Capital City

Stephen Rosenthal's famous photograph of the hoisting of the American flag on Iwo Jima immortalized in statue form.
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So I had a business trip to Washington DC where I was supposed to be busy at work for 4 days.  But, I was able to fit in quite a bit of sight-seeing despite a packed schedule - as any good traveler does.

I'd been to DC once before, a few years back, so I'd already done the grand tour of monuments and memorials.  This time was going to be a highlight tour - or whatever I didn't get to last time.  It's incredibly easy to get around the city with a Metrocard day pass ($6.25 or something).  It takes you just about anywhere and is pretty easy to figure out.  I spent the first two days working just about non-stop, but by Saturday, things had slowed down and I decided to head out for a bit.  I really wanted to see the Iwo Jima memorial (since I hadn't gotten around to it last time).  The Metro takes you to Arlington Cemetery, and Iwo Jima was supposed to be a short walk from there.  So on my way out of the Metro, I asked one of the workers the quickest way to Iwo  Jima.  She pointed to an escalator and told me to "walk straight for about 5 minutes.  Can't miss it".  Well, I did.  I walked around for no less than 45 minutes trying to find any indication that there was a statue, monument, civilization, anything.  I did eventually wander to a highway and proceeded to walk along the busy thoroughfare for about 20 minutes until I saw a sign for the Arlington Cemetery.  So I headed right back to where I started.  I asked a tourist where I might find Iwo Jima, and for the record, it is not a 5 minute walk from anywhere.  You have to walk down an unmarked bike path for about 15 minutes, walk past a hideous monument the Dutch so generously offered us, and over a hill to find the statue.  But it was worth the effort.  As my review states above, not many people would accuse me of believing my country can do no wrong, of waving an American flag everywhere I go... but this statue made me wish I did.  It's a larger than life replica of 6 young men mounting Mt. Suribachi in Japan during WWII, hoisting the American flag over rubble and ruins from the war.  It's such a stunning moment, capturing the pride and hope of a nation in one single act.  The saddest part is that 3 of those men were killed in battle within the next month - but becoming immortal in a single snapshot.

A can't miss on a US tour.

The bell carillon donated by Queen Julianna of the Netherlands. Gee... uh, thanks Holland... it's lovely, really.
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After finally making it to the Iwo Jima memorial, I had every intention of seeing the Korean War memorial (supposedly beautifully lit at night), and maybe the FDR memorial, but by this time, the scone I had at 9am had worn off long ago, and I needed a big plate of food and a big beer fast.  I found what I needed at Capital City Bar and Grill, although it was pretty bland.  Nothing unique about the place, except they had their own brewery onsite.  But even those beers weren't anything really special.  But I did get to watch David Beckham make his debut for the LA Galaxy and watch Chelsea beat them.  The best part was that no one in the entire bar cared.

A look at the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial at the absolutely worst time of day to be taking pictures. It isn't always so washed out, really.
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I somehow managed to pick up a stalker at the bar.  I've discovered that it is physically impossible to be a young female and sit at a bar by yourself.  I wanted a meal and a beer, and I sat by myself and minded my own business.  When this guy Jerry started talking to me, I answered his questions politely, didn't give him too much information about what my plans were or anything, but he managed to follow me around all night.  It's a tough decision sometimes, because I only had one night left in DC, and I didn't want this loser to stop me from having a good time, but you don't want to do anything stupid either.  I did search out a Yuengling beer at a different bar later that night (pretty good beer only available on the East Coast) which Jerry followed me to.  When I was ready to taxi home to my luxurious abode, he gave me the "we need to share a taxi, I can't afford one on my own" speech.  At this point, he was so hammered, I didn't feel threatened, so I hailed a taxi and got off at my stop and hoped that he didn't puke in the taxi on the way back to his place.

A giant Abe Lincoln. Up close, I could swear he's cross-eyed...
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On Sunday I headed out early and wound up at the Lincoln Memorial at the exact same time as 3,000 teenagers.  What a treat.  They were all wearing bright yellow t-shirts and were on some nationwide tour.  Needless to say, I didn't stay there too long.  I really wanted to see the Smithsonian Museums.  I knew I would never have time to see them all, but thought maybe I could squeeze on in.  Well, in two hours, I only saw one exhibit.  So I didn't get too far.  The museums could take me all week.  And I'd probably still miss some things.  Although I did get to trace the history of Western Civilization from it's beginnings in Africa!  Which (honestly, no sarcasm at all here), thrills me to no end.  I love museums.

But then it was time to check out and head back to Dallas.  What I loved about DC was how multi-cultural it is.  And it's not just backgrounds, skin colors, etc. - it's first generation Pakistanis, Chinese, Argentineans, Italians.  It's such a great melting pot of cultures - and it seems to be working.  For those who go, make sure to hit up Dupont Circle for a good bar scene - I've heard that was the place to go, but having a stalker on my night out didn't make heading there too appealing.

DC is great.  I could never afford to live there, but visiting is easy.  Plenty of hostels, cheap bars and food, and free entertainment.  It's a can't miss on a US tour.