Day Two

I managed to not kick the Archivist in the head while I was sleeping. This is quite and accomplishment according to my host. (Sometimes I’m a huge sleep flailer.) We ate some leftover pan-asian food and headed out to try and see the National Archives!

Here is the Archivist – ready to tourist up this joint.

The Archivist

We went by the Archives, and waited in line for about an hour – there was some special presentation, and they weren’t letting anyone in until that had completed, so we left the line, and headed over to the monuments. (It took at least half an hour to convince the Archivist that we should try and get something else done that day.)
Walked through the pedmall, through the Smithsonian castle, down to the Washington monument, the WWII and Vietnam memorials, and the Lincoln Memorial.

Smithsonian Castle

Here is the hottest photo I took the entire time (that isn’t of my host and the Archivist!) Check out my strategically placed flags, sun and contrails! Hawt! (and so was the weather. WHY WASN”T THERE STILL SNOW DC. PUT IT BACK. )

Washington Monument - Washington DC

World War II Monument

We checked out the White House (not as big as I thought it was. DECEPTIVE MEDIA!) This is not from that point in time (it was starting to get dark when we got to it so I’m posting this much prettier one. With less damn punk high schoolers.) And that guy on top? He is taking a photo of you taking a photo of him taking a photo of … well you get the idea. And he knows the name of your dog. And since you looked at this photo, he knows the name of your goldfish when you were 7. JUST IN CASE. It’s too late for that tinfoil hat. They know now or now know.

Could this be someone's backyard?

Washington Monument - Washington DC

I will not post a photo of this, as my photos seem to be mostly of the back of the helpful National Park employee, but the Archivist got a rubbing of a family member from the Vietnam Memorial, which is long, and sad. Thank you amazing National Park employees! (I love ur National Parks!)

Of course, the most INTERESTING THING EVAR, and what you have all been waiting to see, the great mysterious CEILING of the Lincoln Memorial. Isn’t it GLORIOUS! (It might seriously be the first thing I thought of every time I saw a photo of the place. WHAT IS THAT CEILING LIKE? is it marble? do they have sconces? is it full of spiderwebs? BUT NOW IT IS A MYSTERY NO LONGER! It’s rather fancy, in a 1930′s/1950′s kinda way.)

CEILING

I have some of Lincoln in his very uncomfortable chair (no wonder he looks so unhappy!) But you can find much better, and less people filled ones, out on the wild wilderness web.

By now the sun was starting to get low on the horizon (you can see changing light range in that one picture up there ^ ) which is when we headed over to the side of the White House that you usually see in photos with the big fence. And people patrolling, and several police cars, and crazy amounts of people just peering at it. Including noisy, t-shirt coordinated teenagers.

Then we headed back (longest walk ever!)

My host and the Archivist insisted in getting a hot dog on the way. I had a bite, it was tasty. BUT WE HAD DINNER PLANS! So we stopped by a Japanese store (next to a police station!), picked up some snacks and pot-sticker wraps for our epic dinner, before heading back to my host’s place.

Of course, because nothing goes well in the Archivists world, every time we rode the metro, her ticket wouldn’t work to let her out and she had to talk to the ticket counter each time. HAH! By the end of the day I ended up carrying it for her, so it wouldn’t demagnetize. My magnetic field is just more friendly to tickets than hers! (If only the same could be said about radio. My iPod transmitter hates me.)

The our evening was spent in hours of making a mess and delicious gyoza. NOM NOM NOM.

The night was finished by seeing Disney’s Alice (not in 3D) before turning in, so we could get to everything we wanted to the next day.

Due to some surprise!madness! my host was in a rush to get me from the airport back to her place. She had an unexpected flight to catch to Atlanta for a meeting the next morning. I was whisked through some of Virginia(BROWN road signs? WTF!), across the river and hauled up through a basement to an apartment, where I was pointed to the door keys, and the fridge - with its many takeout menus - and left alone in a strange apartment. This is where I had the joy of letting everyone know I wasn't lost in some random airport in the wrong state via a handy cell phone I just happen to carry with me everywhere.

Here is a lovely view of the basement!

The BASEMENT.

Only about an hour later, my host’s roommate returned from wherever it was she goes all day to find me alone on the couch. The following conversation involved ordering food (I had no idea the address!) “Tell me embarrassing stories about my roommate’s childhood!”, and “SHE TOOK YOU THROUGH THE BASEMENT!?!”. After which I was shown the proper, non-basement front door and given some idea as to where I was and how to get about. I also acquired some directions to the National Gallery which would be entertaining me until my host returned from surprise!Atlanta.

I slept in a bit the next day and journeyed off to the Nation Gallery. Here are a few photos. I have more, but I’ll let you go there, or go through their online archives to see some of the sheer amount of art they have. I am very surprised that you could take photos, even with FLASH. Crazy. Only in a few, heavily signed places, was photography banned (or so I was told, as I saw none of these areas.)

(Let me know if you want more info about any of these. I took pictures of the info plaques so it’s all at my fingertips. Or check it out through
National Gallery)

Looking somewhat disgusted - Potrait from the National Gallery of Art DC

This ship is going to sink! Ships crashing into rocks and some highly detailed storm clouds and waves. - National Gallery of Art DC

Epic fantasy before electricity. - National Gallery of Art DC

A REAL PERSON! IN A PAINTING. - National Gallery of Art DC

Girl Reading - National Gallery

Lucky for me you don’t have to actually leave the gallery to cross to the other building! (One less security check makes everyone happier at the end of the day.) They have an underground tunnel, that goes through a cafeteria and second store.

To far to walk? Just ride the moving pathway under the street to the next building! Watch the trippin' lights as you go. - National Gallery of Art DC

The lights moved in a rather wavy fashion. I didn’t use the moving walkways. They were slower then the ones you would find in airports.

I ended the gallery viewing at the sculpture garden, which was outside, had no security checkpoints (yay?!) but had a giant skating rink in it. Which I found rather unexpected, but is apparently normal. From the garden I caught a lovely view of the National Archives building which I texted to my archivist friend (the Archivist!) who would be uber jealous if she wasn’t showing up in DC that evening to join in on the shenanigans.

Everyone should note, there is a bit of a spider infestation, and these guys are HUGE!

Bit of an infestation in this sculpture garden....

So watch where you step. It might leap over and web you.

I stopped in the cafe hiding behind the mutant spider, and bought some delicious cocoa. As I sat down I got a message from my host who had just landed back in DC – wanting me to know that it would be great if I could get back to the apartment, as I had the door keys. I gulped my hot chocolate, and ended up walking up and over three blocks to catch a ride – since apparently there just isn’t enough taxi traffic through there.

We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in a diner catching up, ( how was surprise!Atlanta – “AUUUGHHHH”) and munching on delicious food. We kicked back until the Archivist showed up which happened to be 5 hours late and past everyones bedtime. But! we had new, delicious pan-asian takeout to munch on and movies to view in the meantime.

More to come!

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