Washington, DC, in 1965

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Washington, DC, was the next stop on this trip. We took the Pennsylvania Railroad's Senator from New York to Washington, DC. (This was long before Amtrak.) It was exciting to have my first trip on an East Coast railway.

My first visit to the National Capital! A day of Gray Line sightseeing in Washington took us to the US Capitol, the Smithsonian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. We saw the National Geographic Society Museum and Library of Congress on our own. In 1965, the National Air and Space Museum was housed in World War II Quonset huts set on the National Mall. I liked seeing the Wright Brothers Flyer and Lindbergh's Spirt of St Louis displayed there. I was a devoted reader of National Geographic, and so I really wanted to see the building where all the fine geographic and travel photos and writing originated. The National Archives displayed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights along with other founding documents. At Arlington National Cemetery, we saw the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and John F. Kennedy's grave. My mother wrapped up the day by taking me to the Library of Congress. I remember standing on the portico of the Thomas Jefferson Building as the sun began to set. Little did I know then that this was to be where I would make my career.

The next leg of this remarkable trip took us back to Mexico. From Washington Dulles International Airport, my mother and I flew on Braniff to Mexico City via Dallas and San Antonio. Washington Dulles International Airport was still new, having opened in 1962. The airport used mobile lounges at that time to transfer passengers from the Main Terminal directly to aircraft out on the ramp. (They are used today to transfer passengers between terminals.)

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Photos

United States Capitol
United States Capitol. East Front. View from East Capitol Street in 1965. This area is now closed to traffic.
"The Capitol, finely situated on a hill 90 ft. above the level of the Potomac, dominates the entire city with its soaring dome and ranks among the most beautiful buildings in the world. It is 751 ft. in length and 121-324 ft. wide, and consists of a main edifice of sandstone, painted white, and of two wings of white marble. It covers an area of 3 1/2 acres. The main building, with its original
low-crowned dome, was completed in 1827; the wings and the new iron Dome were added in 1851-65. ... The general style is classic, with Corinthian details. The principal facade looks towards the E. ..."--Baedeker 1909
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Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Institutions Building, known as The Castle. Built in 1855.
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Washington Monument
The Washington Monument on the National Mall in 1965.
"The Washington Obelisk, a worthy memorial of a great man, was begun in 1848, abandoned in 1855, resumed in 1877, and finished in 1884, at a total cost of $1,300,000 (260,000£.). It is constructed of white Maryland marble and is 555 ft. high (Metropolitan Life Insurance Building at New York, 693 ft.; Philadelphia City Hall, 547 ft.; spires of Cologne Cathedral 511 ft.). The walls are 15 ft. thick at the base and 1l'/ ft. at the top.The pyramidal roof is 65 ft. high and is capped with a piece of aluminium."--Baedeker 1909
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Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Designed by Henry Bacon and dedicated in 1922.
National Register of Historic Places 66000030
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National Archives
The National Archives Museum is home to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
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National Geographic Society
National Geographic Museum. Designed by Edward Durell Stone and dedicated in 1964. Notable features are the canopies overhanging the top and base of the structure and the marble vertical fins. 1147 17th Street NW.
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Iwo Jima Memorial
Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Sculpted by Felix de Weldon and installed in 1954.
Contributing resource, Arlington Ridge Park. National Register of Historic Places 09000688
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John F. Kennedy Gravesite
Original grave of President John F. Kennedy, Arlington National Cemetery, 1965. The gravesite was surrounded by a white picket fence. Arlington House is on the hill above.
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery.
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Mobile Lounge
An original Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) Mobile Lounge in 1965. The Mobile Lounges were designed by Chrysler specifically for use at Washington Dulles International Airport. They were intended to take passengers from the Main Terminal to aircraft parked at the midfield service area. The idea was that aircraft would park near the runway and save taxiing fuel and passengers would avoid walking down long terminal concourses. In this era, airline timetables noted that departure times at Dulles were Mobile Lounge departure times.
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