The District of Columbia

I have returned from below the Mason-Dixon Line, and it is true that I did not want to come back. We stayed in Annapolis, MD, and it was such a nice area that making the drive north was regrettable (as are the gas prices, 20 cents higher than when I left 10 days ago). But I loved Washington, DC. This was my second trip to the city, but the first where I had a considerable amount of time to explore, as we spent five days in the nation's capital. Below are my highlights of the trip. It is important to note, however, that as we couldn't see and do everything, the picks below are simply based on our experiences, and cannot encompass the totality of the District of Columbia.

Best Tour:
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Preforming Arts - To be fair, the Capitol was a fantastic tour and overall experience, but there was something about the Kennedy Center that I absolutely loved. It's a very grand place, and the decor is late-60s, early-70s, which for some reason I am very fond of. You can lay the Washington Monument down on its side in the foyer. And the presidential boxes were pretty impressive, too. And the happy hour.

Most Disappointing Tour:
The Library of Congress - We liked what we saw, but we didn't see enough of it. Our tour guide began by telling us how massive in size the main building of the LOC is, but then she barely showed us any of it. The main building is a square (2 city blocks long on each side), with an octagon in the middle (the Great Reading Room), and goes as deep underground as it goes toward the sky. But we only saw the front section of the square, and we could only look down into the Great Reading Room (though it was impressive). The marble (all hand-carved), and the paintings on the ceiling were staggering, but we wanted to see more.

Most Bizarre Tour:
The White House - The White House tour was self-guided. They had the path through the first floor of the mansion all roped off, and you simply followed along. The Red Room, the Blue Room, the East Room, etc. We obviously couldn't see any of the West Wing, or the East Wing, or the second or third floors of the mansion, since those are the private residence. But, we thought that it was weird that we were able to literally wander through the White House. Sure, there were some staffers and security hanging around, but still very strange.

Most Exhausting Tour:
The National Holocaust Museum - The long days and all the walking gets very tiring, and your feet and legs begin to hurt quite a bit after a short time, but the National Holocaust Museum is especially draining -- physically, mentally, and emotionally. You walk through the three dark floors of the permanent exhibit, looking at pictures, video, and actual artifacts, and you read everything. Lots of reading. We suggest not planning to do anything after touring the exhibit -- we got food and decided to go back to Annapolis.

Best Restaurant:
The Old Ebbitt Grill - We ended up having two meals here, one on Tuesday, and one on Saturday. Tuesday was mid-afternoon, thankfully missing the lunch rush. Saturday was 1PM, directly in the middle of the weekend lunch rush (but we were only two, so we sat right down). Both meals were very good, reasonable priced, and the majority of the waitstaff was very personable.

Favorite Memorial(s):
The World War II Memorial - It's a new addition since my first visit eight years ago.

The Korean War Memorial - It shows the soldiers doing what they did most of, which was walking through the rice patties, and this sets it apart from the other memorials, in my eyes.

Notable Moments in DC:
1. Watching the House of Representative and the Senate in session - We got tickets to the House gallery from the office of Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and to the Senate gallery from the office of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). This was a great experience. In the House, we watched a group of congressman debate a new tax law proposal, and the first half of a vote. In the Senate, we watched Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) debate Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the issue of judicial confirmation. And we would have stayed in these galleries for hours if we could, be we had to catch a train. And by the way, the Senate and House chambers are very small. Shockingly small. They look so big on television -- especially the House chamber during the state of the union -- but they are not. Also, the one Secret Service Agent posted in the House gallery was charging his iPod while on duty. Classy.

2. The Geneseo Congressional Staffer - We were standing in the old Supreme Court room in the Capitol building, when a congressional staff-led tour comes in. I immediately recognize the tour guide. 'I know him,' I thought. As he was leaving, I stopped him, and sure enough he went to Geneseo. In fact, he was in some of my political science classes. He's now interning for a congressman. Way to go, GSU.

3. White House Secret Service Agents - When we stepped out of the White House mansion, we encountered two Secret Service Agents dressed in tactical clothing and equipment, each carrying a machine gun and 200 rounds of ammunition. A number of people on the tour stopped and spoke with them for about 10-15 minutes. These guys were impressive. They said that they were the "special forces" of the Secret Service, and that if they are involved, the situation is pretty serious. They explained some abilities of their weapon, gave some more detail of the White House, and the one agent explained how they don't get fed on the job -- but the government has a microwave for him to heat his Lean Pockets. "I feel very safe," said one tourist. "You should," replied the more talkative of the two agents. "You're getting the protection of a president for free." Awesome.

4. 'Happy Birthday, Holy Father' - As you probably know, the Pope was in Washington, DC, this past week. We, luckily, missed the crowds that he drew. However, on the day before he arrived, we were in front of the White House, and the chorus was rehearsing for his arrival the following day, which was also his birthday. And they were singing:

"Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Holy Father
Happy Birthday to you"

No joke. I will forever remember that.

5. The size of the Library of Congress - I may not have been satisfied by the Library of Congress tour, but when that tour guide stated that the LOC is as deep as it is high, I nearly fell off my chair. The place is huge, and that's only one building.

6. The Nazi Pre-Protest - We had heard earlier in the day on Saturday that there was going to be a Nazi protest. As we made our way to the National Mall after our White House tour and lunch, we found them. They were sitting on the ground, surrounded by about 25 police officers. Most of them were teenagers. We watched, then left, walking up the mall toward the Capitol. As we got near the Capitol reflecting pool, we saw more cops...specifically hundreds of them, dressed in full riot gear, lining the sides of the street and walkway leading up to the building. And then there were more, in heavier riot gear on the grass. And more, with rubber gloves on, ready to search those taken into custody. We hung around for as long as we could, but in the end the Nazis were just taking too long, and we had to get on the road. I guess there prejudice and hate blinds them to keeping to a schedule -- I can't just wait along all day to see white supremacists, for I have a life. In the end, all I got was to see a lot of cops, the Nazis sitting on the ground not causing a ruckus, and more sun than I wanted. Thanks, Nazis.

So, in the end the trip was amazing, and I loved the District of Columbia. But, again, I didn't see the whole city. And I drove through parts of the district that were not as well-kept as the area around the National Mall. Washington, DC, is, in fact, about 80% black in population, but it's a side of the city that you don't see if you only stick to the 'seat of government' section of town.