Saturday, December 28, 2019

A Quick City Trip

My children and their children live just outside the District of Columbia, that city of famous and infamous history.

We arrived and found parking just as the sun was setting. Signs said we were not allowed to park for more than two hours, but this was Christmas Eve and it seemed that rules had been greatly relaxed. We parked across the street from the National Museum of African American History. I have yet to visit this newer museum (opened only three years ago) because it still is extremely popular allowing entry only with pre-reserved timed passes even though it is free. It always seems to be crowded at most times! The museum remains on my bucket list. Its architecture is very dramatic and the light from the sunset through the edge of the building made for a decent photo with my point and shoot camera.



As I walked further and pulled back with the camera I was able to get the Washington Monument in the background on the hill. Due to a minor earthquake last year, the elevator has been closed off and on some days although now I think it is running on schedule and finally repaired. The Monument also requires passes that you get ahead of time! I went up to the top many years ago and the windows give a rather blurred view of the city.



On the right, as we hurried toward the Ellipse, is the Department of Commerce Building (in the photo below).  Wilber Ross is the Secretary of Commerce now.  He seems to be able to stay out of the news recently, unlike other Secretaries, except for the citizenship question that he wanted to add to the 2020 Census, his failure to divest himself of his assets, and the use of a personal phone for business!  He has Yale and Harvard in his resume, which at least gives him some gravitas for such an important job.  The man, like our President, has been married three times.  He is now 82 and that might be one of the reasons he keeps such a low profile.  He is worth 700 million to  2.5 billion depending on which of his paperwork you believe and he made his money by taking advantage of bankruptcies.


We hurried to the Ellipse where the grands could see the National Christmas Tree.  It was pleasantly crowded with American citizens and also many people from other countries, all in excellent holiday humor.  There are several miniature trains running beneath the tree and little towns along the tracks that reminded me of the neighborhood in the Mr. Rogers movie we had seen that afternoon.  These were all behind a protective fence.  When I looked closely I saw that people had throw money, coins and bills, over the fence onto the trains and houses and station and lawn.  Much of it was foreign currency.  That seemed very odd and someone in the passing crowd joked that it was for the President's defense fund.  This is eternally a political city.


The sunset cooperated nicely on this Christmas Eve. I was also able to capture a murmuration of starlings (or some birds) against the pink skies!




All in all a very lovely evening!

14 comments:

  1. I've been to the capital twice. once in my early 20s protesting the Vietnam war and about 10 years ago after teaching a workshop we spent a day visiting the monuments. we wanted to go to the Renwick but it was closed that day.

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  2. Anonymous12:40 PM

    It's nice you had good weather, and a nice trip. I think last year at this time was very cold in D.C. Andrea

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  3. Sounds like you had a great trip with weather to cooperate.

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  4. Looks like a good weather experience for a lovely time with family!

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  5. It does look beautiful!

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  6. You did well, and your camera too.

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  7. I was rereading your post and thought how so many of the ones who are billionaires made it off of someone else's misfortune-- not to say all. Hedge funds though are based on panicking someone into selling, which the hedge fund guys may inspire, then they snap up the stocks before they rise. I can see why people want to reform the system, but the rich and poor have always been with us and likely always will in one form or another. Human nature?

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    1. Noting wrong with being rich except they have the power and influence to make unfair laws and rules that help them and hurt middle class and poorer citizens. We need to regulate their influence.

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  8. As ellen, I have been to Washington DC twice in my life... once for a senior class trip in January where we visited the monuments during a blizzard and once with DH in our younger years for a work seminar or conference on his part. I visited all the museums while he worked.
    Sounds like you had a lovely evening with your grands!

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  9. Amazing city, sorry I've never been there but I did manage to send both of my sons there on a tour when they were in middle school. The eldest was so entranced with the Smithsonian he wandered off and they lost him. By the time they found him they had to reschedule the flight home. He was famous at school for awhile.

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  10. I've been there a couple of times, too. Saw the Vietnam Memorial and was very moved. And your pictures are stunning. Thank you! :-)

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  11. Oh, that does sound like a very special Christmas Eve.

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  12. That is a beautiful, big Christmas Tree. Washington is a lovely city. We were lucky enough to visit it on a tour in 2011. Glad you could be there with your family. The sunset and buildings are awesome. Can't say the same about the people in the White House.

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  13. An interesting post, Tabor...with lovely photos to match.

    All the very best to you for 2020. :)

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.