Washington DC
We have our second Ama, Ama and grandchild trip successfully completed. This time we took our very first grandchild, aka #1, to Washington DC. My husband and I took our three children there as a family vacation when they were growing up. I have always wanted to go back in the spring to see the cherry blossoms and that is exactly what we did this past April.
Our last AAG(Ama, Apa, grandchild)trip to South Dakota, involved traveling in an RV. We opted to travel by rail this go around and thus our journey begins. Chicago’s Union Station is huge, very architectural and comes with celebrity status. I sat in the same spot Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney did in My Best Friends Wedding!
We boarded our train at 6:30pm arriving in Washington DC around 3pm the next day. The trip was lovely allowing us room to spread out and relax.
Cherry blossoms typically bloom anytime between mid March, to mid April.
The trees, 3,000 of them, were a gift in 1912 from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. Even though they arrived in 1912, the process of bringing them to Washington DC was initiated by a request from Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore in 1885.
Scidmore approached the U.S. army superintendent, asking that trees be planted along the Potomac River. Her request was repeatedly denied and in early 1909 she decided to raise the funds herself and wrote a letter to the First Lady, Helen Taft detailing her plan. It was enthusiastically received!
Coincidently in April 1909, Dr. Jokichi Takamine was visiting D.C. and offered 2,000 cherry trees to the First Lady. The trees arrived on January 6, but sadly were infected with disease and had to be destroyed.
Japan offered a second shipment which arrived on March 26, 1912 to be planted along the Tidal Basin.
The trees were absolutely spectacular!
We took a moonlight trolly tour of the DC Monuments, which was incredible. Seeing them at night is entirely different than by day, as they are illuminated with the back drop of the evening darkness.
The Lincoln Memorial is my favorite. The true meaning of the memorial is often overlooked even though it is right in front of us. Repeated throughout the memorial itself the designers have placed fasces, a bundle of rods tied by a leather thong.
In ancient Roman times, the fasces were a symbol of power and authority. As you approach the memorial, you will pass the first set of fasces at the base of the stairs. The fasces indicate power and authority with an American twist. A bald eagle sits on top of an axe, with thirteen rods in the fasces, representing the thirteen original colonies. The rods are bound together, standing for the union of the states and their bond by the Constitution.
Once inside the chamber, the fasces appear again and again, this time however, without the axe. This image is the essence of what our country stands for. Many states form one nation, each one being weak individually but strong together.
Our first full day in DC we started at the National Archives Museum. You can’t get tickets and they only allow an allotted number in at a time. Subsequently, we stood in line, in the rain. It was totally worth it even though it was not what I remembered.
Like I said we brought our children here on a family vacation when they were growing up. My husband and I remembered the constitution being housed in a vault, underground, in a vehicle similar to an elevator, raised during the day and lowered at night. Not any more. I even asked one of the guards if my memory was correct. His response was that they made a movie, National Treasure, and told all the secrets, so they came up with a different plan.
It is amazing nontheless. Another guard pointed out the signatures on the constitution.
George Washington is first and Benjamin Franklin is first in the last section, both signing with a capital letter for their first name, followed by their last.
The chamber is dimly lit and you are not allowed to take any pictures.
I did however, take a picture of a picture, of the Constitution. I think it is astounding to see George Washington and Benjamin Franklin’s signatures.
Next stop, The Smithsonian Museum Of Natural History. This was our grandsons favorite. The museum holds more than 146 million objects making it the largest collection of natural history in the world. Everything from the African Bush Elephant, Egyptian Mummies, fossils, anything natural history, including the Hope Diamond! We spent several hours there before heading to the Museum Of Air and Space.
There are actually 19 museums making The Smithsonian Institute the worlds largest education and research complex.
Sunday was Palm Sunday and we went to church at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is the Largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the ten largest Catholic Churches in the world. It was spectacular and a treat to be part of the service on such a significant day.
From church we traveled across the bridge to Arlington National Cemetery. Nearly 400,000 people are buried on its 639 acres and it was established during the American Civil War on May 13, 1864.
It takes my breath away to look out over the thousands of crosses marking graves, knowing that the only reason I am standing there, is because these people died.
Part of our tour included the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The monument is dedicated to deceased U.S. service members, whose remains have not been identified. Four people have been buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one each for World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The body representing Vietnam was identified and later exhumed. It was decided that that crypt would remain empty.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather, by soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the “Old Guard”.
“The Old Guard” is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, serving since 1784.
The Tomb Guards are known as Sentinels and are chosen for this honor after rigorous training and demanding examinations. The guard must be in excellent physical condition, have an unblemished military record and between 5’10” to 6’4″ tall for men and 5’8″to 6’2″ tall for women, proportionate weight and build.
Once selected, their commitment is for two years and will live in the barracks beneath the tomb.
Upon completion of their term, they receive a wreath pin to be worn on their lapel signifying they were a guard of the tomb. They are required to obey a list of rules for the rest of their lives or forfeit the pin. There are currently 400 pins being worn.
The ceremony is precisely detailed, lasting approximately 4 minutes long, happening every hour on the hour October 1 through March 31 and every half hour April 1 through September 30.
Monday was our tour of the capital, which started with a visit to Senator Ron Johnson’s office. We traveled between the senate building and capital via an underground tunnel.
We saw the House of Representatives chamber and my favorite, the whispering room. The half-dome shape of the National Statuary Hall produces an acoustical effect where in some spots the speaker several yards away can be heard.
We next traversed the National Mall, going back to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History(our grandson’s favorite), The Smithsonian Museum of American History, Smithsonian Museum Indian History and the Vietnam Memorial.
Something I think is very interesting is that The Washington Monument is the tallest building in the District of Columbia and you can see it at every turn.
Monday evening we sat on the riverside wharf in Georgetown, overlooking the Potomac and watched planes fly into Ronald Regan Washington Airport.
Our train ride home was a welcome respite from the non-stop moving of the last 5 days. We had the most wonderful time sharing all these experiences with our grandson, memories we shall hold close to our hearts for a lifetime.
