Best Of The West

The last attraction I visited while in Oklahoma City was the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It seemed to be completely removed from most of everything else in Oklahoma City...or at least the Bricktown area I spent a large portion of my OKC time in. When I entered the museum, I was warmly greeted by a gentleman dressed in a cowboy outfit who apparently took a liking to me right away because we chit-chatted for nearly 20 minutes. He gave me his "business card", and it names him as Mr. Jerry Lee Tyner, BRS. Old West Aficionado, Serendipity Songster. How cool is that?!

This really got you in the mood for the rest of the museum! Kudos!

Turns out he was a docent, and he told me all sorts of facts about the museum and artifacts in it. Most of the conversation focused on a giant white statue directly behind us that depicts a Native American atop a bronco. It's an item featured often in materials about the museum, and when you see it in person, you are going to be simply breathless at how huge it actually is. Turns out it's nearly 100 years old, and the man who posed for the sculptor also posed for the Native profile on the buffalo nickel. How the sculpture ended up in the museum was an interesting (and lengthy) tale about World's Fairs, far away little towns, bureaucratic battles, bronze replacements, and the struggle to preserve plaster that was taken apart for decades.

From here, it gets a little complicated. See, this museum is HUGE. A LOT bigger than it appears to be. The above pictured statue sits in the middle of the east and west wings. I'll talk about the east wing first since I spent the least amount of time there. That's where the cafeteria is, as well as a gallery of Western art the museum has purchased over the years. There's a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln, a smaller bronze one of John Wayne, and some newer artifacts that have recently been acquired by the museum. However, most of the gallery space lies behind Lincoln, and no photography is allowed there, so I didn't go in.

The west wing, however, was PACKED with information and things to see. Even at a slightly hurried pace I didn't get to see it all. It seemed every time I tried to backtrack I found myself in a new room with more artifacts, paintings, or exhibits that taught me about another aspect of Western American culture.

There were areas that showed various Native American clothing:

A section that talked about television westerns (I'm a Rawhide and Big Valley fan myself) where I learned about the first and only African American western star Herb Jeffries aka "The Bronze Buckaroo" (he recently passed this past May at the age of 100):

An area that talked about the history, sport, and evolution of the American rodeo:

A small section that seemed to depict hunting in the early days of the frontier:

A very well done section that discussed the military, including the contributions of African Americans, Native Americans, and women:

A very expansive section that talked about the "basics" of cowboy culture (like different types of hats, rope ties, horses, saddles, etc.) as well as the different kind of cowboys there were. This was an area I wish I would have spent more time in:

There was even an interactive "town" where you could walk in and out of different shops and listen to a shopkeeper tell you about what their average day is like. It was very similar to the McKinley Memorial and Museum I visited in Canton, Ohio except it was larger, newer, and didn't have creepy mannequins incorporated into the shop areas:

There was also a very large gallery full of smaller statues and gorgeous paintings depicting western scenes. One painting in particular had pinks and blues so vibrant and, almost neon looking that I was sure it was a modern piece....but was painted in 1916! No photos allowed in there, and as we know, I (usually) follow the rules. There are also outdoor gardens, but as I was running out of time, my camera battery was dying, and it was over 100 degrees outside, I didn't go and wander about.

This museum was beautiful, and very well put together. But what I loved most was how much I learned there. Did you know that there were cowboys in Hawaii and Canada? I sure didn't. I also learned a lot about the more obscure parts of American history, and about the cultural and economic impact this had on our developing nation. You can go over more than 200 years of history in about two hours, and I think that's pretty cool. I also appreciated that multiple cultures were featured, and that both men and women were portrayed throughout the museum. I also enjoyed that rather than having the material portrayed as a "cowboy versus Indian" theme, both topics were blended throughout without lessening their individual importance. If you have two or three hours to spare in OKC, do yourself a favor and visit this truly amazing and unique museum.

 Well, I thought I was done with Oklahoma but it turns out I have one last very brief entry to go- my first meal at Sonic! I'll try to get that out before this weekend- after all I'll be headed to a "new" state: Georgia! (I put those quotes there because I actually used to live in Atlanta for a very brief period of time...but never ever did any touristy stuff. Shame on me!)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. As always, you can check out my pictures on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

Presidential Graves

I'm big on travel (in case you didn't get the memo by now). I also understand that everyone isn't interested in museum hopping, taking historic home tours, or making the ridiculously detailed plan I make for every trip I take. I get that. But I also hope that you take the time to get out and SEE whatever is not a part of your daily lives that grabs your interest.

That's why when I stumbled across this Presidential Grave blog, I got really excited. Yes, I've been to quite a few Presidential graves so far (hmm let's see, Kennedy, Taft, Garfield, McKinley and Washington, off the top of my head), by no means am I pressed to visit all of their grave sites. But that's what's cool about it! Yes, I think it's a little bit morbid, but kudos to this guy for picking a goal, and from the looks of it, achieving it! What really surprised me is that most of the graves are not big massive monuments. Many of them are simple tombstones that you'd probably walk right by if you didn't know any better.

Although I think you guys should go check his site out and look at his pictures, I've also included a list of burial places below so you can see which grave is close to you (and perhaps spark an adventure of your own!)

President	Burial place
Washington	Mt. Vernon, Va.
J. Adams	Quincy, Mass.
Jefferson	Charlottesville, Va.
Madison	Montpelier Station, Va.
Monroe	Richmond, Va.
J. Q. Adams	Quincy, Mass.
Jackson	The Hermitage, nr. Nashville, Tenn.
Van Buren	Kinderhook, N.Y.
W. H. Harrison	North Bend, Ohio
Tyler	Richmond, Va.
Polk	Nashville, Tenn.
Taylor	Louisville, Ky.
Fillmore	Buffalo, N.Y.
Pierce	Concord, N.H.
Buchanan	Lancaster, Pa.
Lincoln	Springfield, Ill.
A. Johnson	Greeneville, Tenn.
Grant	New York City
Hayes	Fremont, Ohio
Garfield	Cleveland, Ohio
Arthur	Albany, N.Y.
Cleveland	Princeton, N.J.
B. Harrison	Indianapolis, Ind.
McKinley	Canton, Ohio
T. Roosevelt	Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Taft	Arlington National Cemetery
Wilson	Washington National Cathedral
Harding	Marion, Ohio
Coolidge	Plymouth, Vt.
Hoover	West Branch, Iowa
F. D. Roosevelt	Hyde Park, N.Y.
Truman	Independence, Mo.
Eisenhower	Abilene, Kan.
Kennedy	Arlington National Cemetery
L. B. Johnson	Stonewall, Tex.
Nixon	Yorba Linda, Calif.
Reagan	Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif.
Ford	Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Cemeteries Are Hot! (Ohio)

And I mean that in the most literal sense possible.

View of the larger of two lakes at Lake View Cemetery

The last time I visited a cemetery, I completely underestimated how much walking (and beaming sun exposure) I would be subjected to. Thinking I would be better prepared this time, I packed a bag with two bottles of water, fresh fruit, and some granola and had napkins to wipe sweat away. Silly me forgot that full water bottles and fruit weigh a LOT when you are lugging them around all day, so although I wasn't as thirsty or fatigued, my shoulders were not very pleased with my decision!

But don't let my poorly thought out plan sway you from the facts- Lake View Cemetery   is absolutely beautiful. I saw some unique and ornate tombstones. Many people will come here to see the graves of Cleveland's former elite class- I'm not from Cleveland so most of the names didn't mean much to me. There were some exceptions. The John D. Rockefeller Monument (yeah, THAT Rockefeller) is right next to the Garfield Tomb. Garrett A. Morgan, famed African American inventor, is also buried at Lake View (sadly too far out of the way for me to walk to it and back to the front gate in time to catch my train to my next stop).

The Rockefeller Monument at Lake View

There is a more detailed list of who's who and where on the Lake view website, but the most ornate and prominent of these burial sites is James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States.

Garfield Memorial in Lake View

Statue of President Garfield in the main hall of the Memorial

Although the building was a bit over run with flies, you can't deny the very detailed artistry put into this building (My non-sensical mind was just waiting for a zombie Garfield to pop out with maggots and flies buzzing around him. More realistically they were just trying to escape the heat like the humans were.) As ornate as the upper levels dedicated to his life and achievements are, the actual burial room/crypt is simple and plain (in comparison). I'm sure you can make some super deep reference to the fact that no matter what we do in this lifetime, we all are but simple dust in the end- or something like that.

Compared to the upper levels, the burial chamber was extremely plain

I know this entry is getting a little long and stuffed with pictures, but there was one more major thing I saw in Lake View- the Wade Memorial Chapel.

Wade Memorial Chapel in Lake View Cemetery

Built in 1901 in honor of the industrialist Jeptha Wade (who was a founder of the cemetery), this is a very simple and elegant building. It serves as the receiving chapel for new burials- and is rented out for small weddings according to the very informative guide that was stationed there.

Center stained/painted glass window done by Louis Tiffany- son of the founder of Tiffany & Co.

The walls are covered with delicately colored glass mosaics that depict a bunch of guys rowing while some other folks look on. This was explained to me as the left side representing the creation of God's Law in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of God's Law in the New Testament on the right.I was also told that these mosaics were assembled by Tiffany Glass Company (Louis' company founded before he joined back in with Tiffany & Co. in 1902 upon his father's death) and transported to Cleveland via the Erie Canal.

Right side of the Chapel walls, representing the New Testament

That pretty much sums up my time at Lake View. I have at least two more Cleveland entries left for you, as well as a review of a neat website I found of a guy who has visited every Presidential grave. Every. Single. One. Pretty interesting if you ask me! My pictures are still on my Facebook page (feel free to thumbs up me if you like my photos or just want to be nice!), and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure!

Finishing up Canton, Ohio

Sorry it has been so long since I finished talking about my day in Canton. You know, life happens! But I made a brief video about the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Check it out, and thank you for following me on my journey!

Here are my vids:

But I saw another traveler's video that is probably 100% better than mine, so I figured I'd share that too:

Now...by no means do I consider myself finished with Ohio...I have family in Cincinnati I NEED to go visit, and have been dying to dig into Cleveland for awhile now. However, it's looking like my next stop (in less than three weeks actually) will be Chicago, Illinois!

Virginia - Part III

I started my Virginian adventures with the attitude that I was not a fan of the state, but I've actually had a lot of fun exploring and learning within the commonwealth. I've fallen in love with the city of Richmond, and learned that the best way to learn about people who I may not think I have anything in common with (IE, NRA members and those who fondly remember the Confederacy) is to be bold and learn as much as I can about them. I actually had to force myself to stop finding neat things I've never tried before so that I could focus on other activities and states. I'll end with my last two stops- the Alexandria Black History Museum and Mount Vernon. (Sorry this didn't get posted until after the New Year- I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2012!)

Across the street from the Alexandria Black History Museum

THE ALEXANDRIA BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM

So, when I think of Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia (or NoVA as those of us in the DC metropolitan region sometimes refer to it as) I honestly rarely think about African Americans- even though I know they have been around in the area for centuries. I think of government retirees, and young buppies clutching their Starbucks, both fearing going beyond their borders to venture into DC and unable to even fathom what it feels like to step into Maryland. I learned about this museum while trying to find an internship for grad school sometime in 2010. While the timing for internships didn't work out, my curiosity about this place stayed put.

A ten minute or so walk from the Braddock Road Metro Station found me at the front door of the museum. The structure itself actually used to be a library that was built for blacks who were not permitted to use the "regular" library. When you enter you see Welcome Desk in a small room crowded with merchandise, with jazz, blues, and gospel-inspired music playing. It costs two bucks to enter the museum, and if you go to their website, you can print a coupon that gives you 10% off in the gift shop. To your left is a gallery that discusses the journey to NoVA blacks faced from slavery from before America became an independent country up until fairly recently. I learned that at one point Alexandria had a thriving sugar industry, and the gallery showed artifacts from archaeological digs in the area. It also discussed how blacks fared after slavery, and highlighted prominent African Americans from across the 400 or so years covered, including Benjamin Banneker. I was very impressed with the quality of the exhibit design, and was glad that there was plenty of learning to be had for all- bright colors and simple sentences for younger visitors and more complex, lengthier passages for adults to pull information from.The second room is a temporary exhibit space and room that I suppose can be rented out for meetings or special events. Currently, there was a photography exhibit (In Black and White: Photography by Nina Tisara and Peggy Fleming) that has pretty neat shots of African American church life, and of an unofficial league of black chess players.

Worker takes a water break from molding sugar cones and wrapping them in paper

Altogether I spent about an hour in the museum. When I asked a question about the Alexandria sugar mills to the woman at the Welcome Desk, she called upstairs to a curator. I think I accidentally got her reprimanded or fussed at because you could hear the person on the other end sounding loud and irritated that she called with a visitor question. I hope that wasn't the case, because it would be a shame that the people "in charge" would be "too busy" in such a small museum to answer one question from someone interested in their subject. Otherwise this was a really quaint place- a good start for anyone interested in learning niche areas of African American or American industrial history.

Washington's Mansion

MOUNT VERNON ESTATE, MUSEUM, AND GARDENS

On an unseasonably warm December day (Mid 60s the week of Christmas? In the Mid Atlantic? Yeah, that's crazy warm) I ventured to Mount Vernon- my last stop in the commonwealth of Virginia. I know there are tours available- Gray Line bus tours costs $40 or $50 dollars- but I refuse to pay that much money to go on a tour of a place I technically live near. Not when public transportation is available and I am still its Queen! I rode the Metro to Huntington Station (that's the very end of the Yellow line) and caught the Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon. Now, there are several ways to do this- as I learned the hard way. The 151 and 152 Connectors drop you off directly at the Estate, and you have to go to the upper level of the station to catch them. The 101 takes you close to the Estate, but stops about a block and  half away from the entrance. The signage at the station isn't very clear that there are two levels the Connectors stop on, and I waited for an hour on the WRONG level for the 151 or 152 until I finally called the customer service line printed on each of the buses and asked what the issue was. I was quite irritated, but I ran down to catch the 101 that was turning the corner. I paid with my SmarTrip card (a re-loadable fare card) so I don't know exactly how much I paid- but I'd guess it was a total from my house to Mount Vernon of less than $5. Much less than the tour buses!

Washington's snazzy and crazy big back porch/yard/view

Admission for adults is $15, and you are handed a small stack of papers including maps and daily events. I happened to have visited during the Christmas season, which means there were lots of special events going on around the Estate. I missed a demonstration and tasting of 18th century chocolate making that only lasted for 30 minutes (thanks a lot confusing Connector signs!!), but did get to see most everything else. Basically split into 3 attractions (Museum, Mansion, and the Grounds), this place is huge! When they say wear comfortable shoes, they are NOT kidding. The museum is split into two sections- an actual exhibit space and an interactive education center. Photographs are not allowed in the museum, but inside were tons of personal items owned by the Washingtons. My favorite artifact was the seed pearl brooch in the shape of a flower that was owned by Martha Washington (I love brooches!). In the education center, you learn about Washington from birth to death (including a reproduction of his coffin), and how his legacy has impacted America all these centuries later. A highlight was a wall sized map of the US, showing the cities, counties, landmarks, schools, and other things named for Washington in every state of the Union. Pictures were allowed in there, but not of the General's famous teeth.

In the mansion (which is actually pretty huge considering how small houses used to be back then), you are grouped up and sent room by room with tour guides in each major section explaining the space and what would have happened there. Because of the holiday season, the 3rd floor of the mansion (which is normally closed to the public) was opened and we were permitted to tour it as well. It was kind of surreal looking into THE room where George Washington died. One cool thing I remember was that Washington had been gifted a key to the Bastille, and it is still on display in the front room of his home. I also see why he picked this particular location for his home- in the back of the house, there is an absolutely stunning view of the Potomac River. The entire tour took about 20 minutes or so.

No one came over to pet the camel until I got over there :-/

The grounds are amazing. Because of the holidays, the turkey that President Obama pardoned at Thanksgiving and the annual "Christmas Camel" (this one was named Aladdin- Washington paid 18 shillings one year to bring a camel to the grounds to show his guests an exotic animal) were in makeshift pens. I've never been that close to a camel before, and Aladdin is massive! I got to pet him, but avoided his big camel kisses that he seemed determined to give me. Many of the work houses (such as the smoke house, the carriage house, the spinning room, etc.) are still standing, with mock ups for what they would have looked like in Washington's day. Also still standing were some of the slave quarters, with stories about specific slaves on display. You can still walk through Washington's "fruit gardens" (basically a  mini-orchard), go down to his wharf (where people still fish), and visit both his old and current tombs. There is also a memorial for the slaves of Mount Vernon, and a vague mention of their burial grounds, which is unmarked. The gift shops are amazing- and very large. they have a wide variety of items you can purchase, including regional foods and whiskey made at Washington's distillery about 3 miles away. There is also a restaurant on the premises, that I assume serves colonial food but I didn't have time to explore.

Mount Vernon Slave Memorial

Overall I enjoyed my time here, and I hope I can come and visit when I am not stuck at a Metro station for an hour trying to figure out how to get there. I loved how knowledgeable everyone I met was about the property and history. I also liked how much obvious care is given to maintaining the property, and how many different things there are to do. I disliked the poor crowd control in the mansion. Already dealing with small spaces, I felt not enough direction was given by staff to not only keep people going in the right direction, but also to have them be mindful of traffic flow and the others on the tour. One family had a son who was loud and kept running around, and they kept going against the flow of traffic after entering spaces. Another couple lingered in front of rooms having intimate conversations with each other for so long that anyone in back of them had to do quick glances of the same spaces before being hustled along. I think had the attendants asked them to keep it moving everyone would have had equal amounts of time to take everything in. I also was a little miffed at a comment one of the guides said on the second floor of the home- that slaves sacrificed their freedom to keep the home running, but the Washingtons sacrificed their privacy because of the influx of visitors they had. Um- excuse me?? I don't think anyone would equate the woes slavery with having too much company...I get what she was trying to say, but comparing the two was slightly offensive and probably should have been worded differently.

Did I mention this place was huge? I actually broke out into a sweat hoofing it from the wharf back up to the main grounds and was slightly out of breath. This place is not for those who would wear cute sandals or high heels, but is a definite must see for visitors to the area.

Washington's wharf...a lot further away than it looks I'll tell you that!

Finally, I want to comment on the fact that I did not include Southern or Western Virginia (as in the west of the state, not West Virginia the actual state) on this blog. One, I said early on that I have lots of friends from Virginia, and based on their suggestions, I saved myself a lot of time and money from going down into Smithfield to try and find Virginia ham. What I did get, though, was a fat can of Virginia peanuts- specifically Feridies peanuts from Courtland, Virginia. I had no idea that Virginia was also famous for growing peanuts (but have always known about it's tobacco and ham). Virginia peanuts tend to be larger and crunchier than peanuts grown elsewhere, and the honey roasted variety I purchased certainly fit that description. (By the way, peanuts are actually legumes- and not nuts...just another interesting factoid I picked up.)

So, Virginia is done. I hope you enjoyed my adventures into the state! Make sure you check out the Facebook page for more photos, and follow me on Twitter. We'll see you next adventure!

Washington, DC - Part II

My next few experiences are spread out over the course of about five weeks. As I mentioned earlier, the DC Metro area had been hit with an earthquake and a hurricane in less than two weeks which kind of put a damper on my travel plans. Either way, these are all things I haven't done before- so I'm sharing them with you! This will be my last installment for Washington, DC and I am a little misty eyed about it- my first stop of 51 completed!

Recall that my best friend was coming to visit me from New Jersey. Traffic was so horrible coming into the area that we missed our tour of the Capitol Building, and my passes for the House and Senate are still sitting on my living room table unused. I would like to point out that the process of reserving a tour online for the Capitol was very easy, but trying to reschedule (so that someone else could take our spots, I'm considerate!) was a NIGHTMARE. Following the instructions simply got me a second confirmation email sent to me- not a cancellation notice or a prompt to change the date or time. After two tries I gave up and hoped someone would see my efforts on their end. I will probably go later at some point in my life, but for the purpose of this blog I will not be able to post about it.

THE WHITE HOUSE

I also wasn't aware there was so much hoopla to try and get White House passes (seriously, pick up to ten vague dates as far as six months in advance? I understand it's the POTUS, but that's a bit ridiculous. Especially since you aren't even GUARANTEED any of the dates you request!). I put in requests for two separate dates- one of which was to to be this Saturday, but a last minute White House event cancelled that and had me rescheduled for the day BEFORE my original date in the middle of the work day. Epic fail White House!

Despite all this, I still managed to get a tour. Keep in mind that cameras and purses/bags are absolutely not permitted, so (again) I only have some bad shots of the outside taken with my camera phone to show you. The good thing is that there are several souvenir guides on sale all over the city that show the interior rooms- which by the way are absolutely grandiose and beautiful (especially if you like antiques and old stuff). Not too sure how practical it would be to actually LIVE there, but it is rather nice to imagine the First Family walking around and doing normal stuff like we would.

The confirmation you receive (which you MUST bring with you) advises that you should arrive at least 15 minutes before your assigned time. This is 100% necessary, as there are THREE checkpoints where you will be required to show your ID before you can even enter. Everyone must be accounted for- even babies- a fact I learned while one family was referred to a supervisor because their 5 or 6 month old wasn't listed on their party. The tour is self led- meaning there is no official guide. You walk on a predetermined path past the most popular room on the East side of the building (not the Oval Office or West Wing) and pretty much just look at all the antiques racked up over the years by different Presidents and their families. All but one of the guards stationed in each room were pretty quiet- with the one exception being a guard who obviously loves his job and was having a great time telling stories about events that took place in his room (the largest room in the White House). It was much appreciated, and very entertaining. You get to walk through the hallway where the President made the announcement about Osama Bin Laden's death (which isn't as grandiose as it looked on television) and hen head out the doors to leave. The entire process takes between 30-45 minutes, depending on how into reading labels you are. The cool part for me was as I was asking a guard a question on my way out, I saw what looked like Charlie Sheen in my peripheral vision (which of course made no sense) to be told that was one of President Bush's brothers (hopefully he wasn't pulling my leg)!

Very cool experience if you are super patriotic or obsessed with the Presidency- but if you find yourself unable to go, Googled pics of the most popular rooms will give you the same experience.


(image from AOL Travel)

THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM

I have to admit, I'm very spoiled by living in the DC area. This is one of the many private museums in the city that you have to pay to enter (versus the Smithsonians and the National Gallery of Art that are free), so I had high expectations. $21 dollars (yes I'm counting my online transaction fee!) is pretty steep for someone who is looking at having to pay her first student loan bill in mere weeks, but I went ahead and decided to go. (By the way, cameras are not allowed in here so the only pic I have IS of my ticket. Everything else is from the Internet. Also, not very spy-like to put my entire government name on my ticket! I've blocked out my last name for my own privacy.)

First, you are herded into an elevator, where an employee tells you that you have 5 minutes to assume the identity of a generic profile that will be on the walls of the room your are let into. That was a bit nerve racking (I wasn't prepared for memory tests! lol) but I got my cover down. Then you are led into a theater to watch a brief movie about espionage that is kind of an intro to what you are about to see. This was pretty decent- except at some point either other tourists got too pushy or someone didn't man the doors properly, because a second group not only burst in for the middle of our film, they had the gall to walk in front of the screen as if the twenty or so other people in the room weren't watching a film!



One of the galleries (image from businessweek.com)

After that, you gain access to the galleries. I was very impressed with the amount of information in each room. There were games, hands on activities, and short videos that were appropriate for all ages. There was even an "air duct" that you could crawl through. I was also very impressed with the way the information was presented, how the topics and subjects themes blended almost effortlessly, and how BIG the museum itself actually is. Who knew there was THAT much space inside of what looks like a teeny tiny building? We spent two hours there, and even then had to rush through some areas because the museum was about to close! My favorite galleries were about the Civil War era lady-spies, and the Russian KGB.

Towards the end of our stay we were approached by a staff person asking if we were staying for the adults-only tour afterwards. He explained that for about $10 more, we would go on a specialized spy mission and afterwards get a free cocktail. We had no other plans, so we went, and had an even BETTER time than in the museum! (Special thanks to our tour guide Miguel who probably thought me and my BFF were absolutely certifiably goofy by the end of the tour lol) Making up code names, tapping into "video surveillance" and "phone conversations", breaking into a man's "house" to search his office, making a getaway, and deciding on if our spy organization had been compromised was waaaaaayyy more fun than anything I've ever done in a museum before (and I love museums!). I won't go into too many details because you truly should check it out for yourselves- hint hint fellas, it makes a GREAT date. My best friend and I were one of two non-couple duos there. Everyone else was obviously in some sort of relationship.

Cracking into a safe on the "adult only" after hours experience. (image from americanzoom.org)

I was 100% overjoyed with my experience, and feel it was worth every penny! But I do have two down sides to my trip here.

First, the wild out of control kids. I get it parents; you want your children to have fun, learn, etc. I don't even expect kids to be quiet or even walk calmly in places like this that encourage interaction. But the children that were in the museum that afternoon were totally insane. Yelling and squealing like they were in a playground. Climbing on displays (and not the ones you are allowed to climb on). Opening doors that said "Do Not Open" while parents stood by and said nothing. One little girl kept running (and I mean RUNNING) into me so frequently that the fourth time she did it I grabbed her arm and told her I would tell her mother on her if she did it again. Only then did her mom apologize to me even though she witnessed all the other instances! I don't mean to get preachy, but it's unfair to everyone around if your kids don't know how to act reasonably around other people. The main selling point for me that day to go on the adults only after hours tour was the fact that there wouldn't be kids around- and that's a shame.

Second, the bartender at the end of the after hours portion was absolutely terrible. I don't drink alcohol, so all I was going to get was a tonic water with lime juice. I had to wait nearly 15 minutes for him to make everyone else's drinks (there were only about 8 of us total in my group) because he was completely unaware of how to make drinks, and when he figured it out, he took his sweet time to make them. When I finally got to order my water, he gave me a spiel about how he was new (OK, cool I get it now) and how he hoped to make lots of tips from my group (um, what? I don't think you are supposed to cajole your customers into giving you tips!) I feel for the guy, but I was a little put off by that.

THE MLK MEMORIAL

I made the trek (and by trek I mean about a 25-30 minute walk from the Air and Space Museum because there are no buses or subway stops close to the actual monument) down to the memorial the day it was originally supposed to be dedicated after I got off work. In case you missed the news, Hurricane Irene ended up causing the festivities to be postponed "indefinitely", but also left hundreds of people that had traveled to DC left without any formal programming.

As you can see, the weather cleared up, and it seemed everyone came down to the site regardless of the fact that all formal activities were off. It was PACKED, and I was very nervous of an overeager camera phone photographer was going to bump someone (namely me!) too hard by mistake and we would go flying into the Tidal Basin because there were no rails or other boundaries keeping you from jump hopping into the black water. The monument is kind of hidden if you aren't determined to find it- the National Parks Service hasn't yet updated the outside signage, and to be honest, I simply followed the flow of Black people to ensure I was going the right way. (Hint, stick to Independence Avenue and keep walking until about halfway past the (currently under rennovation) Reflecting Pool- the walkway to MLK will be on the left hand side of the street). It was a bit tricky trying to cross a busy street with no traffic signals or formal walkways to get TO the memorial, but as a city slicker I was ok with that.

Cool experience since it was new, but I don't see myself making that long walk there (or back) anytime soon again.

THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM

I have to admit that I was very hesitant to go to this place. One, I was skeptical about going to a teeny tiny aquarium when I have had my heart set on getting to the uber big one in Baltimore, Maryland for years. Turns out they are sister aquariums. So, after walking from the White House and ending up near their facility (in the basement of another Federal Building) I dedcided to go ahead and experience it for myself.

Overall, I think this place was worth my $9.95. The few staff members I actually got to meet were very friendly and seemed proud of their jobs, and they hinted at membership twice- but not in a used car salesman way, which I thought was appropriate. This place looks like it is SCREAMING for financial assistance, but that's probably because everything was so old. This is America's first aquarium, and it's current physical location has been in place since the 1930s. Everything was neat and clean, if not a little too dark, and there was a much wider variety of animals than I was expecting. Many of the fish seemed used to being gawked at, and returned the favor. One fish in particular followed me along the case- as if making sure I didn't try anything funny, which was a total hoot. I appreciated that many cases had notes added to them about interesting things happening at that time within them (for example, the shark tank pointed out the two types of shark eggs that were inside. First, who knew sharks laid eggs?? And second, the fact that one varitey looked like brown silly string and the other was shaped like a corkscrew really shocked me...I mean, corkscrew shaped eggs? Wow!) At 2PM there are various animal feedings that you can observe- the day I went was for the pirahanas, but I was way too early to watch that (even though your reciept from admission allows you to enter and exit once during the day, so I could have come back). The most frustrating parts were that many of the animals were sleeping (like the sharks- I thought they had died until I saw their bodies breathing!) or were missing altogether (like the octopi). Also, the pictures and names above many of the tanks did not match what was actually in there, so many of the fish I have no clue what they were. The gift shop was packed with stuff (almost to the point to too mnay options) and they had a lot of cute options for any and everything even partially related to the sea and nature available (including Sponge Bob...which made me chuckle when I saw him there).

He wanted me to know who was boss!

The kids in the aquarium were very excited, and I think this would be a good warm-up place to bring kids that haven't been to a really big aquarium or zoo yet. I could also see this as a really cute date spot, or a place to cool down after navigating the busy DC tourist pedestrian traffic.

You can see the rest of my pictures on my Facebook page (and make sure you "like" it as well! Oh, and cut me some slack, I wasn't able to take my new camera with me so there are grainy Blackberry photos. AND kudos to those that take pictures of swimming fish...that was very frustrating getting their attention long enough to take a photo without them whizzing past my poor cell phone!) Finally make sure you give me your feedback on places I should go (or avoid!) and let me know how you are liking things thus far.

Thanks for reading! I hope to have more updates for you soon!

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!

Presidential Box where Lincoln was shot.

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!