"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Weekend in Washington

     We spent two days in Washington, DC, and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful weather, the friendly crowds, and a visit with my two sisters. The bonus: We didn't have to see one politician!

     We did see the Capitol, then took a tour through the Newseum, a news museum that "champions the five freedoms of the First Amendment." In case you don't remember, the five freedoms are freedom of the press, of petition, religion, speech and the freedom to assemble peacefully.
to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment - See more at: http://www.newseum.org/about/#sthash.BEFQBr0o.dpuf
to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment - See more at: http://www.newseum.org/about/#sthash.BEFQBr0o.dpuf
mission is to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment - See more at: http://www.newseum.org/about/#sthash.zAKbipQb.dpuf

The 150-year-old Capitol Dome is being restored


The Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave., opened in 2008


A reminder of big events


A piece of the Berlin Wall


One of the East German guard towers


A news helicopter


Guess what embassy is next door to the Newseum


The National Art Gallery is across the street


Later, we walked over to the Dunbarton Oaks gardens in Georgetown


The terrace with its 100-year-old vines

Do you remember the story of Diana?


Actaeon sees her naked, so she turns him into a deer and his hounds kill him


Union Station

     We took the Amtrak train home. Fortunately, for us, there was no accident. But unfortunately, as you may have read, an Amtrak train derailed last night outside of Philadelphia, killing five people and injuring scores of others . . . a reminder that even in this day and age travel has its dangers. So be careful, be safe, and lets send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by this latest tragedy.

10 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

Love visiting D.C., our daughter lived just outside of there for about 10 years and we'd come up twice a year. The museums are fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Visited Washington several times, the last in 2013. We had lunch with Dianne Schmidley and her hubby as well as with Denise and her husband. Good times.

stephen Hayes said...

Washington D.C. is a great place to visit, and relatively inexpensive since our taxes pay for so much. Glad you got home safe.

Anonymous said...

Glad you got home safely. Washington D.C. is a great place to visit.
Train wreck reports coming out now that the train was traveling at 105 Miles per hour. More than 50% faster than it should have. Trains aren't the problem. Human error seems to be a culprit.
Let's hope and pray things change. For the better (such as seat belts).

Nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

Tom said...

Seat belts would prob. be good; but maybe there's some way a central control office could monitor speeds. Last year a train derailed outside NYC because of excessive speed around a curve. This kind of thing just shouldn't happen.

DJan said...

I saw pictures of that accident this morning. One of the cars was completely demolished. I hope they can find out what went wrong so it won't happen again. :-(

Olga said...

I hate to see about train accidents, especially right after I took my grandson on a ride on one..a very slow one though. Washington is always a fun place to visit. My kids liked it better than Disney.

Dick Klade said...

Enjoyed your mini-tour report. Didn't even know there was a Newsmuseum, which speaks to how long it's been since I visited D.C.

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

That sounds like at dream weekend, Tom! I would love to spend some time in Washington just enjoying the many museums. In the meantime, I loved your pictures and account of your short visit there!

Sheryl said...

D.C. is such a beautiful city, filled with so many wonderful things to do and see. Love your photos- and glad you arrived safely home. The Amtrak news is so scary and very upsetting...