Let me tell you a little about Katy as a travel companion. She is perfect. We view the world the same way, we know how to "grease" a place, and we know where to linger and where not to. And so with that said, here is our first day in DC together. We caught the metro at Vienna...
and got off at Capitol South...
where we walked to the Capitol building. The weather was PERFECT....
We got tickets for a tour and went through the ridiculous security. We took this
picture of a tour guide WITH A WATER BOTTLE for Courtney (read here about waterbottle-gate)...
After our whirlwind tour of the Capitol we took the tunnel and emerged in the
lovely Library of Congress. Such a great building....
We made our way from the Capitol to the botanical garden, which was getting decked out
for Christmas. They had these fun wooden models of the DC sights.
We went next door to the American Indian Museum. This building
is one of my favorites. It really evokes the feeling of the Southwest.
they have even included "desert varnish" on the walls which makes
my heart happy (although I am sure to someone unfamiliar with the massive
canyon walls of the Southwest they must think the building just needs cleaning)...
The inside is super cool. It reminds me of the Guggenheim....
We crossed the mall to the National Gallery...
This painting is a doozy. I love it. It is a family portrait of the Doge's (the doge is Renaissance ruler of
Venice) family with the Virgin Mary. It may be my favorite family portrait trend of all time. It may beat out orchards, railroad tracks, denim shirts with black jeans, and anything Olan Mill's has ever done. So gut wrenchingly hilarious!!!....
We stumbled upon a Pre-Raphaelite exhibit, which was a Victorian art movement I was once
particularly passionate about. Very cool...
Then Katy enjoyed this particularly amazing (my all time favorite?) Modigliani. The color palette makes me happy. And it made Katy happy too....
After an oddly improbable encounter with an old friend from Utah that left us in a bit of shock, we dashed off to the Natural History museum where we met up with Rob, Courtney, and the kids...
We presented Courtney with a water bottle from the Capitol building. "They told us they were sorry, and they hope you accept this as a gesture of reconciliation"....
This coral reef display was all crocheted and was super cool....
We then went through the ridiculous security at the Archives. There is something wrong with the
security guards that work there. The power has gone to their heads and it was fun to observe them lording their power over people. It was so ironic that they were doing it in front of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. I guess they aren't required to read them....
As they sun went down we proceeded to mosey on down the mall to view the monuments
at night.
Nanook of the North...
We finally got Rob in a shot. That man is elusive...
We had the unique and odd experience of seeing the Lincoln at night--not lit up. We waited and waited but
gave up. As we drove out, the lights were finally on.
We done well for a days work!
7 comments:
Oh, that all looks sooo fun! The water bottle story is too unbelievable, and the painting of the Doges still gives me the giggles. All in all, you Taylor girls sure know how to see a place!
Amazing. A very good day. I'm sorry I missed out on your company in the morning but I may have had to take a bottle full of not water to the capitol if I had gone...Probably better I stayed home. Excellent heel-clicking, btw.
Looks like another great day in the city. Such a wonderful place!
wv: unate?
Yes, the heel clicking was almost unnoticeable -- one had to be paying attention, and it was very well done.
The family portrait analysis made me chuckle right out loud -- for quite a while. I (evidently, like you) am very tired of the train-track-rusty-building-etc. portraits.
All the photos are spectacular. I enjoyed this post a lot. Made me want to be with you. This is my kind of touring, too.
D.
WV: morrier: Sherlock Holmes nemisis dead perhaps
Your adventures all seem great fun! I so need to include Our Lady in the next family portrait. Photoshop could make it happen!
Oh this was a splendid day as well. I love traveling with you! What am I going to post about? I'll have to get real creative. As for the Indian Museum, the architecture is my fave!!
That brought back fun memories! I am in the middle of reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Just another mystery thriller - but you should read it just because it is set in Wash D.C. You would recognize so much of what he writes about.
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