We continue our Constitutional adventure in the capital - Capitol Hill, actually! - in time for Independence Day! Happy early Independence Day to all the Americans I know and love.
D.C. has two initials and one word: Grandeur. I learned that the District of Columbia was formed by George Washington to prevent any single colony or state from feeling favoritism or animosity in response to perceived favoritism. This metropolis is at the forefront of the continuing legacy of independence and is a symbol of freedom to so many, as reflected in its architecture and declarations.
Yesterday, thanks to my friend, Lucas Ballet, we had a guided tour of Capitol Hill given generously by Rosalie Abbott, an intern to Senator Begich of Alaska. We saw the House of Representatives, the old Supreme Court which sat inside the Capitol building for the first fifty years, the Statuary where states donate statues of influential people in their histories. Afterwards, we walked to the White House, napped in front of the Washington Monument, and made the pilgrimage to the Vietnam memorial, the Korea Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and finally, the Lincoln Memorial, which was the most moving. Lincoln's passion to abolish slavery and keep the Union together was a difficult political path to say the least, but one that legally changed this country forever and narrowed the double standard in the interpretation of the Constitution. It was breathtaking to look over at sunset across the reflecting Pool to Capitol Hill. The beauty of the Mall is not the White House - it is dwarfed in comparison to the buildings that represent equal separate powers: Judicial, Executive and Legislative, and by the persistence of memory of the values on which this country is founded as enshrined by the surrounding edifices: Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and Bill of Rights, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. these buildings represent memories about the virtues of representation, the right to representation, the dignity of representation of living and deceased citizens. The Capitol building itself, burned two years after it was completed, represents an unparalleled determination to build a nation.
When in Rome... Our friend and former housemate, Anastasia, recently moved to D.C. and invited us to dance at a free jazz concert in the Mall near the Smithsonian (the Mall is the land that stretches across Capitol hill and the monuments, not a shopping centre!). It was packed and a beautiful evening. Jim and i salsa danced near the band and had a great time. It was a great way to unwind after a very moving day.
After breakfast with our friend and host, Rob Orr, we met up with Anastasia and all of us went to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. There was a Muybridge exhibit of photographs taken in the 19th century and a Chuck Close exhibit of his printmaking and utensils. What a genius! It was a great change of pace and allowed me to soak in the art from a museum that I have heard so much about! We had a late lunch and then our guidebook had a walking tour of Georgetown, which is not close by, so we hopped in the car and toured around the quaintest neighbourhood in the nation's capital! the high street has many shops, but we savoured the architecture, the idiosyncratic mansions and had so much fun spending time with each other. Fondest memories include opera impersonations near a cemetary of a youtube video, Jim,s endless puns and jokes.
We will probably avoid the crowds tomorrow and bid farewell to D.C., a beautiful city of grandeur and grander memories spent in the company of friends.
D.C. has two initials and one word: Grandeur. I learned that the District of Columbia was formed by George Washington to prevent any single colony or state from feeling favoritism or animosity in response to perceived favoritism. This metropolis is at the forefront of the continuing legacy of independence and is a symbol of freedom to so many, as reflected in its architecture and declarations.
Yesterday, thanks to my friend, Lucas Ballet, we had a guided tour of Capitol Hill given generously by Rosalie Abbott, an intern to Senator Begich of Alaska. We saw the House of Representatives, the old Supreme Court which sat inside the Capitol building for the first fifty years, the Statuary where states donate statues of influential people in their histories. Afterwards, we walked to the White House, napped in front of the Washington Monument, and made the pilgrimage to the Vietnam memorial, the Korea Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and finally, the Lincoln Memorial, which was the most moving. Lincoln's passion to abolish slavery and keep the Union together was a difficult political path to say the least, but one that legally changed this country forever and narrowed the double standard in the interpretation of the Constitution. It was breathtaking to look over at sunset across the reflecting Pool to Capitol Hill. The beauty of the Mall is not the White House - it is dwarfed in comparison to the buildings that represent equal separate powers: Judicial, Executive and Legislative, and by the persistence of memory of the values on which this country is founded as enshrined by the surrounding edifices: Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and Bill of Rights, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. these buildings represent memories about the virtues of representation, the right to representation, the dignity of representation of living and deceased citizens. The Capitol building itself, burned two years after it was completed, represents an unparalleled determination to build a nation.
When in Rome... Our friend and former housemate, Anastasia, recently moved to D.C. and invited us to dance at a free jazz concert in the Mall near the Smithsonian (the Mall is the land that stretches across Capitol hill and the monuments, not a shopping centre!). It was packed and a beautiful evening. Jim and i salsa danced near the band and had a great time. It was a great way to unwind after a very moving day.
After breakfast with our friend and host, Rob Orr, we met up with Anastasia and all of us went to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. There was a Muybridge exhibit of photographs taken in the 19th century and a Chuck Close exhibit of his printmaking and utensils. What a genius! It was a great change of pace and allowed me to soak in the art from a museum that I have heard so much about! We had a late lunch and then our guidebook had a walking tour of Georgetown, which is not close by, so we hopped in the car and toured around the quaintest neighbourhood in the nation's capital! the high street has many shops, but we savoured the architecture, the idiosyncratic mansions and had so much fun spending time with each other. Fondest memories include opera impersonations near a cemetary of a youtube video, Jim,s endless puns and jokes.
We will probably avoid the crowds tomorrow and bid farewell to D.C., a beautiful city of grandeur and grander memories spent in the company of friends.
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