Canberra feels like a capital, it has wide open spaces, imposing edifices and important looking things all around. Washington DC makes it look like legoland. The scale is just so much grander, the architecture is incredibly imposing and the sheer scope of what it holds is just plain astounding.
It is four kilometres from one end of the National Mall to the other (essentially the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial) 1.5 kilometres of it has museums on either side, then you have the Washington Monument about two thirds of the way along, then various war memorials leading up to the Lincoln Memorial. In Canberra, if you have ever stood on the steps of the War Memorial and looked at Parliament House, it is about the same distance. However you can't walk it as there's a lake in the way. It is far narrower and the only really impressive buildings nearby are the High Court, the National Library and if you're really stretching it you could add the Portrait Gallery and Old Parliament House.
Here in DC there are imposing buildings at every turn, and more under construction. I visited a few today. But first as threatened I did a little travelling on the local metro. It is kind of cool to get out in the burbs amongst the locals. It was an unpresupposing suburb about a 12 minute metro ride away. I tossed up taking out the Chevy but the hassle of getting it in and out of the hotel parking was just too much and according to Google it would have taken longer anyway. As promised the laundromat had done their job. My beautifully laundered, scented and bagged clothes awaited me and I was quickly in and out and back on the metro.
After ridding myself of the excess baggage back at my hotel, The Washington Plaza, I set off to The Smithsonian Museum of American History. Now the weather was better, like a sprained ankle is better than a broken one. It was light mist with occasional drizzle. After a twenty minute stroll I arrived and just headed in. The first thing I noticed was that they were trying to take credit for the lawn mower. Damn Heathens! It was massive with lots of examples of transportation. There was a big area devoted to the Edison and the light globe and his championing of direct current (DC) instead of alternating current (AC). I was starting to get the impression that while they knew all the facts they had been slightly sanitised.
I then moved on to the section about America at War. The sign at the entrance said it all.
Now my accent had constantly been mistaken as English (it seems the Americans have trouble telling us apart). So I kept my mouth shut in the section that dealt with the Revolutionary War with the British. Of course as it is an American Museum the information offered is a little one sided. The "no taxation without representation" thing while technically correct is a little skewed as a rallying cry. At the time if you lived in Britain 19 or every 20 people didn't have representation either. The Townsend Act was designed to raise $40,000.00 in revenue and only achieved $21,000.00 but there was a horrendous cost in enforcement which would be in the hundreds of thousands. So while the US had a point there is a British side of the story that is rarely told.
There were lots of cool things here. I saw Dorothy's slippers from The Wizard of Oz, George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform, Eisenhower's WW II uniform, a string of first lady's dresses, Abraham Lincoln's top hat and so many other cool things it is unbelievable. It was massive and it was one of only one of seventeen Smithsonians here in Washington.
From there I had a short break for lunch and headed to the National Archives Museum. This building, where no photography is allowed, contains some truly amazing documents. I saw the original fifteenth amendment which prohibited any state from denying the vote to someone because of their race, colour or previous condition of servitude. They have one of the four original Magna Carta's. The US Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights make up The big three for the museum. I saw them all.
I was interested to see the Declaration of Independence. If you want to upset an American (and some say it's the only sport I play) then you tell them that Independence Day is celebrated on the wrong day. Now the official story is that Congress ratified the Declaration on the second of July with the actual text not approved until July 4th. That's the approved version. What actually happened is that the printer, when delivered a copy for printing and distribution, put the incorrect date on it. It wasn't even signed until 2nd August. So the biggest holiday on the American calendar is celebrated on July 4th due to a printing error. The institution that actually holds it does not tell the entire story. I love tormenting Americans.
From there I decided I would try and get up close and personal with a number of the other things I skimmed over yesterday. I walked up to the Capitol Building which is undergoing extensive renovations along with the Ulysses Grant statue at the front. From there I headed up the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, just a lazy 3.7 kilometres away. Along the way I passed the Washington Memorial, the World War II Memorial before finally arriving at Abe. He had a lot of visitors but it was still pretty damn impressive to see.
From there I was going to head back to the hotel but on the way I had to pass the Vietnam War Memorial which was profoundly moving. The names of all American serviceman who died in theatre, where missing in action (MIA) or died as a result of wounds appear on the memorial. It is laid out in chronological order. There are four symbols used to denote each combatant's status. If you have a cross symbol next to your name it means you are confirmed dead. If you have a diamond it means you are MIA. If your remains have been found they add a cross over the top of the diamond. If you are found alive after being declared MIA they will add a circle around your diamond. Sadly there has been no need for this last symbol as yet.
From there I started to head back to the hotel and unexpectedly walked past the rear of the White House. I didn't even know that is was possible. Lots of guards and Asian tourists. I was there looking at the very impressive Eisenhower Executive Offices which are just to the west of the White House on the site of the old stables when I discovered that Barack had a back door. Its a lot closer than the front door and in some ways more impressive. At that point I did head back to the hotel after picking up a coffee and giving directions to some pesky tourists. All in all I think I covered about ten kilometres, without including the distance walked in the American Museum of History or the Archives. By that time my feet felt every millimeter I had traversed so I went and did some research at the bar regarding the quality of Napa Valley Cabernets.
After ridding myself of the excess baggage back at my hotel, The Washington Plaza, I set off to The Smithsonian Museum of American History. Now the weather was better, like a sprained ankle is better than a broken one. It was light mist with occasional drizzle. After a twenty minute stroll I arrived and just headed in. The first thing I noticed was that they were trying to take credit for the lawn mower. Damn Heathens! It was massive with lots of examples of transportation. There was a big area devoted to the Edison and the light globe and his championing of direct current (DC) instead of alternating current (AC). I was starting to get the impression that while they knew all the facts they had been slightly sanitised.
I then moved on to the section about America at War. The sign at the entrance said it all.
Now my accent had constantly been mistaken as English (it seems the Americans have trouble telling us apart). So I kept my mouth shut in the section that dealt with the Revolutionary War with the British. Of course as it is an American Museum the information offered is a little one sided. The "no taxation without representation" thing while technically correct is a little skewed as a rallying cry. At the time if you lived in Britain 19 or every 20 people didn't have representation either. The Townsend Act was designed to raise $40,000.00 in revenue and only achieved $21,000.00 but there was a horrendous cost in enforcement which would be in the hundreds of thousands. So while the US had a point there is a British side of the story that is rarely told.
There were lots of cool things here. I saw Dorothy's slippers from The Wizard of Oz, George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform, Eisenhower's WW II uniform, a string of first lady's dresses, Abraham Lincoln's top hat and so many other cool things it is unbelievable. It was massive and it was one of only one of seventeen Smithsonians here in Washington.
From there I had a short break for lunch and headed to the National Archives Museum. This building, where no photography is allowed, contains some truly amazing documents. I saw the original fifteenth amendment which prohibited any state from denying the vote to someone because of their race, colour or previous condition of servitude. They have one of the four original Magna Carta's. The US Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights make up The big three for the museum. I saw them all.
I was interested to see the Declaration of Independence. If you want to upset an American (and some say it's the only sport I play) then you tell them that Independence Day is celebrated on the wrong day. Now the official story is that Congress ratified the Declaration on the second of July with the actual text not approved until July 4th. That's the approved version. What actually happened is that the printer, when delivered a copy for printing and distribution, put the incorrect date on it. It wasn't even signed until 2nd August. So the biggest holiday on the American calendar is celebrated on July 4th due to a printing error. The institution that actually holds it does not tell the entire story. I love tormenting Americans.
From there I decided I would try and get up close and personal with a number of the other things I skimmed over yesterday. I walked up to the Capitol Building which is undergoing extensive renovations along with the Ulysses Grant statue at the front. From there I headed up the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, just a lazy 3.7 kilometres away. Along the way I passed the Washington Memorial, the World War II Memorial before finally arriving at Abe. He had a lot of visitors but it was still pretty damn impressive to see.
From there I was going to head back to the hotel but on the way I had to pass the Vietnam War Memorial which was profoundly moving. The names of all American serviceman who died in theatre, where missing in action (MIA) or died as a result of wounds appear on the memorial. It is laid out in chronological order. There are four symbols used to denote each combatant's status. If you have a cross symbol next to your name it means you are confirmed dead. If you have a diamond it means you are MIA. If your remains have been found they add a cross over the top of the diamond. If you are found alive after being declared MIA they will add a circle around your diamond. Sadly there has been no need for this last symbol as yet.
From there I started to head back to the hotel and unexpectedly walked past the rear of the White House. I didn't even know that is was possible. Lots of guards and Asian tourists. I was there looking at the very impressive Eisenhower Executive Offices which are just to the west of the White House on the site of the old stables when I discovered that Barack had a back door. Its a lot closer than the front door and in some ways more impressive. At that point I did head back to the hotel after picking up a coffee and giving directions to some pesky tourists. All in all I think I covered about ten kilometres, without including the distance walked in the American Museum of History or the Archives. By that time my feet felt every millimeter I had traversed so I went and did some research at the bar regarding the quality of Napa Valley Cabernets.
After all these years, you've finally confessed your love of tormenting Americans. That museum isn't the only thing that shows history in the making.
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