WASHINGTON DC

August 20, 2008

By Jolene Johnson

Our diverse group of travelers set off in the evening for the Milwaukee Wyndham near the airport. I booked via International holidays as usual. I have stayed here in the past; I have always found them to be economically sufficient as well as clean and convenient. They have a travel agent rate of $70.00 for a park and fly and offer a free shuttle every ½ hour to the airport. They shuttle over vacation goers and business people in large vans of which they have a few. They were very prompt and helped with luggage. My small group of four consisted of an elderly woman, a young child (9) as well as a worldly traveler and myself (who also has traveled frequently). This time we unfortunately had to share our shower with a spider (luckily we caught him before he stowed away in our luggage!) and some neighbors who didn’t honor the “no smoking” policy on our floor. We were also located in an area called building two which was a haul from the elevator. I will still book them again, but needless to say I was glad that it was only one night before our flight out the next day.

Day Two – 21st August, 2008

We Flew out On Northwest airlines flight 969 leaving at 10:20am and connecting with Northwest airlines flight 230 via Detroit. We arrived with more than enough time as the hotel was extremely close, and we beat the morning rush through security leaving us with time to get some breakfast from the only place in the terminal which was a Cinnabon/Pizza hut. Odd combination but it worked. We weren’t on the SAAB, so all was well and the flight went smoothly. We arrived right on time into the DCA airport. Where we arrived in Terminal A had gates 1-9 and 2 baggage claims. The baggage claim center also served as a check in for those departing Washington. Northwest, Midwest, Spirit, and Air Tran were located in this small area. Getting a cab was a matter of stepping out on the curb. The airport itself was near the Arlington area of DC, and our hotel was on the other side of town.

It cost us about $26 to get to our hotel the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel located at 1127 Connecticut Ave. The Mayflower is one of the top 5 hotels in Washington DC. Many people have recently heard about it in the news when there was a person in public office who was meeting a mistress there. (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wassh-renaissance-mayflower-hotel/) It is in an older building with beautiful gold leaf around the stair cases and trims. Large sparkling chandeliers hang every few feet from the tall ceiling. The staff was equipped with white gloves on their hands and always smiles on their faces. I got a rate of only $89.00 (a steal!) per night as I took the online Marriott class. They upgraded us to a room with a sitting area as it offered a little more room. The room was large. The TV was old – and their cable did not include any children’s channels. This was heartbreaking news for us as we were traveling with a youngster who had limited things to do in a hotel with no pool as well. There were a few other children in the hotel as well as we would often pass families in the elevator. The bathroom was large with marble and a huge tub. There was a full length mirror outside the bathroom which was helpful when traveling with a few people so we could all get ready in the morning.

That first night we booked an Old Town Trolley Tour. http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/

We did the monuments by moonlight. This was the perfect introduction to DC. We got a feel for where everything was and the layout, plus it was beautiful. We met at Union Station at 7:00. We got in line and got tickets for $34.00 for adults and $18.00 for children. The Trolley’s had large glass windows perfect for viewing out all sides of the bus, and everyone had a great view. The tour guide was unbelievably knowledgeable in history, current events and had many stories to tell. We left the Union Station about 7:30pm the sun was still up, but we drove around the Capitol building and Jefferson Memorial as well as the Washington Monument. As the sun was just going down We got off at our first stop – The Roosevelt memorial. There is really only one monument in all of Washington DC – the Washington Monument. The rest are all Memorials, placed there long after the person of honor has passed. The Roosevelt Memorial has a water theme which is illuminated by light. This makes the stop perfect for as the sun is setting we walked thru the four areas and then as we got back on the trolley it was already dark. We went across town to Arlington where the Iwo Jima memorial is. This is the soldiers working together to raise the American Flag. The driver stopped many times where sight seers could get a good picture of other scenery and the city at night. The Last stop was 3 in one, the Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, as well as the Wall. We drove past a few other things, such as the White House, and Capitol building again. We returned back to Union Station after our 2.5 hour tour and thanked Paul, our guide for a wonderful time. He gave us some brochures to take home.

Day Three - 22nd August, 2008

We had to wake up extremely early to get to Arlington Cemetery where we got in line at 8:30am for our Tour Mobile tour of Mount Vernon. They have Tours at 11:00am and they only allow so many people to visit. After we got our tickets which cost $30.00 for adults and $15.00 for children (http://www.tourmobile.com/tours.php) we had just enough time to visit Arlington Cemetery.

Arlington is still an active Cemetery so they ask that people are respectful. (www.arlingtoncemetery.org) They hold about 25 funerals there daily. There are currently more than 300,000 soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery. As far as your eyes can see little white tomb stones cascade the rolling hills. Some of the points of interest here are the Arlington House, which is set high up on a hill and you can see from all over in Washington DC, John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s graves – as well as their two young children, and Robert Kennedy, Tomb of the Unknown solider, and the Challenger and PAN AM memorials. We choose to walk about the grounds however; you may purchase a bus ticket for $9.00 that will take you to all the places of interest. The changing of the guard is every thirty minutes at the tomb of the unknown solider, you can take photos as well as videos, however they ask that out of respect everyone stands during the ceremony. They also do not have a concessions area here, and ask that you only take water with you and in the Women in duty memorial they do have an area where you can get just water.

Promptly at 11:00am our bus left for our 5 hour Mount Vernon tour. Mount Vernon is the home of former president of the United States George Washington (the very first George.) The ride from Arlington was an hour. You get to travel past old town Alexandria which is beautiful. Our Tour guide this time was also very knowledgeable and pointed out many points of interest that are not advertised and a person would never know were there unless on a tour. The ride to the estate is traveled along the Potomac River which is very scenic, and beautiful as well as historical.

We had arrived to the Mansion and since our tour fare included our fare to see the property we were all set (www.mountvernon.org). They gave us a map and let us on our way. We followed the curvy path way up to the top of a hill where we were greeted by the amazing picturesque 14 room mansion that was willed to George Washington by his half brother Lawrence. George Washington was a family man, and a gardener. He loved to entertain and had his very own distillery. He was also an avid farmer – which you can tell as much of the design and décor from the mansion reflects life on a farm. The rooms are all painted in hideous vibrant colors, which back then was a sign of wealth. George Washington and his family is all buried at the estate as this was his last wish even though original plans were for him to be rested in the crypt of the Capitol.

We viewed the gardens in which Mr. Washington planted years ago, as well as the dozen or so out houses on and around the mansion. We saw the Slave quarters, kitchen, and stables. All of these have been kept in excellent condition thanks to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. One of the members of this Association even dresses up like Martha Washington and tells stories just as if she were Martha. It is said that she never leads on that she is not the “real” Martha.

The estate should be viewed right away when you arrive, as they can only let groups of ten to twelve people in at a time. There is a lot of walking and even some intense uphill walking involved viewing everything on the property. The café at Mount Vernon is an affordable spot to get lunch as there isn’t really another option unless you want to dine when getting back into DC after 4pm. They have 2 deli style kiosks, ice cream, pizza, snacks as well as various al a cart items.

Before leaving the museum and shops are a must do. The museum has endless information about the president both personal, as well as professional. He was a very interesting and intriguing man who did a lot for our country. You also learn a lot of funny little facts like the fact the George was 6’ 3” a whole 14 inches taller than his leading lady, Martha.

Once we got back to the hotel three of us ventured off to explore the area of the neighbor hood. We went to a grocery store and got some snacks. We happened to pass the National Geographic Exhibit and decided to stop. It had an Asian theme and was interactive which caught the attention of our young traveler. There were many things from the Far East on display such as gems, goods, and ships. There was a whole room on martial arts as well. The gift shop had all things National Geographic such as stuffed animals, books, movies, things you would typically find in a museum gift shop. We played around with a few neat things they had there and then we were on our way.

I opted for a late dinner date this night. My good friend from Junior High whom I traveled to Germany with had just signed up for school at George Town U. She graduated from ASU and decided she wants to pursue a career in Homeland and National Security. I called her up and she said that she would meet me at the DuPont Circle for a bite to eat at an Irish pub/Restaurant. We had great food and great conversation. It was nice to see a familiar face and an old friend.

Erika lives in Crystal City and wanted to show me her area of town. It is near Arlington and two stops away on the blue line from metro center. We went to her amazing apartment where I got to meet her roommate Suzette who is also going to Georgetown. Suzette was preparing to go to Minnesota as she works closely with John McCain and his Party. Ironically the McCain’s Condo’s are located right behind their apartments and they pointed them out to me. The three of us sat out on the patio of their eleventh floor apartment which faces the river. You could see it all. It was night and you could see the Capitol Building, Washington Monument, White House, Kennedy center, Arlington Cemetery, Arlington house, as well as many more monuments. I took a cab back to the hotel that night as I was uneasy about riding the metro so late at night myself.

Day Three – 23 August, 2008

Back in May of 2008 I contacted a man by the name of Ryan Konosch (202-224-1888). He works for senator Herb Kohl. The only way to get into the White House in Washington DC other than a private invitation by the president himself is via the senator. Even then, you need to be a part of a group. What Ryan did was put me on a list of people for the dates I was going to be there and wanted a tour, and then he combined the four people in my group with another group. We received a letter with our time, and group number as well as a map and what is not allowed past the gates. The time we were given was extremely early, 8:30am on the 23 August.

Nothing like waking up at the crack of dawn to go see someone’s house!! We had only a four block walk from The Mayflower Hotel to the White House. We cut through Lafayette Park and came up to the back side of the White House which was a great view. Unfortunately we did not have our cameras with us because it was not allowed beyond the security check point. In fact, nothing other than the clothes we were wearing or our photo identification was allowed. They do not have lockers anywhere. When we arrived there was no line, and since NOTHING was allowed security was a breeze. The tour itself is a self guided tour of the places that you are allowed on the premises. Since I had been there in the past, I was not surprised in other people’s reactions. The house itself is not as big as it appears on TV. The beautiful grassy lawn that you see is just that, a lawn, as the white house sits right in the heart of the busy city. The rooms themselves boasted high ceilings, but too, were relatively small – but you have to keep in mind this house is hundreds of years old and back then these rooms were grand. It was none the less beautiful, and very historic. The entire tour only took about 40 minutes.

We had heard from a few people that George W. Bush comes out to greet visitors on Saturdays, which is something to note, however you never know what time he will pop his head out. We didn’t catch him that morning.

After heading back to the hotel to get water (it was over 90 degrees every day we were there) cameras, and purses we headed over to the National Zoo. (www.nationalzoo.si.edu) The Zoo is actually a Smithsonian Institute. A person could easily spend a whole day at the zoo, however we grabbed a map of the zoo (which costs $2.00) and circled the things we wanted to see and headed for them by passing things that we can see here in Wisconsin. They have things set up there by habitat. For example, we first moved into the Asian area where the vegetation in the zoo was all bamboo and region correct for not only the cages in which the animals were displayed, but for the walk ways as well. We saw the Pandas, whom at the National Zoo are actually famous.

One of the unusual things at the zoo while we were there was an Indian exhibit. They had women dancers there doing a belly dance. They had on beautiful costumes and danced on a small stage to music from India. They were friendly and took pictures and talked with the crowd. There were many stands with food and drink from India, little gifts, as well as women showing people how to wrap in Sari’s.

I’m sure zoos in general have been green since before being green was actually taken seriously by Americans and the government. I think this especially since they have been housing animals affected by disasters such as oil spills, endangered animals, and animals that have been hurt by human activity. We took a particular interest however in their facts and interactive learning tools about our environment along the way. They help every one understand why we should go green, and what happens when we don’t. It is a good dose of reality and puts things into perspective. Admission to the zoo is free for anyone, but the $2.00 it cost me to buy the map was defiantly worth what you walk away with leaving the zoo.

After leaving the zoo we took the redline metro back to the National Mall for some Lunch at the Smithsonian Castle as well as to view the monuments during the day. The metro in DC is extremely clean. Many of the people who use the metro are business people who do not have parking on location at most of the government buildings. The fairs are incredibly low, and figuring out where to go and what line is also very easy. The metro trains themselves, are up to date and well maintained.

Lunch at the Castel was nice. It was a café style, with a build your own lunch. They offered basic soups, desserts (cheesecake was phenomenal) salads as well as wraps and sandwiches and a few al a cart items. I am going to admit, as delicious as it was a veggie wrap, ice water, V8, and Cheesecake cost me $18.00 here. A little pricy I would say. I guess I looked at it as being convenient. We walked out the unfriendly calories with a walk down the mall around the George Washington Monument. Up close you can see its two colors as they had to take a break in building it due to lack of funding. You can go to the top of the monument however it is a tight squeeze and I am claustrophobic. (http://www.nps.gov/wamo/)

We traveled down the mall to the World War II memorial. This is a very new memorial, (www.wwiimemorial.com) which opened April 29, 2004 and is a large pool of water with many fountains. The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home.

Continuing down the Reflection pool which was a little algae infested, but filled with ducks was the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial is huge and was built to remember and honor the 16th president of the United States of America. He is well known for writing the Gettysburg address, leading our country during the civil war, and abolishing slavery. The memorial is feature on the penny, as well as the back of the $5 and his face is on the front of the $5 bill. The day he died there was a $5 bill in his pocket, and this is a famous $5 bill which is in DC to this day.

To the Left of the memorial is the Korean War Memorial located in West Potomac Park. (http://www.nps.gov/kwvm/home.htm) There are nineteen statues here that stand seven feet three inches each. Fourteen are from the army, three marines, one navy and one representing the air force. The statues are placed in Juniper and granite which represents the rough terrain in which they fought and the obstacles which they had to over come. Next to the statues is a mural wall with 2,400 photos from the Korean War etched into a granite wall. The reflections of the nineteen statues become thirty eight statues, which signifies the thirty eight months which were fought and the thirty eighth parallel. There is also a pool of remembrance here dedicated to the prisoners of war; above it etched in the granite is the saying “Freedom is not free”.

On the right hand side of the Lincoln memorial is the Vietnam memorial, also known as the wall. The wall is built into the ground and contains the names of 58,260 people who served in the Vietnam War. There was a very eerie quiet here, and people leave things at the wall often in memory of those they lost. Flowers, letters, little mementos line the wall. (http://www.nps.gov/vive/)

Day Four – 24th, August 2008

My favorite memorial was the World War II memorial; however a very close second is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. There wouldn’t be a memorial for Jefferson if it wasn’t for Roosevelt. He thought that Jefferson needed one to commemorate his accomplishments. Jefferson after all was the president who created the Declaration of Independence and made the Louisiana Purchase. Imagine, fifteen of the states not belonging the United States, and the possibility that we would still be ruled by Britain. I would agree that Jefferson needed a memorial. The memorial is round and located in West Potomac Park on the shores of the Tidal Basin. If you peer between the tall pillars you will find Jefferson himself standing inside. Outside the memorial there are many cherry trees which were a gift from Japan. (http://www.nps.gov/thje/) There is an amazing view of the Washington monument from here.

After visiting the Jefferson memorial we walked along the Potomac. Once on the other side of the Basin we had a magnificent view of the Jefferson memorial. We were right in front of the Bureau of engraving and printing, commonly referred to as the BEP. We didn’t get to go in since it is closed on Sundays, however on all other days of the week you can take a fifteen minute tour and learn about our Federal Reserve notes. (www.bep.treas.gov)

Nothing can prepare a person for what they will experience at the United States Holocaust Museum. The building itself is a beautiful design and every area of it was carefully constructed with much thought. It is extremely cold in this building, I don’t know if perhaps this is something they do on purpose, but if you plan on spending much time here bring a small over coat. You have security upon entering. You are then directed to the Hall of Witness where you need to get a ticket. The tickets are free; however you need to have one with a punched time. The time really doesn’t mean much, as you can spend as little or as much time as your heart desires.

The exhibit spans three floors. Here is an overview of the Holocaust which I have borrowed from the website, as I can’t explain in my own words and sum up what I witnessed there as well as it does. (www.ushmm.org)

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. "Holocaust" is a word of Greek origin meaning "sacrifice by fire." The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.

During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.

In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at over nine million. Most European Jews lived in countries that Nazi Germany would occupy or influence during World War II. By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of the "Final Solution," the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe. Although Jews, whom the Nazis deemed a priority danger to Germany, were the primary victims of Nazi racism, other victims included some 200,000 Roma (Gypsies). At least 200,000 mentally or physically disabled patients, mainly Germans, living in institutional settings, were murdered in the so-called Euthanasia Program.

As Nazi tyranny spread across Europe, the Germans and their collaborators persecuted and murdered millions of other people. Between two and three million Soviet prisoners of war were murdered or died of starvation, disease, neglect, or maltreatment. The Germans targeted the non-Jewish Polish intelligentsia for killing, and deported millions of Polish and Soviet civilians for forced labor in Germany or in occupied Poland, where these individuals worked and often died under deplorable conditions. From the earliest years of the Nazi regime, German authorities persecuted homosexuals and others whose behavior did not match prescribed social norms. German police officials targeted thousands of political opponents (including Communists, Socialists, and trade unionists) and religious dissidents (such as Jehovah's Witnesses). Many of these individuals died as a result of incarceration and maltreatment.

The exhibit contains over 900 artifacts, seventy videos containing actual footage as well as eyewitness testimonials, and four theaters. They have divided the exhibit into three different areas they are “The Nazi Assault”, “Final Solution”, and “The Last Chapter”.

We sat in a theater for a good hour I would say. We heard stories of survivors. I could not help the tears rolling down my cheeks. These people were there – the things they lived through – the bravery they had to keep going even when they were 60 pounds and ready to fall and could barely stand up.

One of the stories was a woman who got sent to a camp that only women went to. They were forced to work in a factory. The woman said that the German lady who ran it was very hard on them (as she had to be or they would have taken her life for helping the Jewish) however she saved the Jewish woman’s life. She was so sick she couldn’t even put her shoes on or sit up. One of the largest Nazi leaders was coming and he was known for brutally taking out whole camps in one visit. He was cold and heartless, as many of the Nazi’s were. The German lady sat up the Jewish woman, put her shoes on for her, took her down to the factory where she started up her loom for her placed her frail hands on the stings and looked her in the eyes and said “it’s life or death today”. So I am sitting there staring at this woman on the screen telling this story – knowing that this is the only reason she is alive and telling this story.

One more story was from a woman who was taken to camp with her son, her sister, and her mother. A train had brought more and more people in and they needed to get rid of many of the people. Word spread fast that women with children would be the first to go. The woman’s mother over heard this and grabbed the son from her daughter and explained to the sister what was happening, admitting she was far to old to make it anyways, and wanted to spare the life of her two daughters. She was taken off and gassed with her grandson. The two sisters are holocaust survivors.

I could go on and on and on, a person could sadly sit there all day as the film rolls but emotionally, it’s impossible. The rest of the exhibit has things such as a train car you can walk through from the holocaust, belongings of the Jewish ect, that were taken from them while in the ghettos and camps, and things that were used for torture. The museum has thousands of shoes from a Nazi prison Majdanek, Poland. An engraving on the wall reads: "We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses. We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers from Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam. And because we are only made of fabric and leather, and not of blood and flesh, each one of us avoided the Hellfire." Preceding the shoes is a hall you can choose or not choose to walk down. The hall holds a life sized photograph taken of those who have perished. You look and see how large the pile is and how high these bodies are piled, but in put into perspective these are only a small few. There are no words.

There is a “Hall of remembrance” which is a hexagonal room dedicated to those who were lost to the holocaust. Here people light candles and reflect on what they have learned at the holocaust museum.

People of all ages are welcomed here; however it is hard for someone smaller to understand what really happened in Europe. There is an exhibit on the first floor called “Daniel’s Story” for children. Daniel was a Jewish boy who grew up just like most kids. You get to walk thru the house that he lived in. It spares no details, clothing, beds, family photos, happy times that were spent here. You can open his desk drawers and see his toys, things that kids have, and things they do. He is writing in his diary so as you walk thru the exhibit you get to experience this. His family owns a bakery and you get to walk down the road it is on and see it. Then he writes about the Nazi’s coming and how they tattooed a star on him and gave him a number. You read about his experience in the Ghetto which you get to walk through. There is barbed wire, broken glass. You can see his family shop has been written all over. JEW is white graffiti is on the walls, windows. Some of the windows have been smashed in. You then go with Daniel into a camp. He is separated from his mother and sister. It’s dark. They have nasty moldy bread and mucky soup on display for the children to see how they had it. At the end there is a video to watch. Daniel talks about how they took away his home, his things, his family, and his diary – which was the last thing he had. Before you exit the exhibit there is an area for children to leave Daniel a note. They then have all the children’s notes to Daniel on display. You can see clearly this is a good way for children to understand what happened during this sad time in our history. The note cards read things like “why?” “I’m sorry” Or “GOD loves us all”, and even some as simple as a sad face.

The gift shop here is books, Jewish memorabilia, movies from both pop culture and major motion pictures based on the holocaust, as well odds and ends to take home. I bought a very basic black bracelet that just says “Remember”.

Lastly they have an area called the Wexler learning center which is an interactive area. It features more stories, names of survivors of the 6 million people killed by the Nazi regime, maps, cultural information as well as a focus on the fact that this is still happening today. There is much information here on the conflict in Sudan and Darfur.

I didn’t get to see it all, however the little bit that I did get to see was more than enough to take in. I do love history, the good and the bad, and this was my second time to the United States Holocaust Museum, I would defiantly go again.

After leaving the museum with much on our minds and weighing heavy on our hearts we decided to walk the six blocks to the National Archives (www.archives.gov) The National Archives it the home of the Magna Carta, and the Charters of Freedom. The Charters of Freedom are: The Declaration of Independence (The Declaration announced to the world on July 4, 1776, that thirteen British colonies in North America were leaving Great Britain to form a separate nation, called the United States of America. In justifying the revolution, the Declaration asserted a universal truth about human rights.), the United States Constitution (The Constitution, drafted in 1787 after a hard-won victory in the War for Independence, codified the spirit of the Revolution into an ingenious practical scheme of government to promote the welfare of all its citizens.), as well as the Bill of Rights (The Bill of Rights, added to the Constitution in 1791 as the first ten amendments, explicitly protected freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and of assembly, among many other rights.). These are very old documents. They are kept in a rotunda where the lights are extremely low. They are stored under glass cases in which the glass filters the light just so we can see the documents, but they aren’t exposed. Inside the cases is no air – just helium to prevent any moisture. You can take photos, however you may not use a flash.

Around the corner from the National Archives building was the Navy Memorial. It is located there in front of their headquarters. The United States Navy Memorial is home to the Memorial Plaza, which features Stanly Bleifield's famous statue, The Lone Sailor. The Lone Sailor, a tribute to all personnel of the sea services, overlooks the Granite Sea, an exact replication of the world's oceans. Surrounding the Granite Sea are two fountain pools, honoring the personnel of the American Navy and the other navies of the world. The southern hemisphere of the Granite Sea is surrounded by 26 bronze bas-reliefs commemorating events, personnel, and communities of the various sea services. We took our picture with the Lone Sailor here and continued on to Ford’s Theater.

Ford’s Theater (www.fordstheatre.org ), which is where Lincoln was when he was shot, is currently under renovations. You can not go in the building at this time; however I have been in there about ten years ago. It will reopen in winter 2009 for anyone who is wishing to travel at that time, it is a nice stop. It is a small theater which housed small shows in an intimate setting. It is one of the most visited sights in Washington. Following Lincoln’s death, the public demanded the closure of the Theatre, threatening the building with destruction and its owners with bodily harm. For almost ninety years, Ford’s Theatre no longer functioned as a theatre, but instead served intermittently as a museum, office space and storage facility. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a Congressional act to restore the Theatre, and reconstruction began ten years later. Frankie Hewitt, who had lobbied to have the Theatre restored to its former glory, founded the Ford’s Theatre Society, a not-for-profit organization with the sole rights to produce within the space. Due in large part to her extraordinary efforts, Ford’s Theatre reopened in 1968 as both a historic site and working theatre, and has since presented more than two hundred plays, musicals and special events. Still today more than one million visitors show up annually to this historic place. The museum at the theater focuses on John Wilkes Booth, the person who assonated President Lincoln. Here you can see the actual gun used to kill him, the boot which they had to cut off his as it got jammed when he jumped from the rafters to the stage, his diary, knifes, wanted posters, his compass, and the medical kit used by Doctor Mudd.

Across the road the focus is much different. On the day he was shot, Attendants, including Dr. Charles Leale, carried the President onto 10th street. The doctor decided to take him to Petersen's boarding house across the street. The streets were extremely crowded with people, because of the uproar. Then he was taken into the bedroom in the rear of the parlors and placed on a bed that was not long enough for him. Mrs. Lincoln was escorted across the street by Clara Harris, who had been in the box during the shooting, and whose fiancée, Henry Rathbone, had been stabbed by Booth during the assassination. Rathbone, bleeding severely from the knife wound in his arm, collapsed due to loss of blood after arriving at the Petersen House.

During the night and early morning, military guards patrolled outside to prevent onlookers from coming inside the house. A parade of government officials and physicians was allowed to come inside and pay respects to the unconscious President. Physicians continually removed blood clots which formed over the wound and poured out the excess brain fluid and brain matter from where the bullet had entered Lincoln's head in order to relieve pressure on the brain. However, the external and internal hemorrhaging continued throughout the night. Lincoln died in the house on April 15, 1865, at 7:22 a.m., at age 56. The room stands still, as it did when Lincoln laid there. You can see the hooks on the wall where his coat still hangs, the doctors tools as they were (only washed). The wall paper in the bedroom where he passed was then replicated and now is the wall paper in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. The same pictures hang on the walls and three wooden chairs still sit facing the bed. There was a $5 bill in his pocket, which is currently being housed at the National Archives. Lincoln is on the Penny and the $5 bill today.

I didn’t go into the FBI (currently closed) or the International Spy museum, but they are also right in this area. I saw them from the outside and walked right past them. The International Spy museum is a hot lunch ticket according to the locals. They have a good menu with great costs. This area is also referred to as “China town” although there was nothing indicating this at all. (No smelly fish markets and the area was not run down at all!) There were plenty of nice restaurants, hotels and WONDERFUL shopping in this area. I spent a lot of time in a department store called Filene’s Basement. It is like a TJ Maxx only better!! It was stocked full of designer treasures at prices that I could afford. Since most designers do not carry sale or clearance items, they need to send them somewhere, and Filene’s is the place to find them. Hand bags, shoes, clothes, watches and jewelry you name it they have it all! Coach, Don Ed Hardy, Rock and Republic, Juicy, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Jessica Simpson, Liz Claiborne, Channel, BCBG, DKNY as well as Dolce and Gabanna stock their shelves. They have a few of them in Washington D.C. but the one in this area was by far the biggest, and had the best finds.

We took the Metro back to the Farragut North stop which was at the end of the block where our hotel The Marriott, Mayflower was. We went to freshen up at the room and decided we were hungry. We called the concierge desk for some recommendations. They advised us that there was a place with in walking distance that was casual yet had exquisite food. It was called Luigi’s. It was very small, however when you walked in you were greeted by wonderful aromas, beautiful Italian waiters and waitresses and those red checkered table cloths. (http://www.famousluigis.com/). For starters we got Focaccia all’ agio. I ordered Gnocchi alla bava or, potato dumplings in three cheese sauce. It was amazing – both the atmosphere and the food. It was more than I could eat, but I took the rest to the hotel to enjoy later.

Before going to bed I called the Personal Assistance Department. I had the privilege of speaking with Melissa. I requested that she see what shows are at the Kennedy Center on Monday nights, specifically wondering if the Lion King was playing. I also asked her about tickets into Capitol Hill as I misplaced my research on this. She called me back very fast with the information that I needed and was most helpful.

I laid in bed and watched the Democratic National Convention that was taking place in Denver this night. I guess I fell victim to the political buzz. It put me to sleep, which is what I needed.

Day Five – 25th August, 2008

Another early morning as we had to go get in line at the Capitol to tour the capitol building. It was about a hundred degrees out (literally) Our young traveler wasn’t about the wait or the weather this day, but the good news was that we didn’t spend much time outside. I just wanted to note here, for those who do not know, Capitol Hill is literally a hill. My grandmother and our young traveler hitched a ride with some staff on a golf cart up the hill, leaving the middle agers to hike it on our own two feet. We trucked up it next to some Army boys who had to run up and down up and down. They went up and down about six times in the time we walked up the hill. I felt so bad, as it was so hot, and it was such a large hill.

The tour started in the Rotunda. (http://www.aoc.gov/) The rotunda is 96 feet in diameter and is 180 feet floor to canopy. If you put Lady Liberty in the rotunda, she would still be 6 feet too short to reach the top. They gave you an over view of all the art, the statues, ceiling and history of the building. The point out it is the center of the building. To the left is the old senate chamber, and to the right is statuary hall as well as the Congress. There is so much history here, I can’t even write it. We go to go through the old senate chamber. It was small; the carpet was red with gold stars, a feather fountain pen set on the desk at the head of the senate. Out side the chamber is a chandelier worth 6 million dollars which was a gift from another country. It was breath taking. Freedom is the name of the woman whom stands on the top of the capitol building. There is no front or back side of the building. Statuary hall hosts one hundred statues. Each state was given the invitation to donate two statues, and all have done so. The tour guide did a really neat demonstration in statuary hall. He walked to one side and whispered very softly, and because of the acoustics, we could hear him as he was standing in front of us. Our group was very lucky and we got chosen to sit in on a congressional chat. We went in and got to listen to one of the congressmen talk about environmental issues. The gift shop is down in the capitol crypt, where George Washington was supposed to be buried; however as per his dying wish he is laid at Mount Vernon. There is no one buried in the crypt.

We cut across the way for lunch to the Rayburn building. There they have a large cafeteria with any thing you could ever want including a salad bar, dessert bar, ethnic food, pizza, pasta. You got a tray, added what you wanted and they charged you by weight. It was very reasonably priced. Before leaving Capitol Hill we walked back down the hill to the National and Botanical Gardens.

Outside the Gardens they had globs on display. They were sending a “Green” message. This was called the “One Planet – OURS!” exhibit. (http://www.usbg.gov/education/events/One-Planet-Ours.cfm) There were forty globes. Some featured recycling, others featured more negative effects. They were extremely neat to see. The out door garden had many places to relax and sit and enjoy the garden (http://www.usbg.gov/). The inside of the botanical gardens features plants from all over the United States and world. Each are in a green house with their own climate. I personally liked the Orchids there the best. The rainforest was a close second. My grandmother is a gardener and I do believe this was a highlight of the trip for her. She knew what everything was, and even found out what the flowering trees (not cherry blossoms) all over Washington D.C. were called.

We realized that our very last stop, Library of Congress was on top of the hill. We trucked back up the hill, all four of us this time. We go in line just in time for the last tour of the day. (http://www.loc.gov/index.html) We went in the entry for the Library and talked about the history of the Library of congress. The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. Today's Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource. The collection of more than 130 million items includes more than 29 million cataloged books and other print materials in 460 languages; more than 58 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings. It all started with $5,000 appropriated by the legislation, the original library was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol Building, burning and pillaging the contents of the small library.

Within a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science"; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. In offering his collection to Congress, Jefferson anticipated controversy over the nature of his collection, which included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library. He wrote, "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer."

In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress.

The Library is a grand piece of architecture. After the tour we retired with aching feet back to the hotel room again. We put our faith in the concierge desk again asking them if they had any more suggestions for dinner. I was disappointed when they suggested “Hudson’s American Grill” with a 50’s theme. We have one of them in Steven’s Point Wisconsin!!! We laughed it off and decided to do Lugi’s again as we loved it so much from the night before. This time we all opted for something new. We started with an authentic Antipasto Salad. I ordered stuffed pasta that night. I had one last thing left to do on my list of Washington D.C. I had to go back to the White House and get my picture in front of it since I couldn’t do that on the day of the tour as we weren’t allowed cameras. I had to do it before our flight home so I got to bed early.

Day Six – 26 August, 2008

I woke up early to get dressed for my close up in front of Bush’s house. We walked; we were only four blocks away. We also did a little last minute shopping. Once we were back at the hotel we stuffed our suit cases. I had gotten a magnet and book as souvenirs while I was out there, and a few hand bags, but I never dreamed my suitcase would weigh as much as it did! I’m a firm believer that all I need to bring home is pictures. I was shifting some things around and discovered all those booklets, pamphlets, maps, and other info packets had really added up! I shoved them in there as I couldn’t leave them behind seeing that idea of a FAM in the first place is to come back with knowledge to share with everyone!! I literally sat on my suit case to zip it.

We caught a cab to the airport. It cost about $25. They dropped us off right where we had gotten off the plane the Thursday before. This time instead of waiting by the luggage we were checking out and getting our boarding pass. I waited for my friend to come so that we could say goodbye as I might not cross paths with her for another eight years. The flight home was Northwest 223 from DCA to DTW. We connected with Northwest 1729 into Milwaukee. We sat on 1729 for a while as they said there was some sort of luggage delay. Thankfully, that is all it was, as this is the day the nation experienced delays because of a system error in Atlanta. It felt good to be home again.

Jolene Johnson