One of the best things about a city is that things are constantly changing and that you never know what will be waiting around the next corner.
For example, just off Chinatown is an area known as CityCenterDC. This pedestrian mall is home to numerous high end shops and restaurants that were mostly closed as we strolled through Friday after dinner.
Look up and you’ll see this remarkable art installation known as Summer Stream. It’s 28,000 ribbons that are suspended overhead. I read that they used sixteen miles of ribbon to achieve the look.
It is dazzling.
We savored the moment and walked the entire length just because we could. While Dior wasn’t in the budget for either of us, we were just as happy to savor the free beauty of this place.
The best way to get an overview of Washington is to take a bus or trolley tour. We opted for the Monuments By Moonlight Night Tour which provides a nice narrated look at the city as well as stops at some popular monuments.
We had a short amount of time at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps, Martin Luther King, Vietnam Veterans. Korean War and Lincoln Memorials.
They looked stunning after dark and took on a different life than in the daylight.
Rain threatened that day but it was a moderate and clear evening. Nonetheless, I didn’t pack my DSLR and my new iPhone camera is testy in anything but bright sunlight so the photos aren’t great.
Nonetheless, I have a few to help remember the moment. I especially liked the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at night.
If you’re going to our nation’s capital, consider a tour! It’s a safe and easy way to move around and see the sights! Click here for info on our tour company.
Much of Washington D.C. was quiet this weekend. One Smithsonian employee said that the tourists have been sparse this year because of the pandemic and that most have gone home in recent weeks because of school starting.
Traffic headed into the city was light while there appeared to be a mass exodus going in the other direction. It was like everyone else left so we could have a private tour of the city nearly all weekend.
Chinatown seems like a place that should be bustling on a normal Friday night but even this area was relatively quiet in some ways. While there was a line outside a new sushi place, Nichola’s favorite family owned restaurant was empty when we went in.
The food and service were excellent so it was worrisome to see how little business they had aside from some takeout orders. I hope that this isn’t the trend for them these days especially since Nichola remembers a time when you could hardly get a table.
Washington’s Chinatown was historically much larger and more densely populated but today amounts to just a few hundred residents. The surrounding area is gentrified with a number of restaurants, high end stores and museums. It has the feel of a neighborhood that is struggling to hold its place in an ever changing world.
Yet, it is powerfully colorful and vibrant in its own way. I admire the shapes and colors found here as well as all the signs and the Chinese Gate built across the street. Incidentally, it’s called the Friendship Gateway, a collaboration between D.C. government and their sister city Beijing. We were there for just one evening and consequently missed all the little shops. We agreed that we’ll have to visit again and spend some time perusing their wares.
The neighborhood has a metro station, making it affordable and easy to access from nearly anywhere in the city. It’s well worth a stop if you’re in town.
Washington D.C. is chock full of fascinating things to see and there’s a surprise around nearly every corner.
We rolled into town Friday afternoon and made our first stop the Steven F. Udvar – Hazy Center. That’s a long name for a giant museum filled with air and space exhibits. Here you’ll find a Concord, a Lockheed Blackbird and all sorts of other aircraft. For all you Star Wars fans out there, they have an X-wing Starfighter which is undergoing some restoration.
You’ll also find the space shuttle Discovery.
It was the third Space Shuttle orbiter to fly in space and it flew 39 Earth orbital missions from 1984 to 2012. This was the space shuttle of much of my life.
It’s kind of a big deal and I got to stand in front of it with my nerdy “Mom and Dad I’m ok sign” and mug for the camera from beneath a mask.
It’s massive and far larger than I expected. It’s beautiful in its own way too. It just looks like an enormous plane but is capable of so much more. If those wings could talk!
And so began my whirlwind tour of our nation’s Capitol. While this beginning was nine kinds of fabulous, it’s just where the fun began. That night, we checked into our hotel and hit Chinatown for dinner and a walk.
Check back tomorrow for more of the fun! Read more about visiting this Snithsonian museum and it’s sister the National Air and Space Museum by clicking this link.
When it comes to adventuring, it’s always nice to have a partner in crime who has a similar temperament and interests. It’s helpful when they can expertly navigate their way through your destination when your destination is a place like Washington D.C.
I spent a long weekend in D.C . with my friend Nichola who has more oomph than the Energizer Bunny combined with a deep knowledge of the best things to see in the city. We had a fantastic time touring the monuments, museums and neighborhoods.
One of my favorite stops was George Washington’s Mount Vernon. It has been open to the public since before the Civil War and has been beautifully preserved. This dining room is magnificent.
We toured most of the monuments.
Looked at airplanes.
Enjoyed art – some old and extraordinary.
Some that I didn’t understand so well but that is visually striking.
We had the trains mostly to ourselves. The city was mostly empty this weekend and we were never once in a crowded train.
I faced a fear.
Admired beautiful skies.
We even stopped to smell a lot of flowers.
And looked for art in every nook and cranny.
I have not downloaded my camera pictures. In fact, I’m not even completely unpacked and return to work today. Yet, I have a ton of stories to share and am trying to figure out where to start. Look for many pictures and stories in the weeks to come.
All of D.C. feels like a monument to our nation’s past and future. Simply walking around felt like a privilege and some places felt so profoundly meaningful that it was difficult to process the weight of what it represents. Staring into the slave quarters at Mount Vernon was one of those moments. Staring at a wall of stars that represents the 405,399 souls lost in World War II was another.
All I can say is stay tuned. I’ll try to keep the stories interesting and show you lots of images to give them life. It was an incredible weekend and I’m grateful to my friend for making it fun.
I’ve been allowing my mind to wander toward all the places I might physically wander this year.
I’m supposed to fly to Denver to see a friend and then road trip home this summer. The likelihood of that happening seems less and less with each passing day.
Another friend and I were talking about road tripping to DC this year.
Even if states don’t have in place quarantine measures for interstate travel, I question the safety of commercial flying. Not to mention, will the museums and things I want to see be open?
As a thinker and a planner, it is hard for me to have so many questions that are unanswerable today. Flying by the seat of my pants isn’t my way but that’s where we are right now.
If that big trip doesn’t happen, I’m thinking about some fun things to do around Ohio and neighboring states. I’ll be disappointed if I don’t get to see my friend out west this summer but there will be other trips.
I’ve been allowing my mind to wander toward all the places I might physically wander this year.