being in DC, with its size, political importance, and cultural diversity, I began to understand. Everyone's innocent until proven guilty of course, but with the annunomity that the big city provides, I know now how hard it can be to trust your fellow citizen...
The natural history museum, while not really teaching me anything new, was fascinating to tour. Full dinosaur skeletons were something to behold (I was something of a dinosaur nut back in my early grade school days, and in some ways I still am to an extent), as well as the exhibitions on current, and prehistoric wildlife (great taxidermy) and the cultural exhibits. While 3rd world cultural anthropology/archeology was never one of my favorite areas of study, it was still interesting enough to view the artifacts on display, especialy Sitting Bull's Winchester, Teddy Roosevelt's Samuri Armour (betcha didnt know he had one of those!) that was presented to him by the japanese at the end of the Sino-Japanese war. Most of the edutainment videos on exhibit took alot of my time. Suddenly, at 5:30 EST, they began to close down... WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! How the hell is that enough time to view everything at the Smithsonian?!?!?!! Does DC *really* have THAT early a bedtime? But I suppose that its just as well... I was running out of film, and my metered parking was almost up.
At first, I wondered if one week would be too much time to spend in DC. Now Im begining to fear that it may not be enough. That, and Im starting to get worried that my money is being spent faster than I would have liked. Time to step it up into high gear. Tomarrow, finish the smithsonian, tour the mall, monument, memorials, watergate, shop a little, then thursday visit the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, National Archives, The Kennedy Center, The Old Post Office, the National Cathedrial, Embassy Row, and the Zoo. Friday, visit the Pentagon, Iwo Jim, Arlington Cemetary, Naval Yard, and Saturday the White House, the FBI building, the Masonic Temple, the Naval Observatory, Union Station, and Ford's Theatre. Tonight- it might be too late for that Arlington Mall, I can at least try for the local goth night in Arlington... as I said, the 3rd time's the charm...
Who knew that a vacation could be so stressfull?