Brushing up with history in D.C.
Stan Frome
It can be argued that Washington, D.C., is America’s most important
city, symbolizing our great history and housing our most precious
buildings and landmarks. Many of our most cherished monuments,
memorials and museums are found in this small city along the Potomac
River.
In April, my wife, Mari, and I took our children -- sixth-grader
Tobin and fifth-grader Madeline -- for a weeklong visit to this
wonderful city. They could always read about our American history in
books or in our local Daily Pilot, but it couldn’t come close to
having the same effect on them as actually being in the places where
history was made.
Our downtown hotel was located in the historic Penn Quarter
district, home to such places as Ford’s Theatre (where President
Lincoln was assassinated) and the International Spy Museum (one of
our favorite places). The hotel was also located kitty-corner to the
Gallery Plaza metro stop, which was our gateway to all the places we
wanted to see in D.C. The metro system is a fun, clean and convenient
way to travel in the city.
On our first day, we came up from the Smithsonian metro stop right
into the middle of the great National Mall, which extends from the
Lincoln Memorial all the way to the Capitol building. The first
building we saw was the famous red-sandstone “castle” that, at 150
years, is the oldest building on the mall and houses the Smithsonian
Information Center, where we not only found information on the 16
different Smithsonian museums but also on anything else we wanted to
know about D.C.
A short walk from there took us to the National Air and Space
Museum where stories of the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindberg and
Neil Armstrong, to name a few, stretch your imagination to its
limits. Seeing the 100-year-old Kitty Hawk, the 80-year-old Spirit of
St. Louis and the 35-year-old Apollo 11 command module, which went to
the moon and back in 1969, was just the tip of the iceberg and
occupied our attention the whole day.
Months before our trip I had contacted the office of Rep. Chris
Cox to arrange for tours of whatever they could get us. His aides
were instrumental in reserving both White House and Capitol tours.
The president’s house was great, but we only were able to see the
east side of the building with its Green, Blue, Red and East Rooms.
The Capitol tour was incredible. We began in Cox’s private office on
the fourth floor of the Rayburn building, where his aide took us
through the amazing underground walkway that leads to the Capitol.
For more than 200 years, the Capitol’s halls have witnessed the
democratic process in all its glory. The many frescoes, statues and
other artwork qualify it as a notable museum, but most of us tourists
come to brush shoulders with history, both remembered and in the
works.
It happened to be cherry blossom time while we were there, so we
decided to rent bikes one day. Our ride included the East and West
Potomac Parks which also took us around the tidal basin and the
Jefferson Memorial. Nearby, we pedaled to the Korean War, Vietnam War
and the new World War II memorial sites.
Washington is a symbol of democracy around the globe. Its many
sights provided us with unparalleled access to the inner workings of
our government, to internationally famed museums with so many
priceless exhibits, and to the cultural and spiritual foundation of
our great nation.
* STAN FROME is a resident of Newport Heights.
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