The Star-Spangled Sojourn (Part 6): More of Washington D.C.

- Oct. 20-21, 2015, Tuesday-Wednesday.

- Seeing how happy (like a kid) I was with my first 1.5 days in Washington D.C. (click here to see Part 5,) Dorenett promised me that I will enjoy more of Washington D.C., the nation's capital. Not only was it easy to navigate in Washington D.C., but the tourist sites were compact, so walking from one place to another was, literally, "a walk in the park." Not only that, the establishments and the monuments were quite majestic, though in a different an less overwhelming way than Manhattan.

- On early Tuesday morning, Dorenett accompanied me to see the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial, opened in 1922, was built to resemble a Doric Greek temple, but with a massive statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln inside. The temple and the statue reminded me of the seated Genghis Khan in the Sukhbataar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (click here to see,) or the seated Chiang Kai Shek in the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, or Sun Yat Sen in the Sun Yat Sen Memorial, the latter two being in Taipei, Taiwan (click here to see both.) The Lincoln Memorial is free of charge, and has a small store at the side. It should also be noted that the Lincoln Memorial is located at the far end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with the other side being the World War II Memorial, and ultimately, the Washington Memorial obelisk. My favorite thing about the memorial, however, was that it was where Martin Luther King, Jr. did his "I Have a Dream" speech. A marker is even placed on the part of the floor where he stood.

Greece? No. Washington D.C..

The skies of Washington D.C. are always filled with airplanes, since the Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport is close to the National Mall.

Martin Luther King's spot.

Hello Abe.

Touristy photo.

Yay for friendship!!

Lincoln's famous speech.

The very long reflecting pool.

Wearing something with an indigenous-American design.

FAT DUCKS.

Fat ducks like to swim in the reflecting pool.

Selfie skills.

- After visiting the memorial, we walked around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where plenty of memorials are placed. Due to our route for the day, we were only able to see the memorials on one side, and saved the other memorials for the day after. We first visited the Vietnam War Memorial. The Vietnam War was a Cold-War Era proxy battle (from 1955-1975) between democratic and communist forces. The US intervened during this war, lost. and with the North-Vietnamese communist government taking over the whole of Vietnam.

Statues of Vietnam-War soldiers.

Offerings.

Plenty of names.

The memorial was really really long.

More flower offerings.

- Along the path was the World War II Memorial, where not only the American states and soldiers were honored, but all the countries that "allied" with the USA that time (for those not into history, the USA was part of the "Allied Powers," and hence, the pun.) In the west, the Nazi Germans under Adolf Hitler wreaked havoc, which the Japanese "took care" of Asia during those times. As far as America is concerned, America was involved in both the western world and Asia during World War II.

Pillas for the countries that allied with the US.

With the Washington Memorial at the back.

Philippines represent!!

- When Dorenett and I were strolling along the World War II memorial, we saw a big group of veterans and their chaperones who fought in various wars (i.e. World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War.) There was also another man who was wearing a Scottish costume, and playing the bagpipe to entertain the veterans. We were not sure where he came from and how he was affiliated with the veterans, but he sure wasn't Scottish when we talked to him. Dorenett also whispered to me that he looked like Santa Claus. (Christmas came too early this year?)

Veterans.

Scottish....Santa Claus??

He was there mainly for the veterans.

Difference parts of American history.

He played his bagpipe so well!!

We were glad that he was more than happy to let us have a photo taken with him. 

Parts of the Philippines that were affected during the Second World War.

Last look.

- After visiting the WWII memorial, we crossed the street to see the Washington Memorial, an obelisk to honor George Washington. An observant eye will notice that the lower half of the obelisk has a slightly different hue than the upper half. This is because during 1854-1877, construction of the obelisk was halted due to two main reasons: a lack of funds and the American Civil War. Construction soon continued, and now it is the tallest obelisk in the world, and the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world.

Graphic.

Notice the difference in color?

- People may go up the obelisk by purchasing tickets, and as always, purchasing online in advance is the most advisable. Since I was not interested in going up to save time (and after doing a little research to see what's inside,) I opted not to buy a ticket in advance. People may also buy tickets on the spot, but just like the case for the Statue of Liberty (click here to see,) chances of being able to successfully purchase a ticket on the spot are slim; tickets will most likely be sold out by then.

- During our visit to the obelisk, I totally forgot to do a tourist photoshoot (apart from the normal selfies) because of a certain person who kept talking to his phone (for hours probably) while walking back and forth THE VERY MIDDLE of the monument, ruining everyone's tourist photos (especially OC people like me.) He stressed me out very much, as well as other occasional tourists who wanted to have a perfect postcard-worthy photo of the obelisk. I semi-forgave him after I overheard his loud phone conversation about him getting a job, and asking specific details about the job with probably the HR or the boss of his future job. (Congratulations to you random mister, but please, next time, although I know you had every right to be standing/walking around where you were, please be sensitive enough to not ruin everyone's tourist photo by standing at the very center of a tourist spot for a long long time. In my case for example, if I were doing a photoshoot, and I realize that people would like to take their tourist photos, I let them take their photos first because I know they won't take as long as I would.)

View of the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial with yet another airplane, from the Washington Memorial.

Obelisk!!

It kind of looks like a giant sundial.

Photograph worthy.

The difference in color might be seen more here.

Normal tourist selfie.

- After that minor stress/headache in the middle of the day, the man finally left the spot and while I got to have my regular tourist photo, I, again, forgot to do my photoshoot. Also, it was past noon, so the hunger probably added to why I forgot to do the (what I assume will be a very quick) shoot. Despite that, I had a plan B in mind, so I was able to quickly shrug the whole situation off. (And again, I was truly happy for the man who got what seemed to be a job he really wanted, even though he did stress me out.)

- Dorenett and I proceeded to the main area of the National Mall, and checked out the Smithsonian Castle. The Castle is main/central building of the Smithsonian Institution, and while it houses a lot of offices and probably other secret stuff, as for the tourists, it only serves as a place where they can get maps of and further guides to the Smithsonian museums within the National Mall and beyond. It also has a small museum shop, a cafe, and teasers to the other museums; there is not much to see inside and the best thing about the Smithsonian Castle is the facade.

The National Museum of Natural History, from the other side of the National Mall.

The Smithsonian Castle.

Yay!!

Remains of James Smithson, the brainchild of the Smithsonian Institution.

- We eventually decided to have lunch inside the National Air and Space Museum, since Dorenett told me that they had a bigger cafeteria inside (and bigger cafeteria means a happier tummy.) Speaking of the National Air and Space Museum, it seems to be one of the most popular Smithsonian Museums, particularly for the kids. While the National Museum of Natural History appeals to the dinosaur and animal fantasies of children, the National Museum of Air and Space appeals to those who look to study about airplanes, spaceships, flight, and space. Actual models of old planes, jets, satellites, and small rockets are also exhibited in the museum. (However, I did hear that the Steven F. Udar-Hazy Center in neighboring Virginia, the annex of the Smithsonian National Museum of Air and Space, houses even larger space ships and satellites; if only I had the time, I would've gone there too.)

Quite popular with kids.

An astronaut's stuff.

Wright Brothers.

Model of one the Wright Brothers' airplane.

Amelia Earhart's standee and red plane.

With Ms. Earhart.

Nice hot air balloon.

Satellites.

Missile.

Unique planes.

More modern planes.

Model of a military airbase on water.

More old planes.

Airplane engine.

Nazi plane.

See the swastika.

- Despite having little knowledge on the technical aspect of airplanes, jets, and satellites, I was able to look at everything with childlike wonder, because I haven't seen so many oddly-shaped planes, satellites, and the like housed under one roof. Replicas of the original planes by the Wright Brothers were also there, as well as the bright red plane of Amelia Earhart (with a matching Amelia standee) were among the highlights of the museum. Also, the well-known Hubble Space Telescope (a replica I suppose) is also in the museum; the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the largest space satellites/telescopes that has been helping the scientists understand space more.

Planes and more planes.

Another old-style plane.

La Minerve - a conceptual luxury hot air balloon  from the 1700s.

Small rockets.

Hubble Space Telescope.

Nazi blimp.

- To end the day, we went to one of my personal favorites - the National Museum of the American Indian, the main building of the museum of the same name in Bowling Green, Manhattan (click here to read about it.) This one in Washington D.C. has a higher structure than the one in Manhattan. However, there is also not much inside since the actual exhibition galleries only occupy half of the building. Still, the pieces exhibited were highly fascinating. As with the one in Manhattan, "American Indian" does not only refer to the indigenous groups in the USA, but this includes the ones in Canada and Latin America.

We're here!!

Large totems outside the museum.

Beaded shoes.

Ritual costume.

Inside an Indian house.

"Tree of Life."

Animal masks.

I like the crab. Hahahaha.

Mayan ritual knife.

Inca cloth.

Decorated horse.

Dolls!!

- Dorenett left me pretty much alone in the museum, because little did I know that I've dragged her around Washington D.C. with little time to rest the whole day. I usually get carried away when I travel, because I always want to experience so much in little time. I am also a naturally-fast walker, which is one of the things my good friends "complain" about me (sorry friends.)

Made by one of the well-respected indigenous-American carvers.

Dance headdress.

Tired friend waiting for me.

Hello Dor, we can go home and rest now. Hahahaha.

- That night John came home earlier, and the couple brought me to a burger place built by Bobby Flay. It was definitely the best way to reward ourselves after having a long fun day. I even treated myself to a Kahlua milk shake to accompany my burger. Now that was the highlight of dinner.

- The following day, I had the chance to wander around Washington D.C. alone, since Dorenett had to do some important errands for the whole day. I promised her (like the good little boy I was,) that I would be back around 5:30-6pm, and that she didn't need to worry about me while she took care of her important errands.

- I first went back to the White House to look at it more. I also got to see/notice the Dwight Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which was built in the late 1800s for the State, War, and Navy Departments. It now houses most of the offices of the White House staff. Afterwards I walked around the White House along "The Ellipse" to see the other side (south side) of the White House.
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Hello!!

It looks like a Mickey-Mouse/Disneyland haunted house, no?

Another look at the White House.

Now back at the more architecturally-appealing Eisenhower Building.

It looks amazing even from afar.

The south side of the White House. People are more familiar of this side.

The evergreen "National Christmas Tree" and the Washington Memorial at the back.

- I eventually reached the Lincoln Memorial, and went to the other side of the reflecting pool to visit the memorials that I missed the day before. The first one I visited was the Korean War Memorial, in honor of the soldiers that perished during the early 1950s, when the proxy war between North and South Korea ended up in the separation of Korea into two at the 38th Parallel.

While walking along the reflecting pool.

Yes, the Philippines took part in the Korean War.

South Korea.

A frozen, dew-ornamented spider web.

Solder statues.

An offering by Seoul National University.

I think the memorial was nicely-built.

India participated too.

- On the way to the Tidal Basin for the remaining memorials, I also passed by the D.C. Memorial, a small dome-shaped gazebo-style memorial in honor of all soldiers from D.C. who perished in various wars.

D.C. Memorial.

- The Tidal Basin is a large, well, basin, where the Martin Luther King, Jr., Theodore D. Roosevelt, and the Jefferson Memorials are located. The basin is also located at the southern most part of Washington D.C., and is only separated from Virginia by a bridge. Walking around the basin is not for those who hate walking, but the fantastic view of the Lincoln Memorial can distract people from feeling tired. The three memorials around the large basin, made in the mid to late 1900s, are also equally spaced apart, more or less, so people can stop and look at something at some point while strolling around the basin. All of the memorials are open 24 hours a day, with no entrance fee. Benches within the memorials and at some random spots around the basin are placed, so people can rest.

Hello idol.

I really like this guy, and oh, there's Martin Luther King at the back. (Just kidding.)

This awesome view distracts you from feeling tired.

This memorial felt like a maze.

Roosevelt had polio.

His wheelchair.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

View of the Pentagon (in Virginia,) from Washington D.C.

Jefferson Memorial.

Entrance.

Thomas Jefferson in his dome.

It seems as if it's a dome/hall fit for the Olympian gods.

- The only moment I got to sit down was during my visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) near the basin and the National Mall. The museum, opened in 1993, was built not only to educate the people about the Holocaust in Germany. Apart from that, there were some areas dedicated to the Khmer Holocaust that happened during Polpot's regime in Cambodia.

Another very American photo on the way to the Holocaust Museum.

I first saw the Cambodian Genocide/Holocaust area.

At the second floor there is a memorial for those that perished in the WWII Holocaust.

Places where the Holocause happened.

Jewish-motif.

Another hall showing the Cambodian Genocide.

From the victims of the Khmer Rouge.

Flags of military units from the US that were sent to Germany.

- At first I thought the museum was small, with, strangely, a minimal number of items exhibited. When I was almost on my way out, I saw people entering a large elevator, so I followed. Just as we were about to enter, the museum staff gave each of us a small "identification card" - each one unique. Inside the card is a photo of a real person who lived during the Holocaust, and some pieces of information about the person are printed inside as well, such as the person's birth date, birth place, occupation, and some life experiences.

My "identification card."

I got a person from Greece.

- Upon reaching the fourth floor, that's when I realized that the main exhibit halls are located there. Uniforms, signs, trains, dioramas, flags, photos, and other items gathered from the Holocaust sites were exhibited there. The very extensive exhibit halls sent chills down my spine, as I read through what the people went through during the Holocaust, and as I saw the photos of innocent people whose fates were played around by the Nazis.

Nazi uniform.

Measuring the "perfect race."

Hitler behind bars.

Nazi flag behind bars.

Photos of all those who perished, and those who may have survived too.

Anne Frank.

This train too the Jews to execution camps; needless to say the train carts always came back empty.

Diorama of the Jews in the gas chambers.

Shoes from those executed.

Those who were killed were cremated.

Jewish epitaphs.

Outside the museum.

- After a depressing eye-opener in the USHMM, I went back to the Washington Memorial to finally do that photoshoot I forgot to do the day before. I even brought my shirt from the day before, which wasn't soiled, and wasn't stinky. I just put it on top of my shirt for the day and did a couple of jump shots. I could feel that some of the other tourists wanted to do what I was doing, based on body language, and some even took the liberty of doing their own jump shots (hey, the more the merrier.)

The casual shot.

The creative shot.

- I realized that it was way past noon, so I walked to the National Mall, towards the Smithsonian Castle. However, I passed by the Freer Gallery, and thought of visiting it even though I was quite hungry. Little did I know that I was in for a "little" treat. The Freer Gallery is home to mainly Asian and some Egyptian art. The neighboring Sackler Gallery, which can be accessed through an underground passage, also contain the same kinds of art. The next-door museum, the National Museum of African Art, contained contemporary African art, though traditional African art (i.e. masks, sculptures, etc.) can also be seen there.

Freer Gallery of Art.

Gandhara art.

Japanese guardian.

Oriental art in the peacock room.

This room used to be owned by a rich British man.

Such detail.

Cuneiform, I think at the Sackler.

Gandhara art at the Sackler Gallery.

From Sackler....

....to the Museum of African Art.

Don't mind if I do!!

African doll.

Mask.

Another ritual mask.

Animal pendants.

An African ceremonial wig.

- I finally reached the Smithsonian Castle and had a light lunch there. Before heading out for my late afternoon agenda, I went around the ground floor of the castle, and saw a small room that has pieces from each of the Smithsonian museums in the National Mall. You can say that it's a teaser gallery for all the Smithsonian museums.

Inside the "teaser gallery." My favorite bird.

Romanesque architecture.

Edison's lamp.

Giant bird-eating spider.

Iranian tile.

The birds are stuffed.

Yay for Smithsonian.

With James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institution.

- For the rest of the afternoon, I visited the National Museum of American History, which opened in 1964. The three floors had, of course, galleries that represented the different eras of American history, although it concentrated more on when the Caucasians started expanding their population in the country (in short, the native American Indians were largely ignored in the museum.) It irked me a bit, although I thought that the American Indians do have their own museums across the country, including the one by the Smithsonian, so I was able to calm down instantly. The galleries at the upper floors were era-based, while those from the lower levels were theme-based (i.e. popular culture, food, transportation and locomotion, etc.)

I barely know anything about American History.

"THERE HE IS!!"

George Washington's garb.

Spies used to wear common things like this ensemble. Spies were usually female.

It's a real helicopter used during the Vietnam War.

George Washington's chair.

Side by side with the president and the first lady.

Gowns worn by the past first ladies.

The gown worn by Michelle Obama during Barrack Obama's inauguration.

Michelle Obama's accessories.

Old house.

Kermit the Frog!!

Old steam train.

Julia Child!!

Nice antique car.

An old locomotive.

Steam-powered car.

- I walked back to Dorenett's place and reach the condo around 5:30-6pm, as promised, and Dorenett told me that she was a bit worried that I might lose my way. I proudly told her that I did not even use a map the whole day, though the occasional arrow guides on the streets confirmed that my mental map was still correct. We "celebrated" my achievement of not getting lost by eating a big meal at a burrito restaurant near her place. It was also a way to recharge myself, so I can have more energy to go out and see D.C. once more the day after - on my last full day. Part 7, the last part, will be up soon!! (Please don't forget to read parts 1 here, 2 here, 3  here, 4 here, 5 here, 7 here.)