A mid-trimester break to The Other Washington (DC)
I’ve just spent a few days playing tourist in The Other Washington (DC) and am feeling nice and relaxed having enjoyed my last holiday break of the year.* It was really great to get away from the stress of work for a few days and to just unwind with a friend.
I met up with my friend, Ernie, for the holiday. We both enjoy museums and nice meals out, so he’s always fun to enjoy city breaks with. And it was a convenient meeting location, which is always helpful. (I’m not taking multiple flights and a pack mule to meet someone for a city break.)
Day 1 (arrival): I arrived in DC early afternoon and travelled to the hotel on the Metro. It was considerably warmer than what I had expected, so I was happy to get checked into my room where I could change and make myself comfortable.
Once I settled into my room, I met up with Ernie for an early dinner and a little walk around the area. The weather was mild enough that we enjoyed our evening meal outside in the warm air. Then we stopped by a local shop for some pastries for snacks throughout our holiday. It was an early night, and my head was happy to hit the pillows!
Day 2: I had a slow-ish start to the morning with some light exercise before meeting Ernie for breakfast in the hotel. Then we walked to the Metro for our first stop of the day: The Eastern Market. The first stall we saw when we got to the market sold hand-carved wood items with a large display of spoons. With Ernie’s help, I dug through the spoons until we found a couple of good left-handed ones. Apparently the craftsman’s daughter is a lefty and suggested he make them. He didn’t realise what a hit they would be and now makes them all the time because they are such a popular item. (Of course, they are!)
Our next stop of the day was the United States Botanic Gardens. There were so many little corners to explore, each with a different climate control and focus. It was great to walk around looking at the different plants, many of which I’d never seen before. We also climbed into the upper decks of one of the glasshouses which was a great way to get an overview of a large rainforest area.
When we were done with nature-ing, we went to the National Gallery of Art. We visited both the “traditional” and modern galleries, taking in far more than I might have on my own. Whilst I love art museums and go often, I rarely look at every room in large galleries. But that’s what Ernie likes to do so we kept looking at art until he was done. (I get cultured out after an hour or so.) I was glad to enjoy the extra art though because it’s nice to share art with someone for a change. (And there was a lot of art on this trip, so it’s a good thing that I like it.)
Day 3: We started with a hotel breakfast again before making our way to the Metro once more. Our first stop of the day was the National Museum of the American Indian, which was interesting although not what I expected. I expected to see displays related to the different cultures and artistic traditions, instead, the museum focused on the relationship between the native tribes and the American government. And I felt that they pandered to the American government’s viewpoint too heavily, possibly as another example of how we bullied Native Americans into submission. Still, it was moving and eye-opening and well worth a visit.
Our next stop was the International Spy Museum. Again, it wasn’t what I expected but it was so worth the time! I had expected it to be completely museum-oriented with different displays and curated “spy stuff” that included fictional spies from popular culture. You know, a bit of Spy vs Spy, Inspector Gadget, and 007 – maybe even with some interactive stuff to keep you entertained.
Instead, the entire thing was designed as an interactive experience where visitors were invited to become spies on an undercover mission. We were given identities and cards to swipe at different stations to gather more intelligence and to “collect” spy equipment. At the end of our “mission” we were given debriefing materials and a little blurb about our spy strengths. (Apparently, one of my strengths is a good memory. But I already knew that.) I really did enjoy the experience because it was a hands-on learning experience. So cool.
Day 4: Once again, we started the day by meeting for breakfast in the hotel. Then we were back to the Metro station for another long day of sightseeing. This time, we started with a stop at Dupont Circle “just because” – and because Ernie wanted to walk past the various embassy buildings on “Embassy Row”. (I must admit, this was less exciting for me, but he accepted my instance for a couple of stops to collect geocaches so I couldn’t really argue).
After our walk past the embassies, we arrived at our main stop of the day: The Mansion at O Street. I must admit that I didn’t investigate what the mansion was and had just expected it to be an old mansion house with period furniture. Certainly of interest to me, but certainly not the same kind of interesting as what we saw. It is a series of three old row houses from the late 1800s that have been connected through a series of hidden doors, staircases, and passageways. In recent years, it has become a quirky boutique hotel that serves as a living museum of clutter and whimsy. It is filled with eclectic stuff of no value and high value all mashed in together. It is just, odd. But it was absolutely worth a visit.
On leaving O Street, we made our way to The Phillips Collection – an old mansion-house-turned-museum that is more of a typical art museum. The collection began as a museum in 1921 as the nation’s first modern art museum and has been going ever since. It was really nice to see the different collections – some permanent some temporary. And it was nice to see something a little less cluttered after the first museum of the day!
When we were done “museum-ing” for the day, we walked to the Spanish Steps (because of a geocache) then we made our way to Georgetown for an early dinner on the waterfront. We then enjoyed more ice cream before heading to the Exorcist Steps (again, because of a geocache). Then we walked a bit more before getting a Metro back to the hotel.
Day 5: On our last full day together, we started with a “pilgrimage” to the United States Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn. Then we travelled on the Metro again so that we could visit the Ford Theatre and Petersen House – the site of President Lincoln’s assassination and death. We were both surprised at the level of public access to these spaces and more so that there is no fee to access them. It was certainly an interesting visit though and I liked the level of detail they gave about the events and political climate that led to the assassination.
One of the quirkier things I was looking forward to at the Petersen House was the 34-foot-tall Lincoln Book Tower. It was billed as a tower of 6,800 books about Lincoln and his life. Instead, it was a tower of reproduction book covers on lightweight metal book “forms”. It was interesting and fun to see, it just wasn’t as awe-inspiring as I had expected it to be.
Our next stop was the National Museum of Women in the Arts. It is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to women in art and was a nice mixture of artistic styles and mediums. There was quite a bit of fibre art on display when we were there, which made for a nice pairing for our last stop of the visit: The Renwick Gallery. They had a fantastic exhibition called Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women and I’m so pleased to have been able to see it.
Day 6 (departure): My final day was a solo day because Ernie had an early flight. So, I woke up and enjoyed my last hotel breakfast on my own before making my way out to a nearby grocery store so that I could get a few goodies to take home – including some American Halloween candy. Then I returned to my hotel room to pack my bags and check out.
After checking out (and storing my bags) I wandered around the local area in search of a few geocaches. I managed to find five of them and noted to myself how much easier it is to geocache with someone else. I didn’t have the “cover” of another human for a couple so had to abandon my search lest I get arrested for trespassing or something. Darn!
When I finally got to the airport, I was ready for my travels home. It wasn’t the smoothest journey with a cancelled then rebooked (but more direct) flight, but I made it home in one piece and really enjoyed my relaxing (and busy) mid-trimester holiday – including ten geocache finds for my collection!
As an aside, it’s been seven years since my last visit to DC and I don’t know when I’ll be back again. But I do love the city and all the hope and potential that it holds for my home nation. Politically, I was very aware the whole time I was there that the upcoming election has some real consequences for America’s future, and I admit that I am worried that another Trump election might render DC a hellscape of turmoil, leading to the end of America as we know it. So, it’s possible that even if I want to visit DC again, it won’t be the capital city of the “greatest nation on earth” but rather the burnt-out shell of a once-great nation that met its tragic end.** (But please, vote Harris/Walz. It’s for the soul of the nation and the good of the whole world. Really.)
* I am going to The Homeland for Christmas, but that’s a different kind of holiday as it’s just going to my “other home” as opposed to going on a vacation.
** Regular readers will know that I don’t really do “politics” here. But people who really know me will know that I view the whole world as political and that my politics lean quite lefty-liberal-progressive, but with a realistic outlook that pulls me to accept a more moderate compromise. I make no apologies for that.