WASHINGTON Part 1

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Washington – my favourite city in the world and we are back in it. It is ten years since we were last in Washington and it is still a city that does not rest. I always enjoy the fact that you feel at the centre of the political world and there is no greater place to get that feeling than in Lafayette Park, which sits across the road from the White House. It is always full of people and it is a certainty that Concepcion Picciotto will be there; her protest on nuclear issues has meant that she has lived in the park since 1981. I like the idea that political business takes place there. Even when we sat there for lunch you could overhear lobbyist type conversations – it was not the most interesting subject; water supply in the south.

A visit to Washington is not complete if you do not go out to Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery sits on the far side of the Potomac River and is in a straight line from the Capitol and National Mall. We decided to walk out to the cemetery from our hotel, which was about a five mile round trip. However, it is one of the great walks past the White House, along the length of Reflecting Pool, tip your hat to Lincoln and then cross the bridge. This being our third visit to Washington we were hoping for some water in the Reflecting Pool as on the previous visits it was being redone – sadly it is being redone again. The famous pool just doesn’t have the same gravitas when there is a surface of clay and numerous diggers and bulldozers in it. Oh well something on the list for the next trip.

Arlington was first used as a cemetery during the Civil War and since those times it has been the largest US resting place of military personnel. Each day around 30 burials and funerals take place within the nearly 624 acre grounds and you know this as the flag on Arlington House is put to half-mast. It is a place that “honours those who have served” and it allows those who have died either in battle or through natural causes to be given a final dignified service with full military honours. Our visit this time saw us venture to an area of the cemetery not many tourists head to. Section 60 is where many of the fatalities from Iraq and Afghanistan have been laid to rest and we made a point to head there to pay our respects. It was a very emotional area and it was hard when you look at the names and see some were only just out of their teens. Whilst we were there a horse drawn coffin and cortège went past heading towards a tent erected in the middle of the section. We followed at a distance and took a place under a leafy oak tree where we could watch the ceremony take place. It was a short but very poignant service, which had the famous flag folding and the three volley of shots from the firing squad finishing with the bugler playing ‘Taps’. It appeared a wonderful way to honour one who had served. This happens around 6900 times a year at Arlington and each one follows the same style of moving ceremony.

Those who have visited will know that John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his brothers Robert Francis and Edward Moore are buried quite close to each other on a site overlooking Washington. JKF’s has the eternal flame and famous quotes etched into the platform looking back over the city.The graves of Ted and RFK are very simple stones with single white crosses. This visit I wanted to learn more about the funeral of JFK and the procession that took place in 1963 along the route we walked in on. In the visitors’ centre is the story of the bugler Keith Clark who played at the funeral. His first reaction to hearing the news of Kennedy’s assassination was to head for the barbers for a haircut as he had a feeling he would be required to play at the service. That’s dedication to his duty. He did play that Monday in November 1963 and it was a moment that lived with him forever. Watched by millions after standing in the rain for three hours with no coat he played one imperfect note (the sixth) but most did not notice – although those who did felt he had just summed up how imperfect the days they were experiencing were. In fact others copied that note in subsequent renditions. I liked his attitude when asked what happened – he accepted it was the pressure of the momentous thing he was about to do; “A lot of people can sing in the shower” he said.

I have finally seen a presidential motorcade – in fact twice now. The first time was very quick as President Obama returned to the White House through the south gates. However, the second time was staggering to watch. Unbeknownst to us as we were enjoying a drink at the Occidental Hotel, across the road at the White House the president was getting ready to attend a fundraising meeting at the Washington Hotel. It is very important that candidates are out raising money at the moment; some commentators say that Obama will have a war chest in the vicinity of US$1b by the time the campaign hits full swing.

Anyway, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a Secret Serviceman – the cables coming out of the ear are a dead giveaway – at the entrance to the W. I thought something must be up. It soon became apparent that a VIP was on the way and this was not just any VIP – the fact that they had closed down the road next to the Treasury Building was a clue. So we waited and watched as more and more police and Secret Service arrived – it was crawling with them and with armed personnel on the roof. Now the trip from the White House to the Washington Hotel is most probably all of 200 metres as the crow flies but being the president you don’t take the direct route and you don’t travel alone. The road we were on was closed down at least half an hour before – police SUVs and squad cars blocked the traffic and police on pushbikes keep the gathering crowds back. And then the instantly recognisable throaty roar of the Harley Davidson outriders was heard and then they appeared out of Pennsylvania Avenue and into 15^th. There were nine bikes, two police cars, the two presidential limos, numerous black SUVs, an ambulance and a truck – 13 vehicles in all plus the motorbikes. I was stunned and felt that all those who complained about Prime Minister Helen Clark driving above the speed limit one time would have needed medication to get them through this. Me? I loved it! Here was the most powerful man in the world nearly within reach and the crowds that gathered and stayed till he left were incredible. Did we see him? Not really as he was ushered in under a tent and we were kept back about 150 metres. But it was great – parents pushed their children to the front and explained that their president was “just there”, camera shutters did not stop and we collectively held our breath when a cyclist tried to ride home through the cordon – I would not try that one. He left in much the same way he arrived and I chuckled to myself when the motorcade was just through the White House fence some three minutes after leaving. It would usually be a 30 second walk. But it was all done with atomic clock precision and as we heard over the policeman’s radio “the package is secure”. Job done!

I love Museums and the Media so what could be better than the ‘Newseum’. This museum opened in Washington last year and is an incredible insight into five centuries of telling the news. It begins outside with a temporary collection of newspaper front pages from the Titanic disaster. You can trace the disaster as the news was fed back to the people – from the early reports that all were saved to the final announcement that 1400 have been lost. As we are in the 100^th year since the disaster it had even more meaning. It was also interesting to see how the papers told the story – especially with few facts in the early hours and days. They manufactured the story to fit in much the same way they do today. The funny moment was bringing up the NZ Herald on the touch screen. What should be on the front page – Pakuranga! Of all the days.

Inside the Newseum there are six floors of quite incredible artefacts from the media when covering events. The FBI area is filled with items such as the Unabomber’s cabin, fuselage from United Flight 77, the background to the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the capture of “Pretty Boy” Floyd and John Dillinger, and many 9/11 reminders. The Berlin Wall is recreated with actual sections including a death tower, which guarded the Eastern side with such force. There was also a memorial to 9/11, which at its centre was the crushed antenna from the North Tower – if you remember the footage of the collapse of this tower it always seemed to begin with this antenna sinking and then freefalling. On the wall are many front pages of the day – the headlines screaming out what had happened. I have many of them at home in a filing cabinet. The most emotive section was on photographer Bill Biggart who raced that September morning to the lower floors of the Towers and took some of the most incredible photos of the disaster unfolding – sadly his photos are all that survived the day as he was tragically killed when the towers collapsed. His camera, bag and notes found with him are on display along with the photos he took. They say there are three kinds of people who run towards disaster – firemen, cops and reporters; Bill Biggart summed this up.

I was always enjoyed listening to Tim Russert of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ – he was a political commentator often seen on the networks – especially at election time. He died in 2008 and they have recreated his office in the Newseum. What an office. If I could have got past the glass I would have loved to sit within the books and newspapers that he kept – some of the books I have but I have seen many more I would like to read. He was a media commentator that politicians liked as he asked the right questions to the right people. James Carville says this is the key to being a good political question maker – in essence don’t ask the right questions to the wrong people! He was old school and used a small whiteboard to convey messages when he was on the TV – his most famous one was in 2000 when he wrote and kept coming back to the words “Florida, Florida, Florida” after being asked what would be the key to that year’s election. He was right!

Add to all this Pulitzer Prize winning photos from over the years. A multimedia display of how news reporting has changed, which included OJs suit from his acquittal. Presidential adverts from 1952 onwards, sports photos of Neil Leifer (he of the famous Ali standing over Liston photo), a doco on the media in sport, a working TV studio and an interactive area where you could be anything from a news reporter to editor. We ended up being there for six hours over two days – it is brilliant and well worth a visit.

When we were in Fresno we met a lovely lady called Ellen – in fact I think I mentioned her in an earlier post. Ellen kindly told us to meet up with her when we came to her home city of Washington DC – so we did. Ellen has worked in Washington for nearly 30 years. We enjoyed a wonderful night with her at a restaurant that (much to her surprise) we had been to before. In 2000 we had dined at La Tomate near Dupont Circle and eaten soft shelled crabs – unfortunately for us we had never really found out whether we were supposed to eat the shells! Last night our fears were alleviated as we found out we were. Anyway, we were well looked after by Brian the barman and it was most kind of Ellen to “shout”. We had chatted for quite some time at the bar in Fresno but we seem to have some connection as we chatted away at length last night – we hope that she will make the trip to NZ or Australia one day and we can reciprocate. We all felt serendipity was in full force with La Tomate (NLS and I had only just said that morning that we wanted to go) and Ellen left us with a nice thought: open yourself up to the universe when you travel, emit positive energy and the universe responds. I feel that sums up our meeting with Ellen. We have been lucky to meet new friends in LA and Chicago – and now we have a good one in Washington.

We catch up with John and Maxine soon and then head off on the Civil War trail – our Avis Rental car has all the hallmarks of being like and as large as the A Team’s van; should be fun!!

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