I’d chosen our Washington DC hotel based on its proximity to the train station. It was a short walk, and the GPS on the phone did help once we figured out how to tell it we were walking instead of driving. Checking in went off without a hitch. Compared to the beds on the train, this hotel bed was massive! We got our gear a little bit organized and then headed back to Union Station where we learned a Chipotle was located. We had supper at the station, with its massive ceiling to give us something to gawk at. Besides doing some rudimentary planning, that was all the energy we had for this day. We both slept well that night.
The next morning, it was simplest to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which was modeled after an Irish Pub. There was no noticeable Irish theme to the coffee, eggs, and potatoes I had. After our nice breakfast, we headed back to the station where we booked a tour bus. We decided to grab the top front seats; the best in the house, and enjoyed the approximately 2 hour tour in the unseasonable warm morning. We wanted to get a comprehensive look at what DC had to offer, and boy did we. I’d describe the tour as overwhelming. At the end of the tour, we put our heads together and decided to make the Native American Museum our first stop. So we hopped back on and got off a short distance from the museum. It was suggested we start on the top (4th) floor, so we rode the elevator up and started looking at the exhibits. There were some glass cases lining the hallway, which we spent quite a bit of time at, thinking we were “doing” the 4th floor. We’d missed the gallery just behind the elevators, however. It was huge, comprehensive, and moving.
A big chunk of the gallery was devoted to the treaty violations, and other mistreatment of the inhabitants of this continent when the Europeans arrived. It was complicated for me, and after a couple of hours of looking at the exhibits, I had to leave for a while to decompress. Yes, the Native Americans were mistreated by some terrible people. Shame on them. But in my opinion, people are people. There are terrible people among us, no matter which group we belong to. Some ooze with empathy, and some with little. I do believe there can be cultural differences between groups, and that those differences are based largely on the upbringing of the children. There are also genetic differences among people, but I don’t know that they are significant between groups. Perhaps there are data that refute my beliefs, and I’d be glad to learn more. As I said, it’s complicated.
We’re in this hotel in DC for 6 nights. Back home in our other life, we have necessities like food, laundry, entertainment, etc. pretty well figured out. Our hotel does a lot for us, but we still had to work out a few details. That is one reason I like to “park” for several days during vacations. Food is an important issue for us both, since we have dietary needs that require some help. The Chipotle at the train station was an important find, because there we can both find food we like to eat. Alice found a place called The Corner Bakery Cafe, which was less than a block from our hotel. Between those two, we seemed to be getting the food we needed, which is important. If you’re fighting your food, you aren’t having fun.
Next morning, we made a couple of decisions. We’d try to learn the Metro train system, and to visit the Holocaust Museum… a pair of good decisions. Our hotel was within a mile or two of all the Smithsonian museums we would be able to visit on the days we planned to be here. 10 years ago, we would have walked, but times have changed for us, and we like to look around for options that shave some walking off from our outings. DC has an excellent subway system called the Metro. When we were in DC with our son some decades ago, the same system was in place, and we used it extensively. I’m happy to announce the system seems to have been maintained, because during our use it worked well for us. Perhaps as a result of what we learned riding the L in Chicago, our learning curve was lower this time. We still made mistakes, but with fewer consequences and with us learning all the way. We decided to buy 3-day unlimited passes. We might have gotten by cheaper, but we didn’t mind supporting this system. It is a very nice system.
Around 30 years ago, I was one of the adults who volunteered to take the Boy Scouts from our council to the National Jamboree at Fort AP Hill. We rented 2 large passenger vans and one of the adults brought his Suburban with a trailer for our gear. We managed to stay at churches along the way to keep expenses down. It was a challenging but rewarding trip for all concerned. We stopped for a couple of nights in Washington DC on our way there. I unfortunately got one of my debilitating migraine headaches one of the days we were in DC. The other day I was able to connect with a buddy of mine that was the volcanologist at the Museum of Natural History. He took me on an amazing behind-the-scenes tour of the facility that sticks with me to this day.
Several of the scouts said they visited the Holocaust Museum (HM), and that it was a great experience for them. Their comments stuck with me, and so today when asked what I’d like to do first, I chose the HM. Armed with our wits, 3-day Metro passes, and our maps, we rode the train to the station nearest the HM and walked the rest of the way. The first thing that strikes one walking on the sidewalk in front of the HM is the amount of security. The numerous guards all wore white shirts which made them stand out. We went through a fairly rigorous screening on the way inside, then we were on our own.
It took us a while to figure out where to get tickets and how to enter the exhibits. Once we got on the right track, our group was ushered into an elevator, given a short talk, and sent up to the 4th floor. This facility discourages wandering. It is set up so everyone goes from exhibit to exhibit. My hat is off to the folks that designed this place. The exhibits were powerful as you might expect, but there were also benches where one could decompress, and along one hallway, some artwork on one wall with benches facing it. The artwork was soothing and we were grateful to have the opportunity to sit for a while.
I’m sure everyone that visits and works to understand what is being shown comes away with several things that moved them. For me, seeing the piles of shoes, combs, bales of hair shorn from these people prior to gassing, all stuck in my mind. The scale of the operations coupled with the indifference of the civilian population tugged at my heart. I really don’t have the words to describe more than that. My hope for you as you read these words is that you’ll someday visit that place for yourself and walk through the train cars that hauled these unfortunates, the horse barns converted to barracks, the tables where bodies were stripped of gold teeth to be melted down to sustain the German war effort, and others.
The tour ended for us in a multi sided tall atrium of a room with benches all around and an eternal flame on one end. As crowded as the exhibits were upstairs, this place was almost deserted. When I walked in and sat down, I could no longer hold back the tears. I remember sobbing as quietly as I could until I was able to recover my composure. Something inside me changed that day… something important yet scary about the human race that I’ve suspected but not confronted. This tour came a few days before the 2024 election that could effectively seal a similar fate for the people of Ukraine. In order to maintain my own sanity, I’m more and more inclined to watch the doings of the humans all around me more like a movie than as a participant, because sometimes, becoming too involved is just too hard. We’re all given a slug of qualities to get us through our daily lives. Some of us have more empathy, some less. May our concern for our fellow man become a lighthouse beacon for us.
Once back outside from that deep experience, we decided to walk to the Natural History Museum before heading back to the hotel. First stop was the cafeteria where we had a light lunch and drank a lot of water. We did an hour or two of the exhibits, but when we looked at each other, we decided we were just plain out of steam, and decided to take the Metro back to the hotel.
Alice and I have been trading “your days” this trip. On my day, I can decide where we’ll go for the day. Today was her day, and she decided we’d go to the botanical garden’s conservatory. So after breakfast, that is what we did. As usual, we took the Metro as close as it would take us, and then used the phone GPS to direct us the rest of the way. There were still a few mistakes made, but we did much better at getting around. The conservatory was really nice. It was divided into several sections, such as desert, tropics, etc. All of the conservatory was under glass, but one particular section stood out. It was enclosed by a large tall arched structure that must have been 40′ tall. There were all manner of climate controls in this section. Near the bottom there were vents controlled by electric motor that would allow outside air in. There were misters up high, and fans moving air around. There were probably others I didn’t see. The coolest part of this section was a mezzanine walkway up high. There was even an elevator for those of us having trouble with stairs. We observed one lady up there in a wheelchair.
This section had some very tall trees which, from the 1st floor, looked like pillars. From the mezzanine, however, one got a closer look at the structures of the plants higher up. We went around most of that section and both enjoyed the different vantage points. My regret from the time we spent in the conservatory is that I did not have a hand lens for viewing the tiny structures of the plants.
After spending several hours in the conservatory, we reconnoitered. There was still a chunk of the day left, and we had an opportunity to attend a “Women’s March” at Freedom Plaza. There were to be speeches in the afternoon followed by a march from the plaza to the white house. We took the Metro to the nearest station, then GPSed our way to the plaza. As we got close, it became obvious that we were in the right place. There were thousands of people there, many carrying signs and sporting hats and t-shirts. There was a lot of enthusiasm. It was so crowded we were not able to get close to the speaker’s stage. Luckily, since it was a warm afternoon, we found some shade of one of the buildings along the sidewalk. Still, I think we could have heard what was going on were it not for the chatter of hundreds of voices all around us. It seemed rude to me until I thought things over. This was a rally to be sure, but it was also a social event for many of these folks. These kindred souls liked each other and were full of enthusiasm for the project at hand. There were many small cups of ice cream being served and eaten.
I do have trouble in groups when there is lots of chatter. I tried to sort out the background noise from the words of the speakers, but was unsuccessful. In the end I was getting more and more frustrated. Alice took several pictures. In the end, we probably stayed there less than an hour and then headed back to the hotel. Neither of us felt up to the march to the white house.Next morning was my day, and we tried something a little different. We’d found a couple of restaurants in the local area that we’d settled on for breakfast, which has worked well for us so far.
The next morning I thought it would be interesting to board the Metro and ride a ways out of the tourist district and see if we could find something different for breakfast. We decided on the Metro green line to the waterfront. When we stepped out of the station into daylight, we were not greeted by places to eat. It being Sunday morning, the place looked pretty deserted. We hiked around a block or two and found a place that was a combination restaurant and bakery. I found a vegetarian breakfast burrito on the menu, and felt duty bound to try one of their maple donuts for 2 reasons. First, I didn’t want to offend the bakers in the back room, and second, as a maple producer, I felt the need to support my industry. Yes, it was a struggle to order and eat that donut, but I am secure inside myself knowing I did it for the greater good.
Then it was back to the Metro and to the National Gallery. We’d spent a short time in the East Building already, so this time we went to the West Building. We arrived just as they opened the doors and allowed the queue of people to enter. We spent about 4 hours looking around until our brains froze. I remember being in the Reuben’s room where there were several of his paintings on display, and it just not soaking in anymore. So we headed back to the Metro and then back to the Union Station stop, which was near our hotel. There are many shops and restaurants in the station, and we spent some time shopping and having some food.
We were eating at The Corner Cafe often enough that we were making friends with the workers. We both had some kind of cereal. At this place, one orders with an electronic kiosk, take a number which is placed on the table, and they bring the food out to you. Since our 3-day Metro passes had expired, we bought 1 day passes for the Metro and boarded the train for the Smithsonian exit. We worked well together on the Metro and hardly made any mistakes. What a tremendous thing the Metro is. Besides the subway trains, the system also includes buses. The stations are mostly clean, the folks that work there are helpful, and the ride is fast and comfortable. If I remember correctly, the cost is about $15 per person per day.
The weather on this trip was great. We didn’t need jackets at all. We got off and walked a pleasant .3 miles to the Asian museum and had an enjoyable hour or so. Then on to the African American museum. There was a bit of a hassle getting in because a ticket is required. One can apply for a ticket online, but the web page was kind of goofy. I got on my phone and got as far as I could on the web page, then asked one of the security folks for help. He took my phone and pressed some buttons and bam we were in.
We started our tour in the basement, which reminded both of us of the holocaust museum. It was dedicated to the horrors of slavery. It was quite crowded and with the crowds and the subject matter, we only made it part way through and looked for the exit. We rode upstairs to the 4th floor which was much more uplifting. We stayed until 3:30 or so and then headed back to the hotel. It is time to start getting our gear together because we take the train to Philadelphia in the morning. Our visit to DC was great. The hotel was fine, food options also good, and getting around a breeze.
We set the alarm and had an got going early. We got our gear together, checked out, and headed to the train station for our 8:50 am train to Philadelphia. It was with some mixed feelings. The museums in DC are fabulous and comprehensive. I suppose there are many legitimate ways to experience them, but my way tends to burn me out after several hours. I just reached a point where nothing more is going in, regardless of what was out there to experience. There were so many times we’d gotten through a handful of the total galleries before it was time to leave. I hope to be able to come back again and do this all over again. I feel like a different person boarded the train for Philadelphia than the one that arrived in DC about a week ago.
Alice and I, being Alice and I, arrived at the train station around 2 hours early. We had time to have a leisurely fast-food breakfast, and enjoyed watching the differing approaches to folks boarding the trains. For most of the train boarders, this wasn’t their first rodeo. They lined up with their luggage and made their way to the train tracks. Most people quietly filed toward the train tracks for boarding. There was a bit of a pause, and the runners showed up. This was around the time of the final boarding call when folks would bound toward the trains, and past the indulgent Amtrak rep who’d seen all this before. I think they probably made it to their trains, and good for them. Not the way I’d want to board a train, but to each his or her own.
The trip took about 2 hours and we arrived at the train station just before 11:00. The phone GPS said the hotel was 1.1 miles from the station, and since it was another nice day, we decided to walk. It was no trouble finding the hotel, check-in was a breeze, and we got our gear organized enough for me to get out for a reconnoitering walk. Our hotel is surrounded by Drexel University. Beautiful young people were all over the place, and it was enjoyable for me to walk among them and think back to that time in my life. Back then there was so much to figure out and so many paths in front of me… I envied the young folks for the path before them.