we've made starts & stops on a family DC trip for years...
i suppose it's been about six since we last made the trek.
what we were waiting for,
of course,
was a record-breaking heat wave.
so, when we saw that in the forecast for the week of july fourth -
well, who could resist!
not us,
that's who.
we dragged the teenager & two-decader
out of their beds
for a sprightly departure time
& made it to our hotel check-in
with great enthusiasm.
~ ~ ~
so much so
that we dove right back into the car
& attempted to navigate
without gps
(but with one of those paper map things)
into the Great City of DC.
throwing caution to the wind
(but continuing to rely greatly on the paper map thing),
we parked a great long distance
(primarily due to missing the first bridge & taking the second)
in the streets of Georgetown
and walked
and walked
and walked
and walked
and walked
and walked
and walked
all the way here
we would later reflect
that it was the least-barricaded day
to mill around.
~ ~ ~
you can no longer get to the ornate wrought-iron fence.
you can no longer walk along the sidewalk.
but, on this first day, we were able to be in the street
(no cars anymore, but a United Nations of people instead).
this north side of the White House
(Lafayette Park)
appeared to be a primary gathering place
for free speech.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
our first full day,
we started at Anderson House
(up near Embassy Row),
they of the Society of the Cincinnati
all the rage,
choir stalls from old English churches
shipped & installed at your own humble abode.
just a few flights up
um, prudence, perhaps
fiercely
serene
always looking up
just fruity
original membership pin for The Society of the Cincinnati
the one he married, who had all the money,
& her gazing ball (below)
trekking down Embassy Row...
these were largely private homes until the Great Depression,
when it became somewhat gauche to display one's continued wealth & prosperity.
(or, i suppose, if one fell out of prosperity.)
at which point, they were sold to foreign governments
for use as their embassy.
on a less-sweltering day,
i should enjoy gazing upon each of them.
but this time, it was a quick look only.
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| Indonesian Embassy |
after a pizza lunch & World Cup viewing near Dupont Circle,
we re-parked our car
near our evening destination
& walked past this (in)famous locale.
 |
| the Watergate Hotel |
we had (free) tickets to a performance at the Kennedy Center
celebrating the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela.
all of the choirs from the various countries were lovely.
(here's the livestream of the concert)
here are some views from the terraces
west side of Kennedy Center
upper terrace of Kennedy Center
having revived ourselves (somewhat) in the air-conditioning,
we meandered downhill to the Lincoln Memorial,
which was thick with tourists.
(not sure i've ever been there
when it's been quite so full of humans.)
looking east
hitting their stride as dusk falls
