A Quiet Covid Capital (pre-Insurrection)

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I suppose today is as good a time as any to write my first post about my first trip in the time of Covid. I went to the nation’s capital, which so many terrorists have occupied at this writing. I hadn’t intended to put off writing this post so long; but since I did, a lot of it will necessarily be a reflection of my time there through the lens of what’s happened since that time (especially today, January 6, 2021).

My first views of Washington, DC, were at night as I drove past the back of the Lincoln Memorial, beside the Kennedy Center and the Watergate Hotel, up to Connecticut Avenue and back down to my hotel near the University of DC. It had been a long drive, and I knew I needed some sleep because the next day would be even longer.

On Monday morning, I awakened in the nation’s capital for the first time in my life. Though I had done touristy things a couple of times before this, they had all been drive-by style trips. Here in the morning, done by the afternoon. So I wanted to take my time over the next two days, since I knew the tourists would be sparse and the crowds minimal. I got to see the DC Metro in all its glory, though I was concerned that some of the passengers decided that masks were unnecessary, despite all the signs and announcements to the contrary.

My first stop was the beautiful Union Station, which was empty. It really felt to me that I was on a private tour, or perhaps in a reality show unawares, because no one was there. It was eerie, frankly, with all the silence inside these great halls. Footsteps reverberated loudly. Shops were closed. Except for a single coffee shop, no other people could be seen or heard. So I walked outside and found the Columbus fountain in front of the station. It pointed me in the direction of the Supreme Court and the Capitol. Through the trees, several blocks away, I could see the dome of the Capitol and the obelisk of the Washington Monument. I suppose there aren’t any other tall buildings to block the view of these famous structures.

The Supreme Court was another place where I saw few people. In fact, I only saw three: a security guard, and a mom pushing an infant in a stroller. Before I dared climb the steps up to the portico of the Supreme Court, I approached the guard and asked whether it was permitted to go up. It was, so I did. From the top of the steps, I could see over to the Capitol, diagonally across the street. I also got a view of the beautiful door and the inlay of the marble of the columns along the portico of the Supreme Court. I kinda fell in love with it, which surprised me. It was only 9:00 AM, and there I was, feeling enraptured by the neo-classical architecture that I had seen photos of for so long. Now, I was in physical contact, and I didn’t have to fight any other sightseers for the privilege.

That truly is the word to describe my day around the National Mall and further afield: privileged. As a solo traveler, I could easily make my way around these hallowed places at my own pace without worrying about the wants or needs of friends of kids or anyone else. Selfish, but liberating (honestly). And as a traveler during the time of Covid, I didn’t have to worry about people outside my group impeding my views or making me wait in lines. I also didn’t have to worry about being infected by anyone else, either. By the time I got to the Lincoln Memorial around lunchtime, I had encountered a total of 11 people, and one needy squirrel on the National Mall. It was an introverted traveler’s paradise.

My next view was across the street at the Capitol, scene of so much rioting and violence in the name of idiocy today (January 6, 2021). I say “next view” because I couldn’t go into the building. (Perhaps if I had forced my way in with a flag, the police would've just opened the gates for me?) This was true for most of the places I found myself throughout the day. Covid had closed offices and museums for only essential work. Tourism isn’t an essential job in DC, it appears. But that was fine with me. I was mostly in DC to check out the architecture up close; I didn’t need to go inside any of these buildings to appreciate them, to awe at their grandeur.

I walked up through two large lamp-post style gates and directly into the plaza on the eastern side of the Capitol. It was much larger than I had anticipated. It’s the tallest building in DC, by law, but it’s also really wide. After all, both houses of Congress and many of their offices are inside there. I lingered for a while, but I was eager to get to the National Mall on the western side of the Capitol.

I saw several statues on the opposite side of the Capitol, and a surprising amount of green space before I crossed the street to get to the National Mall (which is basically a long strip of green space from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial).

While it looks like an easy, short walk down the National Mall, it is not. The terrain is flat, of course, but the gravel trails on either side of the green space in the center aren’t the best for walking on. They kept giving my knee fits, so I was happy to take a break at the occasional bench, in the shade of the trees. I brought my boonie hat, since I wanted to keep the sun from baking my face or neck, and for July in DC, it was a lifesaver. But looking down the Mall from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, or even to the Washington Monument (about the halfway point), you get the impression that it's pretty short. The entire distance, though, is about 2 miles. It’s a good thing to do in the morning, due to the sun, and it’s also a good idea to devote a couple of hours at least to traversing it from one end to the other.

The Washington Monument towers over the Mall, but for a while there, I felt like I wasn’t getting any closer to it despite my continued progress from the Capitol. Surely it’s only about 10 minutes away, I thought. But 10 minutes passed, and I was still at least 10 more minutes away. I took a short detour to see some odd statue across the street from the Smithsonian, on my left. The Smithsonian, by the way, was closed for the summer, thanks to Covid. Back on the trail at the Mall, I crossed another street and took the meandering path up to the Washington Monument. No tours allowed, no elevator trips to the top. Just fine with me, acrophobia. As you approach it, though, the Washington Monument becomes increasingly impressive, both in height and in girth. There’s a plaza encircling the monument, and flags every few feet along the perimeter of it. Insurrectionists would love it, though they might want to replace some of those flags with loser flags. But I digress. When I got to the plaza, I found a bench in the shade (the Monument makes a pretty nice sundial, I imagine). Only a single family was there, also in the shadow but at another bench. I took my time checking out the weird views of the monument: from upside down, slanted, from the bottom and looking straight up, at the corner, etc. What can I say? I like odd angles of familiar landmarks.

Next up was the World War II Memorial, which is a large fountain encircled by state-labeled columns on both sides, with a reflecting pool with gold stars above it. At the north and south edges of the memorial, ramps lead up to overlooks. It can all be a bit mesmerizing, especially in the midday sun. The light hits the fountain and the reflecting pool just right, and it becomes dazzling.

My next stop was the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which was an eyesore. I’m sure it looks great in normal times, but they had let it go to pot before I showed up. The water was full of algae and the level was so low, I could actually step into the pool at the end nearest the WWII Memorial and not get my feet wet. I was touching dry concrete bottom, and it was several feet wide at this end. I just have memories of watching Forrest Gump and seeing him reunited with Jenny there—that’s my first recollection of knowing about a thing called the National Mall and a Reflecting Pool. Fond memories, but it made for high expectations. Alas, thanks Covid.

And the final stop on the National Mall, just in time for lunch, was the Lincoln Memorial. Again, there were few tourists lingering about. I saw a couple of families, but they were in and out rather quickly. I definitely enjoy being able to take my time as a solo traveler, if I hadn't already pointed that out. One guy asked me to take his picture in front of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” carved into one side of the interior of the memorial; I obliged, and I suppose he felt obligated to do the same for me, so I let him. Despite the small crowd, if you can even call it that, this was the largest amount of people I had seen all day. It was nearing noon, after all, so perhaps they had all gotten out of their beds while I was strolling down the Mall. Even so, I had no trouble getting photos of Lincoln in his chair; no tourists in the way, no need to crop people out of the photos. They just weren’t there. It was truly a dream trip through this part of the nation’s capital.

Since I was already there, and no one else was keeping Abe any company, I took out my sandwich and started to eat with him. No one stopped me, though I saw a sign later that said no eating was allowed. Oops.

My next few stops were war memorials: WWI and the Vietnam wall. The WWI Memorial is very recent, compared to all the others. The Vietnam memorial, the long black wall engraved with the names of those who died or never came home, is a bit more somber. I couldn’t figure out the pattern of names, though I did see they have a website/app where you can look up individual names and find them, if you choose to do so.

The next hour or so involved a stop by the National Academy of Sciences, just because that’s an important thing to support in these times of misinformation. Then I walked up to the area around George Washington University and found a very nice place for lunch (and some shade from this blistering sun): Tonic restaurant, housed in an old pharmacy. I had seen their reviews, especially of the mac and cheese hamburger, and I knew I had to try it. It did not disappoint. And as much coke as I was drinking, the staff probably thought I hadn’t ever had a drink before. I was just relieved to be in some air conditioning and gorging myself on this yummy feast. I also got the tater tots as a side, and you can never go wrong with that.

My next stop was supposed to be the White House, or at least Lafayette Square. Alas, Donald Tiny Hands had nixed that idea a week or so before I got there. You can’t get anywhere near the White House. In my previous trips, I had been able to walk up to the iron fence around the perimeter, near the South Lawn, and get a good view of the presidential mansion. No longer is that possible. After the Autocrat Theatre on display when they teargassed the protesters for Black Lives Matter (BLM) in Lafayette Square across from the White House just for an awkward photo op with a clearly never-opened Bible, another block around the White House had been locked down and cordoned off. Security checkpoints were set up at all intersections, and heavily armed men stood guard. A fence had been erected around Lafayette Square, which now supported many signs along the entirety of the street. Across the street, the street name had been officially changed to Black Lives Matter Plaza, and the street level of the buildings had been taken over with artworks and protest signs. Protestors themselves, however, had been outlawed. (Probably because they were mostly black, unlike the terrorists who stormed the Capitol today.) This was the extent of legal protestation that the president was willing to allow in July.

As I left the BLM Plaza, the sun was setting, and my feet were aching. It was time to go back to my hotel and find a nice meal for the evening. The next day would be even longer, since I intended to go back and see some of these places at night.

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