Easy as 1,2,3. And, sometimes 4 & 5..
I read somewhere you should not blog or mention online any upcoming trips.
Criminal types will take note.
Come back and your stuff is gone.
Worse when it happens to you on the road.
Well almost.
My recent 8-day Amtrak vacation included a very comfortable ride up to
Washington,DC. After a few days there, hopped on for a day in
Baltimore and that evening continued to
Philadelphia.
The Cherry Blossoms peaked right on time while I was there.
The Smithsonian had several areas open that were closed my last trip.
Saw Archie Bunker's chair and hat.
Went into the Smithsonian Castle too.
The best though was a narrated night tour of 6 monuments and memorials.
Gave my new "almost SLR" point-and-shoot camera a real workout.
The deal was the way I kept track of my valuables:
1. My camera on my belt,
2. My cell phone and
3. My wide-brimmed Tilley hat (with a $20 tucked inside.)
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Adding my back pack one day meant adding another number.
But, before that, I left my hat in the cafe at the
Newseum.
Remembered it 15 minutes later as I walked past real sections of the
Berlin Wall and entered a theater. Reached up to take off my hat.
Went back to the dining area and the cashier said
"Here's your hat," when I asked if it had been turned in.
Later that day used my camera at
National Building Museum to capture the huge room that was a site for an Inaugural Ball last year. Used some photo manipulation to make it really special looking.
The back pack got left behind in
Baltimore.
I realized it was gone when I was across town an hour before the train was to leave for
Philly. More on that later.
(As usual, please click on the photos for a larger image and more detail. The new camera is the
Canon S90 with lots of manual controls.)
Labels: Baltimore, Berlin Wall, cherry blossoms festival, DC, National Building Museum, Newseum, Philadelphia, Philly Cheesesteak, Poe, Smithsonian Castle, Tidal Basin, Washington
If there's A sign, somebody tried it.....
I feel I am a law abiding person.
My daughter is a sworn police officer but, even without that, I tend to do the right thing.
Seeing signs that forbid certain behavior or actions tells me someone must have tried it.
At the end of a tour of
Buckingham Palace, I saw that someone MUST have flipped out a blanket and picnic basket on the Royal Lawn.
At
Niagara Falls, I did not see anyone lugging around a barrel so maybe "going over the Falls" is no longer a popular fad.
The sign is a reminder NOT to even think about edging closer to the massive water surging past.
Perhaps lawyers suggested this sign as a head start in presenting a sad case in court.
Going in to see the inspiring
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, I fought the urge to give that banister a ride.
Similar to the reaction we have when we see a "wet paint" sign.
Labels: Buckingham Palace. sworn peace officer, DC, law-abiding, Lincoln Memorial, Niagara Falls, Royal Lawn, Washington
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Since I am the worst person in the world to know how to include a link in my blog, this is pretty gutsy.
Hope it works so you can see that I was tapped to be a "random" candidate for President of the United States. (If there is no obvious link, simply click on the red colored headline shown up above).
Me as POTUS himself.
As if the country isn't in enough trouble right now.
Labels: DC, nomination, POTUS, President, random candidate, The Capitol, trouble, Washington
A Monumental Place...
Hey, I just got back from a vacation trip to our Nation's Capital and, while I was there, I remembered that when you write about the actual "building", it is spelled
Capitol.
We English majors have a lot of rules and regulations to keep stored in our heads.
All the museums are free in Washington and all of the monuments - being out in the open - do not charge admission either. I probably saved money by being there for a week. Except for the professional hockey game at the Verizon Center where the N.Y. Islanders beat the Caps.
I looked for celebrities but missed the motorcade when President Bush and
the Dali Lama met at the Capitol for a medal presentation.
The guide books said the President always traveled in a motorcade (Or in a Marine helicopter that lifts off the lawn in front of the South Portico.)
The view from atop the 550 foot Washington Monument shows off the White House ...as well as the secure fence that keeps anyone from getting too close.
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The FDR outdoor park has sections devoted to each of
President Roosevelt's four terms and the Depression era was, well, depressing.
Bronze statues depicted men lined up at a doorway to beg for food and, since we all were wearing hats, I fit right in.
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The Iwo Jima Statue, the Marine Corps Memorial, is in Arlington Cemetary between two Metro stops so a cab was needed.
The weather was nice, slightly cool, so outdoor monuments and sights were done until the first cloudy day. Then it was the time to explore the Air & Space Museum in the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art,
the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
The guide at the Library said there were 29 reading rooms and there used to be a backlog to use them.
Apparently the internet has shifted the focus so usually there are seats available now.
(Click on photos to enlarge)
Labels: Air and Space Museum, FDR, Great Depression, Iwo Jima Statue, Library of Congress, Metro, motorcade, Smithsonian, Supreme Court, Washington, Washington Monument, White House
I read somewhere you should not blog or mention online any upcoming trips.
The Cherry Blossoms peaked right on time while I was there.
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Adding my back pack one day meant adding another number. 
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