I finally took a photo of the site of the Reagan assassination attempt corresponding with that live video footage I remember so well from the TV. Yes, I actually went to YouTube to see it again, and a few of the frames show the building in which I'm typing this. Weird. I then took the Metro to the National Holocaust Museum. Such a powerful place. Everyone gets a booklet featuring someone with Holocaust involvement. After viewing various displays following the rise of anti-Semitism and witnessing second-hand Hitler's incomprehensible "master plan", those of us at the exhibit were funneled through an actual train car that took folks to the concentration camps. We saw horrendous footage of Jewish folks subjected to scientific experiments and viewed representations of gas chambers. I had to look at my little booklet to see if the person represented therein had survived or not. He had miraculously survived. But as I read this and rounded the corner, I smelled leather. I looked up and found myself in the middle of a room full of shoes... thousands of shoes that had been confiscated from people that met their end in the gas chambers. My blood ran cold. Very powerful.
I was able to meet up with my friend Mindy once again (after she joined me at the MetroStage opening Sunday). She and her little Zoe and I visited a fab pizza place in the lovely Georgetown neighborhood. It was a lovely lunch. Mindy dropped me off at the Natural History Museum where I took a brief trek through the collections. Above, you'll see the elephant in the main lobby. I saw the Hope Diamond too, but for some reason didn't take a picture. Anyway...
I then boarded the Open Top Sightseeing bus tour and ventured through many of DC's neiborhoods. As a side note, here's a shot of my well-worn Doc Martens that have accompanied me on every new city experience since 1994 (London, NYC, Chicago, Wichita, Milwaukee, Houston, Fort Worth, etc.). One of my favorite things about this particular trip was viewing the National Cathedral. Just beautiful! Throughout the woodsy neighborhoods around there, all of us on the top of the bus had to duck to avoid the low-hanging branches. Whee! Also on the tour, the fire station pictured above caught my eye. So much red in the scene. I used an effect on my new camera and blocked out all the other colors. Odd effect, but fun.
The evening brought a return to Union Station and the start of the twilight/night tour on the Tourmobile. What a treat! First off, here are some shots taken as the sun was setting.
Then as darkness fell, the lights on all the monuments were just stunning... FDR, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, Washington. It's like an entirely different show at night! And the weather was just perfect. I was perfectly comfortable in shirtsleeves, and the humidity was low. So nice!
Then we headed to the World War II Monument that was dedicated just five or so years ago. It's just massive and honors everyone from all walks of life and all branches of the military who served in WWII. I found the pillar that featured the home state and the wall of gold stars representing the fallen. We also passed the White House (which, of course, is currently vacant-ish as the Obama's are still on vacation).
It was a wonderful day full of fun and reflection. Oh... and even though I almost fought my urge to be too "punny," I took a photo that I've entitled "right on Q." [Cue the rim shot and then the trombone says "wah waaaaah.")
Anyway... that's all for now. Tomorrow, I'll be taking the Ford's Theatre tour and catching up on stuff that I've missed thus far. Then in the evening, I'll venture out to Arlington to catch Signature Theatre's Dirty Blonde. Can't wait! So until next time, loved ones... take care! Peace and love.
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