The plan so far is, Washington DC for 4 nights, then California for 10 days. That will include driving around from Los Angeles, to Las Vegas, San Diego and Anaheim (Disneyland), and then off to New York for a week for New Years!
December 13th
Arrived in DC today afternoon and it was bright and sunny! That's a good thing, since the weather forecast said it would cold and rainy! Good stuff. I actually decided to go for a walk around DC to get a feel for the area.
Walking around, I got a quick look at the White House, Capitol Building (Congress), Washington Monument, and a bunch of other buildings around the city. The architecture is something else; Although very plain and simple it portrays power and sophistication somehow. Also, at first you feel the city design is in anarchy. Most roads have no names, some are called 9th Street NW, H Street SE, E Street SW, and so on. And some roads don't even intersect the regular way (ie 4 way intersection). Some have 6 roads crossing paths etc.
But walking around a little and figuring it out, and looking at Washington on a map you realize that this is probably the most organized city in the world! Everything has a certain structure, meaning and reason, and suddenly everything comes together. Amazing.
Stay tuned and i'll keep you updated on other things! I have the FBI building to visit, a bunch of monuments, and I have a meeting with Bush on Friday at 2:00pm.
Ok not really.
But stay tuned.
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December 14th
Wow, today I managed to do a LOT of walking around DC. My legs are killing me! But it was a good day for sightseeing. Take a look:
The White House
This lady has lived infront of the White House for almost 25 years, as a rebel for peace. She sleeps here, lives here 24 hours a day. Unbelievable...
Lincoln Memorial
Photo from the Memorial, facing the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument (and Capitol Building in the background)
Jefferson Memorial
A few shots from the Air & Space Museum
Washington Monument
Capitol Building
And some shots of the city at night. DC is a completely different city at night; try to visit all the sights at night since they have a completely different feel to them:
December 15th
Today I was a little lazy, having walked so much the past two days, so I didn't get to do too much today. Started off by passing by Union Station, which is a huge place that is reminiscent of the days when travel by rail was fashionable:
Supreme Court
FBI Building (usually they give tours inside but for some reason these were temporarily stopped. Unfortunate.
If you ever do pass by the White House, notice that infront of it there is a small tent with posters outside. This is pretty amazing really; this woman has been camping outside the white house as a rebel for peace since 1981. We rarely do hear about her, but she is there! Against nuclear weapons, war and everything else:
Some random shots around DC
I also managed to walk to Georgetown which is a pretty nice place. Its a little town that has pretty much managed to retain its authentic flavor, even with all the modern boutiques, shops and restaurants.
Another thing about Washington DC is the people! Comparative to other states, they are REALLY friendly and fun to be around. A good thing to check out, especially on a weekend evening; pass by the Chinatown area and the Verizon Center. That place is LIVE! People going and coming, some shouting, some dancing in the street, cars passing by playing loud music, restaurants, a cinema, people coming to watch a game in the Verizon Center, etc. Definately something to watch out for.
Anyhow, after a few days in DC, its time to fly off to California!
CLICK HERE to see what happened in Cali!
DC is much much smaller than NYC, however, even though it is relatively young nation/city (compared to EU) - there is a sense of history and pride within DC.
ReplyDeleteI've liked all my visits to DC. It doesn't feel like any other part of America - has a nature/vibe of it's own.
The pictures are wonderful.
This makes me miss home.
ReplyDeleteYou should go back to DC sometime, you missed a lot.