September 5 or Kayaking on the Potomac

Something that is unique about a big city is that it never gets dark. When I turn the lights off at night, orange city light still streams in from my windows. In the morning, the light streams in and hits my face at about 8:30 (we have west-facing windows). So even if I wanted to sleep in, the city forbids it. The city demands my full attention and the sun slaps me across the face if I try to sleep through my obligation to explore it.

The good news is, despite all of the forces of the universe being against us, we did actually get to sleep in today until about 8:30.

About an hour later we walked down to the Watergate, turned right at Rock Creek Park and went kayaking on the Potomac! (Thanks for the tip Andrea!)

It was so fun! It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too crowded, the water wasn’t too cold, and we weren’t too stupid to figure out the kayak! It was great to see all of the rowers and the rest of the tourists out there. It was only $5 a person and we had a great time.

Afterward, a bunch of people went to the flea market, but I stayed home. I relaxed, ate a nice lunch and took a shower to wash off the splashes of Potomac before they burned away my skin (the Potomac is pretty polluted).

When I was nice and ready, I walked down to the Metro and went to the Smithsonian museum of American History.

I really like the Smithsonians. Now that I’m older, I can really appreciate the quality exhibits. And I have been very impressed.

Today I went to an exhibit about the office of President of the United States (or POTUS). It was fascinating. I read everything I was interested in and enjoyed every second. One of my favorite exhibits so far.

Stephanie met up with me in the museum because her husband had to come to the city to work overtime for a trial next week. We also went to an exhibit about all of the wars the U.S. has fought in (not as cool as the presidents), and a small exhibit about Abraham Lincoln. That one was interesting. I bet my brother would have really liked it.

We wandered the mall for a little while, went inside the Smithsonian castle (much prettier on the outside), and then went to the museum of natural history.

Now, I was prepared to be unimpressed with the museum of natural history. Usually it’s a bunch of stuffed animals and wax figures hunched over building fires.

What a silly thing to think. I should have known better.

It was great! There was a cool exhibit on forensic anthropology, or basically solving mysteries based on skeletons. They excavated one of the first colonial towns (started in the early 1600s) and had many of the skeletons there to look at and “interpret.” It was so cool!

I thought that I would just walk through the museum and be satisfied. But I only saw one exhibit, and I have got to go back. The Smithsonian is great because there is so much to do. There are interactive exhibits, movie clips, songs from the time period, touch screens, and other activities to keep all ages happy and interested.

The best thing about my Smithsonian experience is that I’m in no hurry. I don’t have to see all of the museums in one day, I can take weeks. And I have. I do each museum in stages and I love it. I spend quality time with one exhibit and then I leave and do something else.

After the Smithsonian, Steph and Jake went home and I went to meet some friends from the Barlow at ESPN zone to watch the BYU/Oklahoma game.

The customer service was fantastic and they didn’t kick us out even when more and more people came who just wanted to watch without buying anything. None of us expected to win so we were all thrilled when we did. What an upset! Granted, their star quarterback got injured early on and that definitely helped our chances, but it was still a big deal. When we got possession in the last minute all twenty of us stood up and sung the BYU fight song. We all knew it and we were all clapping. We got some weird looks, but some people told us that they admired our enthusiasm. The funny thing is, none of us were drunk, although I think most of the people thought we were.

A BYU dad and his son came and found us after we finished the song. The little kid looked like he was on cloud nine. Heck, we were on cloud nine. We practically floated home.

Since tomorrow is Fast Sunday, I bet two guys in our group that the game will be mentioned over the pulpit at least once. I bet it will be mentioned in your wards, too… it was nothing short of a miracle…

Near Key bridge. Georgetown university peeking over the trees.

Attempted self-portrait. I didn't realize the camera was zoomed in so much, but it turned out to be cool anyway (look at the reflection in my sunglasses)

Real self-portrait, kayaking on the Potomac.

The tree-lined banks are BEAUTIFUL. The trees simply don't grow like that in Utah.

Abby and Rachel with Virginia (I think... it actually might be Maryland. I'm not sure...) in the background.

Addressing the American people at the Smithsonian. I was giving FDR's "nothing to fear but fear itself" speech

Wow. That's all I can say.

Caution. Pfft. We don't need no stinkin caution.

The Smithsonian actually has two buckled steel columns from the World Trade Center. I couldn't believe it.

My hand next to a molding of Abraham Lincoln's. We are pretty close!

This picture is for my brother. Lincoln looked like he aged a lot when he got into office.

The famous Smithsonian castle. Nothing much inside but the 3-judge American Idol desk and a pile of rubble that was used in the Night at the Museum movie.

Creepy.

The beautiful old post office building at sunset.

Watching the game at ESPN zone.

Hard to see, but the BYU fan section was packed! Standing room only. I'm surprised they treated us so well, I'm sure some people thought we were annoying.

I think this was right when OK missed the 50-yard field goal.

August 29th or Petruchio and Old Glory

August 29, 2009

After sleeping in (my excuse: I’m still adjusting to east coast time), and eating my delicious leftovers for lunch, a bunch of us headed out exploring.

We walked toward the mall and, after being handed free pixie sticks and a “veg-fest” brochure, arrived at the Lincoln memorial. It is big and white and awe-some like I remember. Oh, and cram packed with tourists. However, miracle of miracles, I got a picture of me and Abe with no one else. (Thanks, Abby!) I would love to go back there and take some pictures at sunset.

We started wandering toward the Washington Monument. Travel hint: the mall looks a lot shorter than it is. But. It is not short. It is long. They sprinkle park benches here and there for those with weak constitutions (I will refrain from putting a political joke here.), and steadfast determination and scary geese spur everyone else on. We stumbled across a WWII memorial with a nice fountain and cool picture opportunities. We finally made it to the Washington Monument only to find that all of the tickets for today were already distributed: A downside of not planning.

At this point we were swimming. Swimming in what? You might ask. A valid question, and to those of you who haven’t had the opportunity of walking around D.C. on a very warm, extremely humid (it was overcast) day, I’m not sure if an appropriate metaphor exists. All I can say is that I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to live under the sea, and now I know. In order to dry off, we popped into the nearest air-conditioned building. It happened to be the Smithsonian museum of American history. We saw the original flag that inspired “The Star-spangled Banner” in 1814 and a cool exhibit on the history of water transportation. I didn’t realize how many movies about boats there are: Pirates, The Hunt for Red October, Titanic etc. I relived all of them in that exhibit. We also saw a replica of a 1950s suburban household and learned about the history of the atomic bomb. The Smithsonian is well-put together. The exhibits are very visual and the writing is informative but not overly heavy. And I learned cool stuff! For example, pirates didn’t really make people walk off planks (they got that reputation from Peter Pan), and Julia Child got in a car accident the day before she got married (she was okay, obviously).

I really enjoyed the “First Ladies” exhibit with the gowns donated by all of the first ladies (Mrs. Lincoln had a ridiculously small waist), and the replica of Julia Child’s kitchen. It was packed, of course, but well worth the wait.

At this point some of the people in my group headed back to the Barlow Center. I was meeting Stephanie and Jake at 5:00, so I stayed behind alone.

And it felt great.

We’re not in Jerusalem any more, folks. No, “three people at all times” rule. I love America.

I wandered along the mall, saw a flock of tourists on segways, listened to the birds/bugs in the trees (trees are loud here), and made my way to meet Steph and Jake.

I had some time to kill so I went into the museum of crime and punishment. Correction: I went into the museum of crime and punishment’s gift store. Tickets to the actual museum were $20 and almost guaranteed to be a tourist trap. I imagine the gift store is the coolest part anyway. They had reprinted newspapers from big crime events like the JFK assassination and the day John Dilinger was killed. I ended up buying a little whistle to put on my keychain. I didn’t know what time I’d be walking home and it was cheaper than the pepperspray.

I was still a little early, so I went to wait in line for tickets to the show we were going to see. The Shakespeare Theater company hosts a “free for all” season once a year in which they put on a show completely free for anyone who wants to come see it. The catch: you have to be at the box office when it opens to get tickets. We did get tickets (there was a very long line), and then went to eat dinner at Fuddruckers. It was good to see Steph and Jake and they provided words of wisdom about big city living and empathy about the humidity. We wandered a little after and then went to the show.

We saw “Taming of the Shrew.” It was superb. The acting, the set, the jokes, the scene change music—it was all top notch, but Petruchio stole the show. I have never laughed so hard in a Shakespeare play. They really did a wonderful job; I am not sure I can be as effusive as they deserve. I was simply floored. It was a great way to spend an evening.

Then Steph graciously showed me how to refill my Metro card and then Steph and Jake walked me home (it was about 11:30 p.m.). After getting ready for bed, writing in my journal (read: my laptop), scrips, and my book, I got to sleep around 1 a.m.

We’ll see how long that schedule lasts.

The most patriotic obelisk in America (and we didn't even steal it from Egypt like the Brits).

At the Lincoln Memorial with my pixie stick holstered like a saber.

Swimming---er walking, to the Washington monument. The lovely items you see on the cement next to the reflection pond are goose poop. Surprisingly big.

I turned around after taking the previous goose poop picture.

WWII memorial, "the Price of Freedom"

Each star represents 1,000 American lives lost in WWII.

Yes. I am from Utah. This picture proves it.

Abby and I feeling close to the motherland.

I wanted to see what everyone was looking at. (In the Smithsonian)

I had to explain to the nice man what a pixie stik is.

Julie and Julia and Lynne.

Can you see me? I'm all the way in the glass doorway in the back.

The first ladies exhibit in the Smithsonian. The lights are kept low so the fabric doesn't disintegrate. There were a few dresses missing... but, then again, Hilary did always wear the pants in that relationship...

There was a costume sale in the Shakespeare store before the show. If only I didn't have luggage limitations!