And these pictures will conclude my photography during my Washington D.C. trip. However, this is not to say that I did not get to see some other sights. So, before proceeding on to the concluding images, allow a rundown of a few other places that I had the opportunity to visit and found particularly noteworthy:
The Holocaust Museum: This memorial / exhibit was probably the single most fascinating sight that I had the opportunity to visit. There is so much history and material to see here that is tough to describe in words. The museum does an excellent job of causing one to fail the pain of genocide. It comes across as a very authentic representation of the pain that must have been felt by those so unfortunate to have to deal with such traumatic times.
The International Spy Museum: This was a fun time. However, I really found it to be a bit over-the-top and perhaps geared towards a more interactive, younger visitor. I guess I like facts and stories of bravery and the focus here was on gadgets and adventure. Also, it should be noted that entrance here costs money (about $15) which is differently then any of the other sights noted. All this being said, it is worth the time to visit.
The National Gallery of Art: There is the one of the many museums that I wish I had more time to spend in. I quickly passed through before their closing for the time. This was an absolutely amazing place and my first opportunity in my lifetime to visit a genuine art gallery. I enjoyed it.
The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum: Again, this is another museum that I caught just before closing. I had wanted to visit their Imax theater as well as their flight simulators but simply did not enter in time. But by merely walking through, a visitor gets a good fearing for the wealth of knowledge that is available here.
And, of course, I ate at several different locales:
The Union Pub on Capitol Hill which is home to my favorite bartender, whom happens to also be my sister.
In the same breathe, I have to mention the local Buca di' Beppo in DuPont Circle that is the place of employment of many a friend of mine.
I only visited Adam's Morgan (D.C.'s hip party / bar / club scene) once this trip and had an awesome time at the rooftop bar at The Reef.
The Capitol City Brewing Company: Home brewed beer and awesome bar food. My sister raved about the pulled pork tacos which I sampled and found absolutely delicious. Located in the old Post Office building near Union Station.
ESPNZone: My review here is purely negative. The wings tasted bad, all side bars were closed so that the main (and only remaining open) one stayed unpleasantly packed. The service was shoddy. I didn't stick around to mess with the arcades or the more interactive displays, but as a source of grub, it only disappointed.
Tunnicliff's: This is a restaurant / tavern directly across from the Eastern Market preferred by locals. I had an amazing pizza there. It was like a Margarita pizza, but I remember its exact title being something different. Whatever the name, it was absolutely superb.
Murky Coffee: Also located near the Eastern Market, I traveled the few blocks here daily (and passed many Starbucks each time) to purchase their particularly rich and tasty Americano's. Great, funky little coffee shop.
And the Eastern Market itself is the location where weekend vendors come out to sell their fresh produce, art, and collectibles. It's like a clean, vibrant flea-market. It used to be held in a building that had recently been burnt pretty badly. The vendors now set up shop outdoors, although the neighborhood is working hard to restore the old, traditional building. I would definitely recommend shopping here when all the vendors are present on any given weekend. I bought fresh corn on the cob and strawberries. My sister picked up the most severely spicy marinaid that I have ever devoured at a place called Uncle Brotha's. Great store at a great location.
And, now, on to the final day's worth of pictures.
Day Four:
It may be difficult to really discern in this image, but the fountains and mast shown here make up the U.S. Navy Monument. It doesn't stick out like the other monuments but I find that to be the intriguing aspect of this particular memorial. It has a great location on Pennsylvania Avenue directly in front of the National Archives and its beauty is in the way that it just sort of blends in. The mast, for example, feels natural in its position. And that is despite the fact that it is a ship's mast in the middle of the city. It's just a well-down memorial.
This building houses the National Archives and also sits across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Navy Memorial. I was really excited to see all the artifacts stored here, however an exceedingly long queue of visitors extending from its entrance (which is actually on the opposite side then visible here) prohibited me from doing so. This is also were I saw my first motorcade: at least ten police bikes, sirens and lights screaming, several black SUV's, a couple of presidential-looking black sedans and a trailing parade of more police in cars and on bikes. I am easily star-struck so I find this noteworthy.
The FBI Headquarters building as seen from the National Archives property. Again, this is another building whose massive size is made less dramatic by photography. This building consumes, at least, a full city block and stands many stories tall. Along with its sheer size, the industrial-style of its architecture causes this to be a foreboding structure.
This is the old Post Office building that was mentioned in the above description of Capitol City Brewing Company which is housed here. The tavern is just a small portion of this gigantic place. Unfortunately, it is also the only part that I had the opportunity to visit. This is still a very impressive building to stand outside of.And the concludes my vacation and your tour. I hope you enjoyed. Click here to return to the beginning.
