Our flight from Boston was pretty smooth, as all the flights have been so far. Fingers crossed they stay that way. An Uber to our accommodation took us through the rather salubrious neighbourhood we are staying in - Georgetown. It is a university town, really ritzy, a bit Paddo, a bit Woollahra, but with those quaint American terraces you see in all the movies. USA is really like one big movie set. I think all the people think they are actors, too, or maybe it is just that we have been brought up on American TV and nothing seems real. Not sure. I will get back to you. Where was I? Oh yeah.
Our house is lovely. Really beautifully furnished, classy art work, swanky fittings, little back yard. Nice to have a proper house for four nights and the area is loaded with great coffee shops, restaurants and bars. Our first little wander was to see the famous “Exorcist” staircase that Linda Blair kept chucking people down, the little devil.
John did a neat re enactment for the photo.
He couldn’t quite manage the 180 degree head twist, but good effort, Hurrah!
Despite FOMO, I took off home to rest my weary bones, my hip is giving me hell, but the rest of the troop managed to find the bar where Kennedy proposed to little Jackie Bouvier, where George Dubya and a ton of other former presidents threw on the nose bag. My FOMO was well founded.
Found a top little Mexican joint at the bottom of our street that served up a storm, cheap and tasty, so we have settled into Washington DC and ready to whip up some tourist miles in the days ahead.
Museum a go go.
Our first tourist day was a museum a thon. We all felt we should start with The Holocaust Museum, given the reputation and recommendations of those who have been. We had our first taste of full on security screening as we entered, something we will, no doubt, get used to.
It is the most extraordinary museum I have ever been through. The Holocaust has been etched into our psyche through documentary, film, images, books but this was something else. Beginning with the austere lift taking you inside the atmosphere is stark and powerful.
Set out chronologically, it commences with a short film on Hitler’s rise to power and the world history of anti Semitism, then it tracks the Nazis implementation of Mein Kampf, the alienation of Jewish businesses, Kristallnacht, the burning of The Reichstag, right through to The Final Solution and the uncovering of the camps at the end of the war. The displays and film, the newspaper articles, the photos of the victims, the voice recordings, the shoes (my god) graphically demonstrate the inhuman brutality of the regime. The impact of the museum was relentless. Such an emotional experience that will be impossible to forget.
Not sure where we were heading next, we chose the African American Museum, knowing that it had been booked out. Strangely, there was no queue. The lift takes you underground, the tour commences in the basement with the story of the slave trade that rode on the back of the colonisation of Africa, South America and Asia. The Portuguese topped the slave count, capturing almost double their next best rival The Brits. Following on the heels of the Holocaust Museum this was a continuation of the theme, the tragic history of the African American. It was brilliant. Full on film, facts and figures, stark pictures, news accounts of the treatment of the blacks throughout American history. The Civil War had as many economic causes as humanitarian, the North were being killed economically by the South because of slavery and had to become more competitive, Abraham Lincoln wanted to free the slaves, but send them offshore not into American society, Washington and Jefferson had hundreds of slaves. So much I didn’t know. I came across Debbie and Michele crying, overwhelmed by the two museums, then slightly hysterical. It was full on.
There was much more to see, but we restricted ourselves to two hours. You could spend a day here.
Our next museum was the Air and Space Museum. All of these Smithsonian museums, there are 27 in all bequeathed by John Smithson a British scientist, are free and within the Washington precinct and this one, while not as emotionally engaging as the first two was also fascinating, particularly the space race and the Apollo sections. Great displays of Lunar modules, Hubble telescope, V2 rocket and much, much more.
Stayed in for dinner, taking advantage of our lovely place, having chicken rolls. Yum. Food bought from enormo-gigantor supermarket that sells lots of alcohol. Yay.
Uber lady kidnaps us
The Uber lady driver loved a chat, she sure did. We have had Uber drivers from Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Peru, and this one from Ghana was an expert in celebrity face lifts. She gave us her opinion on the work that Kenny Rogers has had, Priscilla Presley (so pretty, now she look like a doll on a stick) and her plans to return to her home to open a restaurant. No matter how many times we told her we wanted to go to The Lincoln Centre she was determined to take us to Arlington Cemetery and she got her own way. Oh well. Never mind. Learned a lot about celebrity face lifts.
We took the trolley tour of Arlington seeing JFK and Jackie grave, the tens of thousands of military graves and watched the changing of the guard. The military pervades every aspect of life here. The changing of the guard is really ridiculous, young guys so intense, shoes polished like mirrors, the sharpest creases you have ever seen, sunglasses, crewcuts, moving like robots, going through a series of silly, silly ritual movements as the gun is handed over. Loud grunts of nonsense when you least expect it keeps you on your toes. We had to put our hands over our hearts and I wished I had my duck call quacker, I really did. Just give him the gun and bundy off with a “Morning Ralph, Morning Sam” for God’s Sake!
Then we took on the long walk, from Arlington to Capitol Hill, along The National Mall, taking in Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool a total of six km. It was a big work out for my poor, battered body, but so worth it. What an impressive city this is. I asked an older guy about his cap. All over the place you see caps that display the wearer’s war record - “combat wounded” or “ Viet Vet.” He explained that you buy them, so there is no quality control. I could get one with “Marine Corps Korea” if I wanted. He stressed his was legit. But he also tried to tell me that Australian troops did not fight in World War One, so he wasn’t that reliable.
It was a huge walking day.
We ate at the Washington Carmine’s. Not as good as New York. How posh did that sound?
Indians, Washington and Don’s little pad.
With a million choices of museums we haven’t seen yet, we settled on the American Indian Museum. Marty was a big fan of F Troop and was expecting it would get a start, but I told him not to get his hopes up. It was very interesting, taking the spiritual angle of the culture as the main focus, but also giving a great coverage of the endless treaties negotiated over the years, each one eventually shafting the native Americans in the end regardless of the initial intention. The story is a parallel with the Australian Aboriginal, but we didn’t even get to the treaty stage here. It was low key and after the power of some of the other museums, a little underwhelming.
A long Uber ride to Mount Vernon to see Washington’s house. Interesting to be in the home of the great man, loved to death over here. It seems he was truly a great leader of men, with vision and compassion. The slave question always raises its head though, he had a couple of hundred here. They were doing an archaeological dig at the slaves burial ground, where there are no head stones or names. Different times, I suppose. They reckon he was 6 foot 2. A circus freak by 1770 standards. Rewriting history possibly?
We finished the day with the big photo opportunity outside Donny’s pad. Huge exclusion zone. Disappointed Don didn’t opt for a new colour scheme when he moved in. I mean, white? Really? How last century! What’s wrong with Allawah Red? Or Aubergine? Or Hogbristle even?
The Hogbristle House. What’s wrong with that?
Anyway, we called before we arrived, but no show from the orange moron. Golfing I suppose.
We went back to our local Mexican, it was packed. I felt bad because many of the dishes, Maryanne and Debbie, were poor, but mine was really delicious. I ate it sheepishly. It was really delicious. Sorry, but it was.
Farewell to Washington tomorrow. It has been just grand. Love Washington. Loved our place in Georgetown. It is a really cool district in an exciting city.
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