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Published: November 1st 2006
Across the Tidal Basin
In how many ways can you take pictures of the Washington Monument?Visiting Washington, D.C. is simply a journey that satisfies a history buff like myself. I’ve read and learned so much about DC, and I’m confident to say that almost every major US histories can be traced to the nation’s capital. Here, you will find countless monuments, memorials and grand architecture achivements, important sites and designs, including fine art collections, painting masterpieces, dirty political issues and hip urban town. In fact, Dee-Cee is not only for historian nerds, it is for everyone. There is always something in DC that fulfills every visitors and residents alike.
In the late 1780s, feeling the pressure of relocating the newly established nation’s capital from Philadelphia to somewhere centralized between the northern and southern states, first president George Washington chose a difficult swampy area on Potomac River to be called ‘the Federal City’, as he would refer it. The initial plan of new capital was to be a perfect diamond shape area of ten miles on each side, totaling a 100 square miles region (256 square km) of land donations from the States of Maryland and Virginia. Shame for State of Virginia who wanted the given chunk back, it reclaimed the capital area in 1847, and
My reflection
Through the Vietnam Veteran War Memorial wall. as the result, modern Washington, D.C. consists only 64 square miles. Plus Arlington County and City of Alexandria, of which we all know by 2006, are located in Virginia.
Pierre L’Enfant, a Frenchman who fought against the British, was responsible for Federal City layout after being hired by Mr. GW in 1789. He envisioned the new capital through his Parisian eyes of ‘grand boulevards lined up with magnificent residences’, something that wasn’t accomplished until the turn of twenty-first century. Unfortunately the story doesn’t have a good ending as he was fired several years after his employment for his bad temper before the city became a reality, and he died in poverty and was buried in Maryland, before being exhumed and removed to a better place. Now his remains are interred at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, overlooking the city once he designed.
L’Enfant seems to be an interesting character from what I’ve read, and his life story triggered my thoughts of immigration issue controversy of modern America. Moving to a new ‘Immigrant Nation’, he served the US Army and became a Major, adopting an ‘American’ name of Peter, which taught us the importance of respecting a new
DC Metro Center stop
Vaulted ceiling design of Washington, D.C. metro stations. society, something that all of us immigrants need to learn. I’m not talking about a complete life makeover such as changing your names from ‘Jose’ into ‘Josh’ or ditching your
Cinco de Mayo heritage, but at least if you’re willing to actively learn and use English, and not becoming ‘illegal aliens’, I would really appreciate that. Let me tell you, it is unfair for all legal immigrants, who pay thousands of dollars of immigration fees, services and taxes, and have to wait for years to become permanent residents or ‘green card’ holders, while some just being illegal and ignorant by not paying taxes and yet still using our roads and government services. While all of us are good workers and want a better life for ourselves and our families, it is the matter of ‘respecting’ the new rules and ‘assimilating’ to a new society, and I’m 100%!b(MISSING)ehind the INS reformation for protecting US soils from illegal aliens. And this is where I stand: enough is enough for illegal aliens.
Speaking of aliens, almost every nation in the world has a representative embassy here in DC, which are mostly located in the Embassy Row, north of Dupont Circle. Next
Luncheon of the Boating Party
By Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1880-1881, Phillips Collection. to the Portuguese Embassy on Mass Ave, to my surprise, the Indonesian embassy occupies one of the finest mansions in D.C.
The third world country Indonesia? The historical mansion is very ornate with marble columns, arched windows, and a red-tiled mansard roof. With a Restricted Access, I managed to enter the embassy, which is overwhelmed with details: gold ornate ceilings, dark wood carving, crystal chandelier and cultural icons. The mansion was completed in early 20th century by Tom Walsh, an Irishman millionaire who stroked a gold mine in Colorado. It was sold to the Indonesian government in 1951, which converted the mansion into its embassy ever since.
Ironically, it illustrates the richness of the Republic with abundant natural and cultural resources within its territory, but unfortunately the corrupt government does everything they can to have the money and profit being channeled everywhere else but to prosperity of its own citizens
In a nearby street, privately owned Phillips collection offers one of the finest painting collections in the world. Works by artists such as El Greco, Monet, van Gogh, Cezanne, and Degas adorn the three story museum. Most visitors come here to catch the glimpse of “Luncheon of the
Embassy row
Can you guess what countries these embassies are representing? Boating Party” by Renoir, which in 1923 was bought for $125,000 as the highest price for a single painting in the world.
If I had to pick one thing I like the most about DC, it would be the free admission museum system. Smithsonian Institution consists of sixteen museums and one zoological park which are located within the district, and numerous research centers around the world. The National Museum of Natural History is a must to see, with highlights of the Hope Diamond at the Gem exhibits among thousand of other precious gems. Fossils, dinosaur bones, insects, African elephants. List goes on and on, and I can easily spend a whole day here alone. From what I’ve read, the Smithsonian owns more than 142 million objects, which only 2% of the collections are being displayed for the public.
That’s enough for my day one alone, and still TONS to see in DC.
DC’s Metro system is known for its efficiency and extensiveness; with stations have a unifying look of distinctive designed concrete walls, vaults and ceiling. I noticed on how path lights along the rail blink whenever appropriate train is approaching, warning us to be ready (except
Indonesian Embassy
The Embassy Row in Mass Ave., where majority of countries in the world is representated in their respective embassies. This is the famous Indonesian Embassy. on one occasion, there was an announcement that the Bethesda station was closed due to a pedestrian got struck by a light train). Riding the metro from Rosslyn to Foggy Bottom/GWU, my ears were popping, indicating that we go even deeper into the ground. I almost can imagine the mighty Potomac River flows directly above us at the ground level.
You can’t help but feeling so stuck up to be around such a sophisticated crowd of DC. Most of the people here seem important, or at least they think they are important. Observing the crowd riding the Metro, I saw all type of people in any races and look imaginable. Dressed-up and fit looking men and women were talking on their cell phones or reading newspapers, holding briefcases and wearing sunglasses. Chieseled-face man with broad shoulders and cropped hair in their uniform. Students holding some algebra textbooks listening to iPods, heading for the Foggy Bottom stop. A pregnant lady working on her Sudoku puzzle. In a nearby stop, two men holding coffee cup discussing the most recent George W Bush approval on the 600 miles wall along the southern border. Majority of people have their ID tags hanging somewhere
Interior of the Indonesian Embassy
Posh Embassy's interior, built by an Irish millionaire in early 1900s. with them, around the neck or clipped to their pants, and the culture of DC escalator etiquette sips through my veins: if you’re just ‘standing’, you ought to stand on the right side, since all the faster pace are walking on the left of the escalator. Make it clear between locals and tourists.
If this is the Mall, where are all the stores? Have you heard that there is no such thing as ‘dumb questions’? How about this: according to the National Park Service, one of the most asked questions in Washington, D.C. is, “If this is the Mall, where are all the stores?”
As one of the most recognizable squares in the planet, the National Mall is the number one visited place in DC. You know the drill: the White House, Washington Monument, the US Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin, the Smithsonian Castle with all of its museums. As the list goes endlessly, I faced a difficulty on deciding what to see, so I decided to check out only some, and save the others for my next visit in the future.
I’ve always heard that the controversial Vietnam Veteran War
Fresco detail
Ceiling fresco detail in the Presidents Room inside the Indonesian Embassy. Memorial is very moving, not until I caught the first glimpse of the black granite wall I started to comprehend on how strong the message is. Maya Lin’s thoughtful design is very powerful; as this ‘scar on the earth’ goes descending with the topography, black wall of 58,000+ names started to mount up, until to one point where it stands twice as tall as you, etching the names of all American casualties in the Vietnam War. Not an easy way to defend a nation, or as any U.S. President would refer, to ensure safety and freedom of all Americans and the world. The Washington Monument is reflected through the late afternoon sun in the black stone, as if cleansing and forgiving the sin of our nation. In a nearby distance, three life-size soldiers statues staring at the wall, to satisfy the needs of a more traditional memorial for the Vietnam War.
The newly opened World War II Memorial is another goodie to check out, and its proximity with the Washington Monument is frowned upon by some people. Pillars of all US states and territories are surrounding a gigantic water feature, and the 7 acre site blends nicely to the
Cy feels like at home, WWII memorial
He hasn't felt this close to home for so long. Awww ... nearby reflection pool, creating a harmonious axis within the National Mall.
It is almost impossible to explore every single monuments and memorials in DC metro, and I only had an opportunity to skim through and by Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Memorial, FDR Memorial, and the White House. From a distance, of course.
Depite of time constrain, we managed to reserve four tickets to go up the Washington Monument on Saturday. The trick is to get them online, for a buck and a half each. Although tickets are free if you’re waiting in the distribution line which forms since 7:30 in the morning, it is totally worthed to use the modern gadget of internet for our advantage. It was a windy day in DC that afternoon, and by 2pm, we were riding up the elevator to the top of the tallest stone structure in the world.
Somewhat a center of the National Mall, the Washington Monument observation deck is a perfect place to understand the Mall’s layout. Since stone is a heavy material, in a windy day like this, the 555 ft tall monument only swings less than one foot sideways. Compare it with the 1,815
WWII Memorial
It is a very Washington-ish picture. ft tall CN Tower in Toronto, which swings about 30 feet sideways, which I can’t recall when I went up there in 1999.
Another good place to check out the Mall’s layout from high above is from the 9th level of the Old Post Office bell tower, which was converted into food court and NPS museum. Going up in a glass elevator is not my cup of tea, and I have to admit that I was a little nervous looking down. I learned that there is a fraternity bell ringer conducted to ring the Old Post Office bells, as they do go to places around the world to perform a bell ringing orchestra.
It comes naturally that DC has the most spy in the city per capita in the world. The Spy Museum helps you to understand why this happens, for instance, although the Cold Was is over for decades, the US and Russia still conducts spionage to each other in their respective embassies: US Embassy in Moscow plays music in rooms where sensitive subjects are being discussed. The Spy Museum is overwhelmed with interested visitors, who learn about all spy gadgets, methods, and history of spionage.
WWII Memorial
An ellipse layout, formed by States and Territorial pillars. Although I’ve visited a real Nazi’s Concentration Camp in Dachau, Germany a couple years ago, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum gives a different perspective of the history. The section on how America and its citizens responded to Germany was an eye opening, in fact, that it is sickening to think that racial incidents were still happening here in the US Soils up till that point of time in mid 1940s.
Iwo Jima monument, located in the Arlington Cemetery, is an important shrine that glorifies the fierce US Marine Corps. Photographer Joe Rosenthal captured one of the most iconic photographs all the time,
Raising of Flag on Iwo Jima, the only photograph that ever won a Pulitzer Price at the same year it was taken in 1945. I’m sure you have seen the image of five Marines and one Navy Corpsman planting a US flag over Mt. Suribachi in this remote Pacific island, after winning the Battle of Iwo Jima over the Japanese territory. It is amazing that the image was captured just within 1/400th of a second, but yet it creates such a powerful effect to shape our image about WWII forever. I’m in the middle of reading “
Flags Taxation without Representation
Cy understands the reasoning behind the District's motto. of our Fathers” by James Bradley, son of Corpsman John Bradley, one of three survivors of the flag raisers. I also saw its Motion Picture by Clint Eastwood, playing in theaters, which brought up a different way to look at Iwo Jima (or war in general), and it is highly recommended to read or to see if you have any spare time.
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non-member comment
the indonesian embassy
thx 2 u, Hal.Gue jg surprise ngeliatnya.mending di jual n uangnya mungkin bisa nutupin sedikit utang negara yg katanya banyak banget, (tp ko ga keliatan yah, mengingat megahnya embassy)