To get to DC from Chicago, Shanti and I took Amtrak. Here I must stop and tell you what a wonderful experience taking the train is. I hate flying anyway, but since 9/11 flying has become such a wretched, humiliating experience. Not the train. Here's why:
1. Show up 15 minutes ahead of departure, not 2 hours.
2. Keep your shoes on; no X-rays, no probing, no disrobing.
3. Take everything as carry-on if you'd like; no limits, no restrictions. You can bring your pocketknife on if you want.
4. Sleep lying down, not in a cramped seat. Yes, you get sleepers in business class on a plane, but we didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for our private sleeper car.
5. Eat real meals. No, they weren't the best meals, but they were miles better than plane food. Our breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the dining car, on real plates, at real tables.
6. See more than the tops of clouds. In the cities, the view from the train isn't great, but the backwoods of Virginia and West Virginia are gorgeous.
7. Never worry about falling from the sky. Ever. Not even a chance.
8. Every stop, new people get on. And they're happy, just like you.
9. No seatbelts. No turbulence. No worry about being arrested for air rage if you wander around.
10. A real shower available for you in the morning.
I can't stress how great taking the train was. It became part of our vacation, not an annoyance we had to get through to start our vacation.
But, once we got to D.C., we had much to do. We took the Metro up to our hotel in the center of the city (actually, on K street, a little north of the attractions). The Crowne Plaza Hamilton was a gorgeous hotel with friendly staff, pretty rooms, and a great concierge -- Innocent. He knew everything. Upon check-in, we got the dibs on a Chinese restaurant that would deliver to our room. We ordered enough food for an army, and we ate it all!
With food in our stomachs, we were ready to hit the National Mall. I thought we'd just see a bit, but we were down there for 4 hours! Starting at the Lincoln Memorial, we worked our way around through the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, the World War II Monument, a Memorial to D.C. residents who fought in World War I, the Jefferson Memorial, a tribute to George Mason, the FDR Memorial and finally the Korean War Memorial.
The Lincoln is what you'd expect -- grand, thoughtful, still full of the voice of Martin Luther King, Jr., a challenge to all to be our best.
The VVM Wall is forever powerful. Those names go on forever, overwhelming your brain with their sadness. This memorial manages to be respectful to the soldiers who fought in Viet Nam while showing how pointless the entire endeavor was. Next to the Wall are two groups of statues: a tribute to soldiers called The Three Servicemen, and a tribute to women who served in Viet Nam. Both are moving in their own way.
World War II Monument is, frankly, boring. A giant plaza with waterfalls and cement wreaths, it screams "We Won!" I didn't get a sense of the war, the soldiers, or anything.
The best part of the Jefferson Memorial is the little museum underneath. We ended up being more interested in the statue of George Mason that sits about 1/4 mile away.
How do you build a memorial to FDR? You take 40 years and half a dozen artists, and you make it HUGE. This isn't a memorial, it's an installation. I forgot to take photos while we were there (for an hour!), but I'm not even sure you could capture it in photos. The entire installation is divided into 4 sections, one for each term he served. The first focuses on the Depression, with statues of men in bread lines and starving farmers that could have come right out of Dorothea Lange's photos. The second section covers the New Deal, with all its components, organizations and work, work, work. The third section focuses on the decision to go to war, and poses the question, "How do you fight fascism if you hate war?" The last section covers FDR's passing and the legacy he left behind, including some of Eleanor's work. Some memorials hit you over the head with their message; this piece is meant to be explored, decoded, deciphered. A true work of art. Shanti and I both loved it and felt its relevance for today.
We saved the best for last, though: the Korean War Memorial at night. The KWM is comprised of a group of soldiers moving in formation from trees into the open. Along their right is a granite wall etched with photos of those who served. At night, the soldiers are lit from the ground and appear as ghosts from the past, destined to make the same maneuvers over and over. This is a moving tribute to the people who served. No comments on the war or on war in general, just a tribute to those who went.
Finally we got back to the hotel and slept!
The next day we were supposed to see the National Gallery, but Shanti suggested we see the Nationals play, since they were in town. Hmmm, see another baseball game? Twist my arm!
Nationals Park is easy to get to on the Metro. It's a brand-new park that pays homage to the greats of all baseball: Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Satchel Paige (in his Monarchs uniform!), and many more. The Nationals team is something else, though. We got our tickets at the kiosk outside the park for $45/each. 7th row behind 3rd base. Anywhere else, those would have been at least $200/each and not available.
The Nationals are the former Montreal Expos. The Expos weren't so great, and I'm not sure why DC wanted them in the first place. But a baseball game is a baseball game, and we rooted for the Nats, drank their crummy beer, and enjoyed our peanuts. I got a Washington Senators shirt.
The game itself was rained out in the 11th inning with a score of 10-10 (vs. Astros). It will be months before we know how it ends.
That night we had dinner at the hotel bar and went to sleep. The next day we were off to Philly! And that will be part 3.
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| DC Trip |
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