The DC Diaries - Of Government and Art

On Thursday, I once again took the Metro, this time to the White House Visitors Center.  It was under revision, so it was being temporarily housed in a trailer.  I was a bit disappointed in the gift shop.  I wanted a tour but learned that you have to plan ahead through your state representative for it. Oh well. So I contented myself with just taking exterior pictures from as close as I could get.

From there I walked to the National Archives. While walking through the streets of DC on that day on on the previous days of my visit, I noticed that there is no frou-frou here-- no tacky shops of Joe's Chicken Shack #11 (well, maybe they're here, but I didn't see them).  Everything feels important.  Every building embodies a sense of gravitas.

The National Archives were beyond belief.  I was thrilled to see a special exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis but bummed that I couldn't take pictures.  Blown away by the iconic chairs that Khruschev and Kennedy sat on to sign their agreement. Saw personal notes in Kennedy's hand.

Then to the main room-- dark and cold and silent as a tomb. Saw the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.  Talked to a security guard about conservation (the documents are shrouded in argon gas).  He was very friendly and informative and I was awed.

Next to the National Gallery, which is in fact two buildings.  It was massive and I was overwhelmed.  I just saw a fragment of it (some Wyeth works) and chuckled a bit that they now have the Lichtenstein show that was just in Chicago.  Couldn't spend a lot of time there because I had plans with friends that afternoon and I wanted to budget my time.

Next was the Capitol. Took an hour long tour with a group of about a dozen folks-- hailing from Poland, Australia, Latvia, England, Ireland.  The tour guide was kind of bitchy and kept yelling at Ireland for straying too far.  She eventually got tired of being treated like a child, so she took off on her own.  Would've liked to do the same but I'm not sure it was an option.

The Rotunda was fantastic. I kept picturing Kennedy's coffin lying in state.  It was mostly about the statues. I really wanted to see the Senate and House chambers.  U.S. citizens need to go get a pass from their representative, but ironically it is much easier to gain entry if you're a foreigner.  So me and a guy from Spokane became fast friends with a gal from Latvia (she's here for 10 months studying forestration) so we could tag along with her.  Couldn't get into the Senate, but sat in the balcony of the House.  Disappointed to not see any business being conducted (our tax dollars at work!).  It's much smaller than it looks on TV.