I want to apologize to all of my readers and anyone who has been anxiously awaiting the second installment of my exploration of Washington, DC!
My best friend came to visit me the weekend of August 20th, but traffic to and from this area from New Jersey (where she lives when not working in Manhattan) was apparently horrendous, so our plans to explore DC together were almost completely nixed. Then between work, an earthquake, and a pending hurricane I haven't been in much of a tourist mood!
I do promise that I am planning some great adventures in DC, Virginia, and Pennsylvania within the next two months that I can't wait to share with you all. So many people I've talked to about this personal goal have been encouraging and supportive that it is inspiring! I've even had people email me lists of fun things to do in different states, and had a few friends say they'd be willing to join me on this adventure. (Funny, everyone always says Wyoming when they mention states they aren't interested in traveling to...I have to say that their tourism web page made them seem like lots of fun, and a co-worker said the state is beautiful!)
So, stay tuned compadres! I know it's a little slow at the moment, but I'm sure once my momentum kicks in things will be great!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Washington, DC - Part I
What better place to start my journey than the city I work in- Washington, DC? It's a shame, I moved to the area from Pittsburgh in 2001, and still have yet to scratch the surface of all the attractions available. Since my challenge is to do things I haven't done before, all but two of the Smithsonians are out. Mostly because I actually WORK at the Smithsonian, and have been inside, toured, and explored all of the DC locations except for the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Zoo, which I will visit in the near future. They are GREAT places to visit and learn, and I would suggest visiting more than just "the big three" (Air and Space, Natural History, and American History) to get the full Smithsonian experience. I also am not going to count the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, or many of the other smaller memorials because I've been to them or walked past them countless times. Again, very cool places if you've never been, but this is about my personal journey to try new things.
So what to do? Google has been my friend in locating tourism web pages, and I quickly realized that I could spend the next five years alone trying to do everything in DC. I decided to narrow it down to a few options and split my choices up over a few days. I was off work today, so I decided to visit the National Archives and Ford's Theatre (I also went to Arlington Cemetery, but since that's technically in Virginia, you'll have to wait for that write up!).
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
OK, so I sorta broke my own rule here. I've been to the National Archives before (only once!) and saw the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta (which is sadly not on display at the moment for conservation) on a lunch break sometime last year. TODAY I actually went into the exhibit areas. The 'Public Vaults' that pretty much describe the importance of documenting/researching family history. There's also a ton of info about the Presidents and their personal belongings and all sorts of documents. I especially enjoyed the brief film that showed (often humorous) quotes from presidents ranging from FDR to Bill Clinton (There are Obama pieces on display, but I'm assuming the History Channel video loop was made before even President George W.) My favorite quotes were from Harry Truman and (shockingly) Richard Nixon, who looked like he was made out of melting plastic on the screen, but whose words about looking at personal budgets as well as the Federal budget seemed timeless.
The exhibit that caught my eye, however, was called 'What's Cooking Uncle Sam?' which gave a history of the government's role in American health and nutrition. While overall it was neat to see how far we have come from a time when ingredients weren't even listed on canned goods (and you probably didn't want to know what WAS in there anyway) and Americans were encouraged to grow new "exotic" items like turnips in their gardens and farms, I gotta admit I was a bit disappointed. LOVED the history aspect (you'll learn I am a HUGE history nerd) but I think that they missed the mark slightly.
For one, there were no fewer than three large books of US food laws on display- and the angles they were resting at and weird lighting made some of them difficult to read. Besides, if I see an exhibit that is about food history, law books aren't exactly what I'm looking for- even though I understand why they were there. I would have been more interested to see how some of the foods we eat today have changed over the years based on US policies on food and nutrition- or foods that were once 'staples' that today would be laughable or crazy. The last "food pyramid" in the exhibit was from 1992- and I'm both old and young enough to know it's changed at least twice since then, but no mention of that.
I also would have liked to have seen recipe cards. Yes, I'm the nerd that would have tried to make some WWII era "apple" pie or even experimented with the President and First Lady recipes and menus that were on display. However, a strict no photography policy prevented me from even taking a picture of the recipe, and I was far too lazy to walk down the hallway and back to write them down- not when Google (and a White House cookbook sold at my job!) exist, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who would have been interested in them.
Overall it was an OK exhibit. I love learning about the "everyday" histories people take for granted, I just wish it would have gone a little bit further on the pop culture/ culinary aspect of things.
FORD'S THEATRE
For anyone that doesn't know what this place is, it's the place President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. It is still in use as a theater today, and now has a museum, an "official" gift shop, and is a part of the National Parks Service. It's totally free to go to, but you do have to request timed tickets before hand. Today, it sits next to Hard Rock Cafe, and the house Lincoln died in (which is across the street) has also been converted into a museum, but as of August 16, 2011 it was closed to the public for renovations. (For those of you interested, the Mary Surratt House- the place where the conspirators met and plotted- is located not too far away on H Street NW and is a very cheesy and roach-infested Chinese restaurant. Yes, I've eaten there...before I knew about their infestation problem *frown*)
The entire process took about an hour. After entering and getting my ticket scanned, my group was hustled down a narrow staircase that led into the museum, or more accurately, led us past signs and info that I didn't really have time to read because people were being very pushy and we walked past a statue that looked like a really strangely dressed person that we were later told represented how President Lincoln had to sneak into Washington after his election. We then had 25 minutes on our own to walk around and learn about Lincoln's Presidency and political career. There was even a suggested route map, but no one was really following it, so I just tried to fit in where I saw the fewest amount of people until I got through most of it. After the 25 minutes had elapsed, the entry to the theater was opened, and we went up a narrow hallway that documented how both Lincoln and Booth spent their days before the assassination. Again, it would have been nice to read the signs and compare each man's day, but there were very impatient and pushy people behind me. Then we got into the theater, and a Park Ranger came out and told the story of how Lincoln was murdered. And that was it. Just enough info to educate in a short enough time that no one would get bored. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
For more pictures from my day of DC tourism, be sure to look at my Facebook page dedicated to my mission. If you have any questions or want more details, feel free to comment below or send me an email! Oh, and forgive the picture quality. I was using my Blackberry (*cringe*) but hopefully I'll have a digital camera soon!
Up next will be Washington, DC Part II, and don't forget, I've already started on Virginia, and have a lot more travel on my agenda in the next few months. Who knows where I'll end up next!
So what to do? Google has been my friend in locating tourism web pages, and I quickly realized that I could spend the next five years alone trying to do everything in DC. I decided to narrow it down to a few options and split my choices up over a few days. I was off work today, so I decided to visit the National Archives and Ford's Theatre (I also went to Arlington Cemetery, but since that's technically in Virginia, you'll have to wait for that write up!).
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
OK, so I sorta broke my own rule here. I've been to the National Archives before (only once!) and saw the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta (which is sadly not on display at the moment for conservation) on a lunch break sometime last year. TODAY I actually went into the exhibit areas. The 'Public Vaults' that pretty much describe the importance of documenting/researching family history. There's also a ton of info about the Presidents and their personal belongings and all sorts of documents. I especially enjoyed the brief film that showed (often humorous) quotes from presidents ranging from FDR to Bill Clinton (There are Obama pieces on display, but I'm assuming the History Channel video loop was made before even President George W.) My favorite quotes were from Harry Truman and (shockingly) Richard Nixon, who looked like he was made out of melting plastic on the screen, but whose words about looking at personal budgets as well as the Federal budget seemed timeless.
The exhibit that caught my eye, however, was called 'What's Cooking Uncle Sam?' which gave a history of the government's role in American health and nutrition. While overall it was neat to see how far we have come from a time when ingredients weren't even listed on canned goods (and you probably didn't want to know what WAS in there anyway) and Americans were encouraged to grow new "exotic" items like turnips in their gardens and farms, I gotta admit I was a bit disappointed. LOVED the history aspect (you'll learn I am a HUGE history nerd) but I think that they missed the mark slightly.
For one, there were no fewer than three large books of US food laws on display- and the angles they were resting at and weird lighting made some of them difficult to read. Besides, if I see an exhibit that is about food history, law books aren't exactly what I'm looking for- even though I understand why they were there. I would have been more interested to see how some of the foods we eat today have changed over the years based on US policies on food and nutrition- or foods that were once 'staples' that today would be laughable or crazy. The last "food pyramid" in the exhibit was from 1992- and I'm both old and young enough to know it's changed at least twice since then, but no mention of that.
I also would have liked to have seen recipe cards. Yes, I'm the nerd that would have tried to make some WWII era "apple" pie or even experimented with the President and First Lady recipes and menus that were on display. However, a strict no photography policy prevented me from even taking a picture of the recipe, and I was far too lazy to walk down the hallway and back to write them down- not when Google (and a White House cookbook sold at my job!) exist, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who would have been interested in them.
Overall it was an OK exhibit. I love learning about the "everyday" histories people take for granted, I just wish it would have gone a little bit further on the pop culture/ culinary aspect of things.
FORD'S THEATRE
For anyone that doesn't know what this place is, it's the place President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. It is still in use as a theater today, and now has a museum, an "official" gift shop, and is a part of the National Parks Service. It's totally free to go to, but you do have to request timed tickets before hand. Today, it sits next to Hard Rock Cafe, and the house Lincoln died in (which is across the street) has also been converted into a museum, but as of August 16, 2011 it was closed to the public for renovations. (For those of you interested, the Mary Surratt House- the place where the conspirators met and plotted- is located not too far away on H Street NW and is a very cheesy and roach-infested Chinese restaurant. Yes, I've eaten there...before I knew about their infestation problem *frown*)
The entire process took about an hour. After entering and getting my ticket scanned, my group was hustled down a narrow staircase that led into the museum, or more accurately, led us past signs and info that I didn't really have time to read because people were being very pushy and we walked past a statue that looked like a really strangely dressed person that we were later told represented how President Lincoln had to sneak into Washington after his election. We then had 25 minutes on our own to walk around and learn about Lincoln's Presidency and political career. There was even a suggested route map, but no one was really following it, so I just tried to fit in where I saw the fewest amount of people until I got through most of it. After the 25 minutes had elapsed, the entry to the theater was opened, and we went up a narrow hallway that documented how both Lincoln and Booth spent their days before the assassination. Again, it would have been nice to read the signs and compare each man's day, but there were very impatient and pushy people behind me. Then we got into the theater, and a Park Ranger came out and told the story of how Lincoln was murdered. And that was it. Just enough info to educate in a short enough time that no one would get bored. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
 |
| Presidential Box where Lincoln was shot. |
Up next will be Washington, DC Part II, and don't forget, I've already started on Virginia, and have a lot more travel on my agenda in the next few months. Who knows where I'll end up next!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Why Am I Doing This?
I was inspired to take on this personal challenge by four separate things:
WHERE: All 50 states- all of 'em!- and DC too.
WHY: Because it sounds fun and I want to. Good enough reason for me!
HOW: Ah, there's the tricky part. Being on the East coast, the close proximity of the states here will make exploring them easy. Just hop on a Megabus or Greyhound, go on a weekend off, and come back in time for work on Monday. But once I start getting into states further away, I'll have to look into cheap flights (hello JetBlue, Southwest, and Airtran specials!), Amtrak, and my own personal schedule/life to see what events will take me places. Larger states will take more than one trip (Texas, California, Florida, etc.) and many states will take longer than a weekend/extended weekend (Hawaii and Alaska, for example) but we'll cross those bridges when we get to them.
Ready? Let's Go!
1. I have a friend that went to New Mexico for a week. I thought that was completely random, so I asked why she did it. She said she wanted to be able to say she'd traveled to every state, and proceeded to tell me about the interesting things she did while in NM. I've done a little international travel, but had never considered staying within my own national borders- I was intrigued!
2. I live in a tourist trap- the Washington, DC area. Many of the sites I take for granted are actually special places for others- they are feeling the sense of amazement I felt when I first moved here ten years ago. I forgot what it felt like to go someplace and be tickled at a building or a statue or be really excited to take a picture eating some local food specialty. I then also realized that as long as I've been here, I hadn't scratched the surface of area "hot spots" people were so excited to see- I was ashamed!
3. I love the Travel Channel and the Food Network. I also love watching the hosts go to random cities and try foods, visit off the beaten path locations, and explore parts of America that I've only read about. How amazing that so much diversity is within the confines of my home country- and how much fun could it be to experience some of these adventures myself? I was inspired!
4. I've been to a lot of states, but had never really done any "tourist" stuff- well, not consistently. Because of making friends from across the country, marching band, sorority conventions, and other random trips, I can already say I've been to Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. And I'm from Pennsylvania. But with a very short list of exceptions, I've never done touristy stuff- I've gone for specific events and left. How would re-visiting these states (and the rest of the country) compare to me just going because I had an event there? I was interested to find out!
Because of these, I have challenged myself to visit all 50 states (and DC) from the perspective of a tourist- even my own hometown/state (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). In true 5W+H format, I've created this outline:
WHO: Well, me, and whatever friends and family want to tag along.
WHAT: Travel to each of the US States (and DC) and tour/explore/experience them as a tourist would- visiting tourist traps and places of interest that show the area's history, trying local foods, and exploring local cultures and celebration whenever possible. The catch is, unless it;s something extremely unique/awesome, I can't repeat something I've already done. For example: I've seen the Liberty Bell before, no need to see it again, but Philly cheeseteaks? C'mon, who would be happy to have only ever had one?!
WHEN: August 2011-August 2016WHERE: All 50 states- all of 'em!- and DC too.
WHY: Because it sounds fun and I want to. Good enough reason for me!
HOW: Ah, there's the tricky part. Being on the East coast, the close proximity of the states here will make exploring them easy. Just hop on a Megabus or Greyhound, go on a weekend off, and come back in time for work on Monday. But once I start getting into states further away, I'll have to look into cheap flights (hello JetBlue, Southwest, and Airtran specials!), Amtrak, and my own personal schedule/life to see what events will take me places. Larger states will take more than one trip (Texas, California, Florida, etc.) and many states will take longer than a weekend/extended weekend (Hawaii and Alaska, for example) but we'll cross those bridges when we get to them.
Ready? Let's Go!
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