Post Inauguration Sightseeing

21.1.09

 

What a terrible day to sightsee. So many school groups had obviously come to DC for the Inauguration and had stayed late to also sightsee. So many people everywhere, so much for travelling in winter and avoiding crowds!!! Was a pleasant day weatherwise, not TOO bitter, and the sun shone.

 

Started over at Arlington to complete the little JFK circle I'd started. Boston/MA area as his home, Texas where he'd toured and Dallas where he'd died, then Washington where he'd grown to fame and been buried. I find it sad that he was buried in Arlington, and then she when she died in 94. Along with two of their infant children - but not John John when he died. The baby they'd lost in 56 was buried there, so had obviously been exhumed and put in, as well as the baby from August 63. I don't know, it seems weird and sad to me.

 

From there I walked over to The Mall. Started at the Lincoln Memorial - ha, queue far too long for me to bother with that! Then the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Well, I don't get that. Plus it has been "tackified". Don't let me get started. FDR Memorial - long queues again, of course, not bothering with that. WW2 Memorial - I simply don't like it. Helped a little old lady jump up on a pillar to take a photo - her friends wouldn't help her - she was fit and healthy, it was harmless, grumpy bums they were. Reflecting Pool frozen over and covered in that much rubbish from the filthy pigs attending yesterday. Toilets and scaffolding still covering the place from the events of the past few days. Gee I sound like such fun don't I? I was having a nice day, I really was. It was sunny, cold but sunny. I had my lunch and had my thermos, I was right.

 

Went to the American History Museum, saw the first American flag, that was cool. The Natural History Museum - that was very cool - only went in there to see the dinosaurs and was rewarded with a t-rex and a triceratops, also an allosaurus and a diplodocus and a stegosaurus. Awesome! I was a big kid!! The Air and Space Museum for freeze dried icecream.

 

Up to The Capitol from there. Reflecting Pond up there covered in rubbish also. Building still set up from yesterday, so a few photos. Around to the Supreme Court. Down to The White House. Couldn't see much of that - still had the Reviewing Stand and scaffolding from the parade yesterday. Saw enough of it to be truly underwhelmed. Nowhere near as big as I'd felt it was from all the pictures and film.

 

By now though, legs and feet starting to hurt, and it was getting cold, so stopped for some dinner, then back to the hostel. Turns out I'd walked about 8 miles today. Packed and watched some tv, then skidaddled once 3 hours of Lost started. A few others were hiding out from Lost upstairs, so a bit of chat, then bed. Early morning tomorrow, again!

 

DC all in all - I'm glad I came back for it, it was once in a lifetime, but even looking beyond the rubbish and the people and the scaffolding and toilets, I'm not sure that I'll race to return. I'd not discount it for research or another cool event, but I don't know that I'd include it on a future itinerary. Something about it just didn't grab me. Not cross with myself for coming though, it was awesome, truly awesome! A holiday of some totally amazing stuff, that's for sure!!!