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Published: October 22nd 2007
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Independence Hall
The birthplace of American government So an upset Shazza and I made our way down from NYC down to Philadelphia to stay a night at a hostel in an outer suburb. The next day, I joined in with thousands of other tourists in doing a walking tour of 'The Independence National Historic Park'. The compact downtown area is so rich in historical landmarks that it is referred to as an "outdoor museum".
Sights of note include Independence Hall- where the famous Declaration of Independence was signed, the Liberty Bell which was first tolled at the reading of the Declaration, as well as Congress Hall, where the first USA Congress sat.
Another famous landmark (for very different reasons) are the steps from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, leading up to the Museum of Art, where a grey tracksuit-wearing Sylvester Stallone ran to the top of and jumped up and down in “Rocky”. Today it has become an extremely popular tourist sight, with dozens of people trying to re-enact the scene. They even have a statue of Sly, bigger than life and sitting at the base of the steps, looking across at the George Washington Statue. I wonder what George would think about that??
That night
Hanging with Rocky
At the base of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art I continued down to Washington, D.C. to meet back up with Reece, who was attending a wedding. We caught up for a few drinks in the lively Adams Morgan district, and I was able to crash in the room with him and his mate for the night. It was nice to sleep on a bed that wasn’t wrapped in a plastic covering- the first time in a month!
The next day I checked into the downtown D.C. hostel, located only 7 blocks from the White House, so I went to see if G.W. wanted to chat to an “Austrian” visitor. Maybe it was the way I requested him to come out for a chat, but strangely he didn’t reply.
For 5 days I explored as much of D.C's attractions as I could, but you could easily take twice as long to see it all.
The main attractions of D.C. are all positioned around The National Mall. At one end is the seated Abraham Lincoln looking out across the Pool of Reflection to the WW2 Memorial and Washington Monument. The U.S. Capitol building is at the far end of The Mall, which is bordered on both sides by
Rocky's View
Looking back along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the city the Smithsonian Institution Museums and War Memorials.
The American's regard their “Big 4” past leaders (A. Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, T. Jefferson and G. Washington) with such high esteem, and even carved them into Mount Rushmore. The scale and finish of their memorials in D.C. are like temples for gods rather than a tribute to the past leaders of the country. Abraham Lincoln sits high on his chair overlooking the Mall, Thomas Jefferson stands tall in his pavilion across from the White House, The Franklin Roosevelt Memorial is a massive water feature across the tidal basin, and The George Washington Memorial stands in the middle of it all, with a viewing deck at the top.
The Smithsonian Institute
An English scientist who had never visited America, James Smithsonian amazingly willed his entire $4m estate back in 1826 for the "establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". It means even now, all the major museums in the city are free for all visitors. Covering everything from American Indian history, through to popular culture, art collections and NASA equipment, the museums would take a week to fully explore. One of the most visited museum in the world, is the National
Salute to Bush
Based on the high level of requests, I had to include this one. I still can't work out why he didn't come out for a chat? Air and Space Museum. Among its many displays were The Wright Brothers original flying machine, through to the spare Apollo 2 command modules. The Museum of Natural History had a great collection of precious gems and stones, as well as fallen meteorites (quite a few Aussie one as well). The National Museum of the American Indian had some interesting relics and displays. Unfortunately the highly regarded National Museum of American History is closed for renovations, but a reduced display was on offer in the Air and Space Museum. The first 3 items were Abraham Lincoln's Hat, Thomas Edison's original light bulb and the Kermit the Frog puppet (that's right he's not a real frog), gave a taste of what the collection would contain.
One of the few museums that charges a cover fee is, The International Spy Museum. It was also one of the more fascinating ones on offer too. On display was a vast collection of past surveillance devices, and disguises used by spy organisations around the world. When the USA and The Soviet Union were constructing new embassies in Washington and Moscow at the same time, they both had several "bugs" secretly installed in each other's building.
Ford's Theatre
The shooting site, taken from the site of his eventual death The museum not only documents these breaches in security, but has some of the equipment used by each side.
Definitely the most emotionally moving of the museums was The Holocaust Memorial Museum. Walking though the mixture of photos, models of some of the gas chambers, victims personal items and descriptions of the atrocities inflicted by the Nazi’s and their allies was shocking and tragic. It was disgusting to graphically see what the human race is possible of, and yet fascinating at the same time. After visiting that one, you can be assured needing some cheering-up.
Other sights of interest (and free) in D.C. include The War Memorials for Vietnam, Korea and WW2 are all very unique and interesting. The U.S Capitol tour allows you to explore inside the stunning building and sit in a session of the House. The site of A. Lincoln's famous shooting, Ford's Theater, sits not far from the Capitol, and the house where he was carried to was straight across the street. The steep steps used in the 70's horror film, "The Exorcist", are up in Georgetown, along with the famous university.
The National Archives hold the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence
The Capitol
The view inside the dome and The Constitution behind glass and massive security gates. Judging by the cues of people of all ages, lining to view the most famous documents in the country, the Americans way of turning their history into legends keeps the citizens interested. Another display there was called the "Education of the Presidents", which went into academic and sporting achievements of past presidents. Leaders like JFK and even Bush Senior featured heavily for both areas, but strangely, G.W Bush didn't get much of a mention. I just could't work out why?
Next up, Shazza and I enter "The South".
Distance Travelled So Far: 10,150 miles
Spanish Known at This Point: Hearing Spanish makes Shazza think back to awful experience with the Mexican wreckers in Flushing, plus there hasn't been much time to listen to CD's with all the museums.
Horoscope for the Week: Leo (July 23- August 22)
While it certainly takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, it takes even more guts to sit back down for what you're willing to tolerate.
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Tara B
non-member comment
I love the White House photo! I have found my new screen saver!