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WASHINGTON DC(There are so many
pictures we want to share that a separate photo gallery has been attached.
There are monuments everywhere and expansive open green spaces. There is everything you’d ever want in one place, wonderful restaurants, world class art galleries and collections, theatre, book stores, exquisite antiquing and a complete mix of nationalities that are highly sophisticated and working, living, and playing together. It’s a success story in all ways. The architecture and gardens are especially fascinating to me. It was a never ending world of discovery at every corner.
We were here at absolutely the most uncomfortable and miserable time of the year, weather-wise, to see the city. August is beastly hot and humid but it in by no means diminished our appreciation for the city.
We had the perfect
situation having dock space at the Capitol Yacht Club overlooking the river
across to a green park. We were within walking or riding distance of
everything we wanted to see. The people at the yacht club were first rate and
friendly. They invited us into their club for their Friday night hamburger BBQ
and we met some very nice people who made us feel completely welcome. The staff
was always polite and accommodating. Nearby was the old fish market where we
could literally by all the fresh shrimp, crabs and fish that anyone could ever
want. They also sold freshly steamed and spiced shrimp in all sizes and fresh
steamed crabs. It was great! We bought a bunch of spice steamed shrimp one
night and made a great meal on the boat with steamed and buttered corn, boiled
potatoes and fresh sliced beefsteak tomatoes! Yummy!
Many mornings, we got the bicycles out and rode up near the Capitol building to have breakfast or coffee at an outdoor café near the Eastern Market. On Saturday’s it was an especially fun place to be as everyone seemed to be there to get fresh produce and flowers at the old produce market building that still provides the freshest produce and meats in town. A flea market has naturally developed in an open parking lot nearby and is fun to peruse for old furniture, photographs, ethnic clothing or just about anything. There are street musicians and dogs of every size, color and age that are happy as could be taking walks with their owners and sitting at outdoor cafes while their owners sip on lattes or devour Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The surrounding houses and brownstones made for a great mix of neighborhoods close to the Capitol. Each door front had its own personality with flowered pots, door color and some had wonderful gardens in the smallest patch of exposed earth.
After a lite breakfast, we would then typically ride the bikes back to the Capitol Building and down the center of the Washington Mall, Ziggy usually riding inside the basket. This required a lot of self control for Ziggy as we passed hundreds of cocky squirrels in our path. On each ride, we’d discover another garden or park and we’d sneak and let Ziggy run and chase some of the squirrels before any of the police caught on. The police by the way were all over Washington because at the time of our visit Homeland Security had issued its highest terrorist alert. At every block were one or two police cars, with engines running , parked on the side walk, with several police standing by, some with machine guns, stopping each car, van or truck and checking them all out. All of Washington is now designed with barriers in front of the buildings to prevent any cars or vans from getting dangerously close to pose a problem, like an exploding vehicle. It was amazing the lengths that they have taken to provide security and protection around the entire city. At our dock helicopters would race up and down the river, usually two or three at a time. It felt somewhat like living in a police state. The Coast Guard patrol boats, of all sizes, would patrol by our dock night and day. It was an amazing site. It was like going through airport security in every building that we entered. All bags and belongings were searched and you are required to walk through a metal scanner. We didn’t mind any of it and were glad they were doing a thorough job.
Wonderful restaurants
abound offering foods of all nationalities. It was hard to make a choice. We
ate a lot on the boat as we were pretty tired after a full day of exploring DC
but the few restaurants that we did try were great.
MONTICELLO
We made it out to Monticello one afternoon, which was a 1 and a half hour drive. Unfortunately we left way too late to enjoy the sights along the way and we happened to get caught in a downpour at Monticello when we arrived. As usual, the downpours though intense, usually are over with quickly, and we were able to walk around the grounds and see and imagine where and how Thomas Jefferson lived. We stopped in nearby Charlottesville for a dinner on their pedestrian mall and were impressed by the way they have renovated their little historical downtown area. It was charming.
MOUNT VERNON
On the way back, we stopped at the historical town of Alexandria. It was quaint with its cobblestone streets. We enjoyed wandering around the little streets, poking into the shops and sitting on the corner for a welcome Starbucks coffee to boost our energy after a long day.
GEORGETOWN
We took taxis all over
town when we didn’t feel like walking or biking. They are inexpensive and easy
to catch because they are plentiful. Several days we just rode our bikes to
Georgetown one day taking the bike path by the river and another through the
Washington Mall and up through the business district. Georgetown was great, a
real college town with lots of cafes, coffee shops, boutiques, bookstore and the
typical college town stuff. The side streets are filled with the most fabulous
old brick houses occupied by the rich and famous, either now or in the past,
including the house where Jackie Kennedy lived after the President’s death. We
road up and down the cobblestone streets admiring the houses and noting which
ones famous people lived in. There was always a place to stop for coffee or
lunch and window shopping. The antiquing was excellent.
We happened onto to the old canal system that was used built in the colonial times until a century ago. It was inspired by George Washington and provided a revolutionary way, at the time, to transport goods up and down the 184 miles to Cumberland, Maryland. It nows serves as a wonderful hiking and biking path and in Georgetown they still have one authentic barge in use to give interested parties and idea of what it was like to be actually pulled up the canal by mules. We rode our bikes for a mile or so up and back down the canal just to get a feel for what it must have been like.
We found an outdoor eating area at the waterfront that would let us sit with Ziggy. It was located where many boaters tie up on the weekends. They call it the “Wall”. It was fun people watching as it seems everyone who lives in Georgetown goes walking or jogging down the waterfront boardwalk. Boats seem to love to cruise up and down the river here too, just taking in the afternoon and sites.
DUMBARTON GARDENS
One of my favorite places
in Georgetown was Dumbarton Gardens. This beautiful place was located up on the
hill from the main drag in the more open spaced neighborhoods of luxurious
homes. The 22 acre estate was donated to Harvard University and now has been
converted into a library, center for research and a museum for Greco-Roman,
Byzantine, and Columbian art in a structure designed by famed architect Phillip
Johnson. My interest though was in the terraced gardens and l’orangerie.
ARLINGTON CEMETERY
We wanted to include on our list a quick tour of the Arlington Cemetery. Since the Pentagon was nearby we drove past and were shocked to still be able to see the massive destruction still left by a huge visible scar left over from the terror of Sept 11. It’s kind of unnerving being in DC as the airport is nearby. Planes are precariously close and it’s a constant reminder of the incident.
We took a tram tour at
Arlington which was slow as a snail. The system could really use some
improvement. I was amazed at the size and span of years and wars that the
gravesites encompass.
We of course saw Kennedy’s eternal flame and surprisingly in austere contrast, the simple white wooden cross for Bobby Kennedy, which is what he wanted. We saw Audie Murphy’s gravesite and I learned that he was the most decorated soldier in WWII. His grave was no different than the thousands of others. We saw the changing of the guard for the Unknown Soldier and were impressed by all the people there to witness it with the dramatic view of Washington in the background.
We never knew that the land that the Arlington Cemetery sets on was General Lee’s until it was taken away from him when he made his difficult decision to join the Confederates. At the highest point of the hills of the cemetery sits his home which overlooks the hills spotted with the white gravestones in amazing straight lines. It’s an awesome sight. Lee’s home was a surprise on the list for me and I thought it was very impressive and well preserved. The house is completely the same as when he lived there, complete with his furniture, which is utterly amazing. The house itself was quite a monumental statement with huge columns out front that seemed very Post Modernistic. It was quite a surprise.
HILLWOOD MUSEUM AND GARDENS
I also enjoyed visiting Marjorie Meriwether Post’s estate. If ever you have some extra time and appreciate the decorative arts, this is well worth the visit. I was amazed that I could literally walk through this house filled with decorative pieces valued beyond my imagination. It was fantastic down to the kitchen. The gardens were an extra plus. I had to run through the house without spending the time because Ziggy wasn’t allowed on the grounds even in the rental car so Larry and Zig waited outside on the street. I’m sure Larry feels he didn’t miss a thing and got a chance to catch up on some napping.
CAPITOL BUILDING I was so excited to see the inside of the Capitol Building even though we were there when Congress was on vacation. I was disappointed not to be able to see where the Senators and Legislators congregate but it was still impressive to see the Rotunda. We walked all the major monuments, including the Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, Korean, Vietnam and the new WWII monuments. We learned so much and it really gave us so much pride for our country and what it represents. We of course, saw many of the Smithsonian exhibits, only being able to skim the service because there is so much to see. We also spent an afternoon visiting the National Gallery of Art and the buildings in themselves are beautiful and we both said we’d like to have more time to spend seeing everything.
WHITE HOUSE
The most exciting thing for us was to see the White House. We made an appointment months ahead and our date was Friday the 13th. The security was tight with the terrorist threat at a heightened level. It was amazing to be able to see all the rooms that the President and First Lady use to entertain dignitaries and to imagine all the history that has gone on here. It was really something.
I think I covered about
everything that we had time to see and there is so much more. This is a city
that you cannot complete, thank God. So we have a reason to come back many more
times. We just covered the surface, but we really enjoyed being here on our
boat and being able to use it as an apartment while we explored this great
town. It gave us a familiar place to come home to each night and it was
peaceful on the water looking out over the river to the expanse of park across
the way. We also enjoyed the people we met at the yacht club as they were very
hospitable and genuinely friendly.
There are so many photos of Washington that they are placed in a special gallery WASHINGTON PHOTOS
Now back down the Potomac to St Marys
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Washington
DC, what can I say? We’ve been here for two weeks and still there’s so much
to see. This is the most fascinating city I’ve ever been in. It’s impressive
to see our country’s Capitol and all the impressive massive buildings that house
our countries workings. The layout of the city makes it so special with
impressive vistas at every corner. Guess we have to thank a French man for
that, L’Enfant. 
One
thing I’m convinced of is…squirrels rule! They are everywhere and manage to
make a living off the scraps left behind by the massive amounts of tourists from
all over the world that make this a destination.
It’s truly a breathtaking sight to see all the gravesites in mass. You
really have a great respect for their ultimate sacrifice when you are there in
person to see this place. Somehow, until then, it’s all like
an imaginary idea, but here it becomes real and is very humbling.
