Cool bits and pieces from the trip to DC

Throughout the trip I came across some very cool things I can't really categorise, except that they are, well, cool. Here's my list...

The National Parks Service procuded small handouts about previous presidents' inaugural addresses. These were handed out by Boy Scout volunteers (talk about brave! managing the freezing temps and the millions of visitors) posted along the Mall on inauguration day. I ended up with cards, including Thomas Jefferson: 1801 and 1805, George Washington: 1789 and 1793, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt: 1933, 1937 and 1945. Another version of this (and more) is available on this downloadable brochure.

The Metro tickets during the inauguration events had a picture of Barack Obama on them. We ended up with quite a few of these, one of which I'm using as a bookmark.

Washington DC reminds me of Paris. I know this is bold, given how much I love Paris, but it is true. Something about the large spaces, the beautiful buildings and the attention to greenery and landscape.

When listening to the history of Blair House (in the car from BWI to our hotel), I learned its builder, Dr. Joseph Lovell, was one tough cookie. Apparently his motto was, "In for a fight? In for a funeral".

Fur coats are far more popular than I ever believed (I guess I just don't see that many fur garments in London). I saw more than many people in full-length fur coats and matching hats. Although I'd never wear fur, everyone I saw in these coats looked very fine indeed.

Gentlemen, listen up. I thought I was the only one who admired a man in a long overcoat but I now know there's quite a fan base for the look. JRob, Zil and I saw several dashing men in them during this trip, and each one got a special mention amongst our little group. You can get away with many flaws if you are sporting a smart long overcoat.

There weren't enough hours in the day to see all the people I would've loved to at least shared a cup of coffee with whilst in the DC area. Rick (enjoy the Jaffas), Jason (you are such a great teacher!), Pam (we haven't seen each other in 20 years, we can manage a few more), Chris (I believe you have a message for me from CJC?), Mary-Catherine (I hope you and your colleagues stayed warm), all the family in the Phillie area and friends around NYC, I'm so sorry we couldn't get together. Next time, time won't be so limiting.

Lastly, to my dear grandpa. I tried to get to the Lincoln Memorial to take a photo of me and Bailey in there, because I know you would've loved that. Lincoln was your hero and your inspiration, and I wish you wish you were alive to see us in DC and to see my little family at the Memorial. I couldn't take that pic because the workers were dismantling the stage from the We Are One concert, but there is one small pic of Bailey (as well as several workers) in front of the monument. That will have to do for now.

My inauguration report

I know everyone has read the official version of the most important day in USA modern history, but now it's my turn because I was there! How many times a day do I still amaze myself with those three little words?

Our day started earlier than the others, so we could get to the Mall in a somewhat timely manner. We left the hotel at 7:00AM, amongst the lobby filled with out-of-state police who were in town to help with enforcement and families all bundled up for the day outside. It was on this morning I was especially grateful for the Starbucks counter in our hotel lobby, with the friendliest and most efficient barista I've ever seen; her magical coffee helped me kick start this day.

Using the very efficient DC Metro, we headed toward the Mall. The walk from the station to the Mall was lively and full of people just like us, dressed in layers and looking very excited. We came across more sidewalk vendors and one freeby: bags of pretzel crisps (although these looked unappealing at this early hour, I begged as many bags as I could, even using Bailey as an excuse for one more bag). We moved on to camp ourselves on the slope of the National Monument (with the White House in view) and standing still for one second made us all realise it was going to be a long cold wait.

The women of the travelling party went exploring whilst Simon and Bailey held camp. This was a great idea as it kept us moving (and therefore not so freezing) but as the crowds kept coming and coming, I felt I needed to get back to my little family. Upon my return, Simon went exploring and so Bailey and I enjoyed the conversations of others, spontaneous dancing (the We Are One concert played on the Jumbo-Trons over and over all weekend long) and accepting stickers from reps of various causes. My fav is Greenpeace's Obama for Rushmore.

Thankfully what felt like hours in an outdoor freezer (my Coke Zero froze in my bag!) passed and although Jamie and Liz didn't return to our little camp (more about that later), Simon did come back after over 1 1/2 hours of queueing and wandering. The video footage of the guests arriving passed the time and the reactions from the crowd made the passing time very entertaining, with my favourite being when the Obama children were shown on the screen going to their seats. A woman spoke out quite confidently behind me, saying "The babies are back in the White House!".

Being there for the actual ceremony was an experience like no other. The reactions from the crowd, from "Amen!" to "YES!" to crazy loud cheers. I saw lots of tears and smiles and faces full of awe and pride (I'm getting chills writing about it). There were lines of the address that made for more reaction than others, but everyone I saw was complete enraptured.

After all that amazing history, it was time to try to get back to the hotel. We, with at least a million others, walked up 18th Street. During this entire walk, there was no pushing, rudeness or overheard inappropriate conversations. Lots of people noticed Bailey and made sure she wasn't squished and every person who inadvertindly bumped into any of us apologised immediately. I've never been in a mob of such politeness and respectful interactions.

This leads to the demeanor of the entire trip; everyone was SO nice. From the people working at the Metro (I can't imagine how many times per minute they must've been asked really dumb questions) to the people trying to do their normal jobs in the middle of mayhem (like every restaurant and museum) to all the visitors to the city for the event. There was no public display of drunkenness (which I, residing in the UK, was quite used to on a normal day, none the less a day of celebration), no loud expletives were overheard (I realised within an hour of returning to work I had overheard more expletives than I encountered on our entire time in DC), and the random acts of considerate behaviour were really quite moving. At one point leaving the Mall, I had to step over a fence that had fallen. A young man reached out and took my hand to ensure I was OK. On the shuttle bus from the Metro stop to the hotel, everyone chatted with each other and wasn't the least bit bothered by personal space invasion (read Zil's coverage of the event for more detail). It was like we were all invited to a huge party where everyone loved the hosts, so all the guests wanted to get to know each other.

Very well said

Zil tagged this article for me to read. It says so much about the day, far better than my words.

More on DC

I just remembered I forgot to include something on my Sunday in DC entry. At the end of the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr speech re-enactment in the National Museum of American History, we were led in singing We Shall Overcome. We who had gathered for the speeches all held hands and sang along. We were moved and inspired.

Moving on to Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr Day, we started the day with brunch at Old Ebbitt Grill. This was a gathering of our travelling party with Alda and her friend Sam, to celebrate Simon's 40th. This was a wonderful time of chatting and eating, and of course, lots of photo taking. Upon our departure, we walked to the White House (where we experienced our first real mob of people). As lame as this sounds, it looks a lot different in person than in pictures and video footage. It's far less imposing, and really just looks like a huge fancy house with a gorgeous gated garden. Of course, we only saw one approach so I should probably hold my opinion until I have the chance to see it from all directions.

We then moved on to the zoo, where it was cold and the animals were returing a bit early to prepare for the inauguration. Regardless, we had a fun time and got to see some of the residents. After that, we were pretty cold and since it was dark out, it seemed like a good time to have dinner (although the meal from Old Ebbitt would have surely fueled me until we returned to the UK). We made the most of the neighbourhood's array of restaurants and ended up at the Taste of India (which charmed us from Kings Langley because there is a restaurant by the same name near our house).

We returned to the hotel and opted for a calm evening in since we knew the next day would be full throttle...

Home

We are home, after our amazing week in the DC-area. I'm relieved to report we've had safe travels, manageable (but cold!) weather, and got to experience real patriotism.

At the moment, I'm looking very rough and feeling the heavy blanket of jetlag. Accordingly, I'll divide our trip into segments, starting with Washington DC in this post (Eric's Baltimore details to follow later in the week)...

We arrived in Baltimore on the evening of Saturday 17 January. Although we got held up in customs (the lack of a common surname and a single nationality in our traveling family didn't help...no mysteries were being accepted at this US arrival point) Eric waited for us to ensure we had arrived and had all the travel info we needed to get to Bethesda. Upon our arrival at the Marriot Suites in Bethesda, we were met by dear friend and excellent travelling companion Liz (a.k.a. zil) and made the most of a very expensive hotel room and reasonably-priced room service.

Sunday was museum day. Since we didn't have weeks to spend in the vast DC museums, Liz helped us focus our efforts. We visited the National Air and Space Museum as soon as they opened. This museum is fab because we got to see the US glories of space travel. Bailey loved it because her school class has been studying the planets. She also loved it because she got to control a flight simulator (she's not quite ready to be a pilot...). We also visited the National Museum of American History, where we got to experience a re-enactment of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr speeches, done by one amazing actor. This museum is so cool and I loved getting to interact with the exhibits, such as the American house room. Bailey enjoyed getting to see Dorothy's red slippers, and we all enjoyed seeing the Star Spangled Banner.

On Sunday afternoon Jamie arrived (if you want the professional and detailed approach to our DC days, check out Jamie's Hammock blog). She and Bailey visited the National Museum of American History together then the entire party went onto the Mall for the We Are One concert. We offered a continueous commentary on the performers within our own listening circle but the best for our little family was dancing to U2.

More to come...

Outta here

We depart for Heathrow in a bit, so I'm going my last blog before the inauguration. We three are excited, looking forward to the glories of the US, spending time with friends and with each other. Our little family hasn't been on a holiday together in quite a while so it's going to be a good time in many ways.

On the travel topic, safe travels to all who are out and about this weekend, especially those heading to DC.

It wouldn't be my blog if I didn't cover a few current events, so here we go...

Why, Boy George, why? You had so much with Culture Club then lost it due to drug abuse, but was able to turn it around to be a cool man with a good career. I'm not saying you can't dance with the devil a bit but why couldn't you just keep it this side of the law?

OK, I'm intrigued about this book. When The Guardian has to ask "is it a daring feminist work or just puerile porn?" you know it's got the goods...

Don't mess with the books, people. You'll never get away with it...

Lastly, although US Airways lost a plane, they showed they know how to run exceptional service. Well done, Captain Chesley Sullenberger ...you are a hero, indeed.

Next stop, DC and witnessing a country led by President Obama. Bring it on!

I confess

Dear Watford-area perverts,

On Saturday I was in Borders and noticed their DVD section now showcases an adults-only shelf. This is a relatively new genre in this section and, as you may or may not know, I'm no fan of porn. I'm no fan of censorship either, but that's not the point.

The point is, it was me who sullied the XXX shelf with titles from the non-porn section, titles which when put upon the pervy shelf, took on a new life. Yes, I put Cheaper by the Dozen, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Columbo, series 4. And, yes, I'm sure you were thrilled to see some new titles on the shelf later that day, some really racy ones!

This isn't an apology but a prideful confession. Everytime I think of someone buying these with the pornographic hopes of a solitary evening on the couch, I can't stop laughing. And if you saw someone leaving the DVD section that day with tears streaming down her cheeks, it was me.

Signed,
K.

Austerity programme starts

The Chez Hewitt-Storms austerity programme has commenced. I took the plunge on Friday and removed my well and oft used platinum card from my wallet and put it in out house office filing cabinet. It was a little scary and I think I scared Simon even more when I told him (but I didn't tell him I've used it so much I inadvertently memorised the entire card number, expiry date and security code).

I'm aiming to do one small thing a day to calm the spending. One very small gesture was changing from a premium-priced shampoo to a store brand one. OK, that's not as significant as giving up the credit card but it saves me almost 91 pence per 100ml.

The other notable gesture is withdrawaling a fixed amount of cash at the start of the month for my personal expenses. In the past, I used the credit card for my personal purchases so the new plan will require all purchases be in cash. I've just started this step so I'll have to keep you posted.

I think some of the fiscal slimming has rubbed off on Bailey. This afternoon she was busking with her harmonica in our dining room. She even put a little empty box in front of her to inspire donations.

Happy 2009!

Happy new year to all. The residents of Chez Storms-Hewitt have started the day with a bang or two, since it's Simon's 40th. Bailey and I got up early to decorate the house, put the presents out and make Simon a full English breakfast. I now need to sit for a bit, so I'm looking through today's news, so here are a few items of note...

This High Street store financial status indicator is cool...

The ban on drug advertising freebies is going to change the look of every medical establishment in the States. Oh, how I will miss the staff members at my Florida dermatologist's office all dressed in matching black and sparkly BOTOX t-shirts...

This prediction list of 2009's hot music is intriguing...

This film looks like a must-see...

Enjoy the day!