A Long Day in Our Nation's Capital ~ April 17, 2019

A Long Day in Our Nation's Capital ~ April 17, 2019

Once again the weather was warm, sunny, and a bit breezy - a perfect day for doing lots of walking in Washington, DC!  The sky was blue with wispy clouds for much of the day, although it did get cloudier as the day progressed.

The condo in McLean is adequate, but a little on the weird side.  It's over furnished in some ways, and very under decorated.  But it's clean, and the beds are comfortable, and it's a relatively short walk to the Metro which whisked us into DC in less than 30 minutes.  We exited the Metro at Metro Center and walked a couple of short blocks toward the National Portrait Gallery, which we both truly loved.  I wanted to see the portraits of the Obamas, and they did not disappoint.


Although I am not convinced that they are the best likenesses, I do like the quirky nature of the works.  Both are done by what Michelle would call "up and comers" -- not your mainstream artists.  Barack's portrait represents his Kenyan roots as well as his ties to Hawaii and Chicago.  Contrasting these portraits with past presidents and first ladies is nothing short of striking.


We shared a pizza for lunch and then walked the National Mall heading for the World War II Memorial, which I had not seen before.



I figured I had to photograph the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument - just to prove that we were there.  We saw many many school groups as we walked the Mall, bringing back memories of 8th grade trips past.






This shot of the fountain at the WWII Memorial with the Washington Monument behind it may be my favorite picture of the trip.



We took a cab into Georgetown and went up to the rooftop bar of America Eats for some beverages and to kill some time while we waited for Blues Alley to open.  We heard a jazz trio - Hammond B3 Organ, Guitar, and Drums.  About half of it I really enjoyed; the rest ?? .... Well, I did not hate it -- much.



Dinner was very good -- I had salmon; Jeff had steak and then a piece of cheesecake.  We caught a cab to the Metro and hopped onto the Silver line out to McLean.  I'm listening to some laundry drying and will be happy to fall into bed soon.

Tomorrow ... we are off to Strasburg!

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