Valerie: This past weekend our travels took us to Washington DC.
Adam: And also to the dentist. Be warned: remember those commercials for tootsie-roll pops where the owl took two licks and then bit through to the center? The bite will cost you about $200 in tooth repair.
Valerie: On Saturday we met some of my college friends for breakfast at Afterwords Cafe in Dupont Circle. It was great catching up with some friends I hadn't seen in a long time. In reality, it was a mini-AKPsi reunion.
(On the left: Sean, Pam, Valerie, and Adam. On the right: Sharda, Kevin, Melissa)Adam: Afterwords is a old college haunt for me. When I was in college, it was virtually the only place near GW with 24 hour food on the weekends, and has an excellent selection of books. It's hard to walk out of there without buying something.
Valerie: After breakfast we headed to the National Zoo in the hopes of seeing some pandas. The pandas, of course, were hidden and/or sleeping. This was the best panda picture I could get -- it's actually a picture of a tv monitor that was recording the panda sleeping. Basically, it's no better than seeing the panda on tv which leads me to wonder why I even bothered to go to the zoo.
Adam: Also - not captured on camera - we saw an impressive fight between two tigers. One of those times you're really glad for the electric fence. Afterwards, we went to Hudson Trail Outfitters - one of the better outdoors shops in Washington - and bought me a backpack! I tested it out on the plane ride home on Monday, and it was excellent: despite being filled, I barely felt it on my back.
Valerie: On Saturday night we met up with some Penn Law friends at 2 Amy's--by far the best pizza restaurant in the city. If you're in town, I recommend the smoked mozzarella and eggplant pizza if it is on the specials list.
(Neena, Liz, Amy, Adam, Valerie, and Lisa)["Adam and the ladies"]
Adam: The smoked mozzarella pizza was excellent. It tasted as if it were cooked over a campfire somewhere deep in the forest (this is a good thing).
Valerie: After dinner we headed to The Saloon, a bar on U Street, where we met up with some of Adam's college friends.
(Katie, Valerie, Adam's head, and Drew)Adam: The saloon has an excellent wheat beer on tap, and is generally a pretty relaxing place to hang out. We also met Katie's boyfriend Ben, who is very cool, and I saw my friend Mel from college for the first time in five years! This bar is also conveniently located next to Ben's Chili Bowl, which serves some excellent shakes, fries, and yes, chili.
Valerie: On Sunday, we went to check out some of the national monuments. And because we liked 2 Amy's so much, headed there again for lunch.
We stopped in on the Jefferson Memorial:
Adam: Note the skillful use of the gorillapod (the flexible tripod that we use because tourists take bad pictures).
Valerie: On one of the walls inside the memorial there's the following Jefferson quote, which Adam rightly pointed out makes an argument in favor of a living constitution:
The FDR Memorial:
The new WWII memorial, which I liked but Adam didn't:
Valerie: The controversial memorial (DC residents objected to the location of the memorial) revolves around a pool of water with fountains in the center. There are 50 identical structures surrounding the pool with wreaths at the top. Each pillar has the name of a state etched on it. Their are two larger pillars (the entrances to the memorial) symbolizing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Adam: I might add that much of the controversy revolves around D.C. sovereignty. D.C. residents objected to the location of the memorial on the grounds that it would disturb the layout of the national mall, which provides for a direct and unobstructed line of site between the Washington and Lincoln memorials. Despite local objections, Congress took the project up as a political bonanza (think of all of the voting veterans), and mandated its location. This is just another example of why D.C. needs real representation in congress. For those of you living under a rock, it is basically the only place in the democratic world where people are literally suffering under a system of taxation without representation.
Also, the monument is ugly. If you walk around the rest of the D.C. monuments, you understand what "subtle dignity" means. Then you get to the WWII memorial, and the word "ostentatious" comes to mind.
The pillars and wreaths
Valerie: And of course the Lincoln Memorial, my personal favorite:
(Me in front of the memorial)
Adam: The Lincoln memorial is also a favorite of mine. It was just six blocks from my freshman dorm at GW (Thurston Hall), and is absolutely beautiful late at night, when the hordes of tourists are gone and you can read the Gettysburg address in silence. Note that this monument is simple - a statute, some quotes, and a traditional Greek temple.
After we got done at the monuments, exhausted, we picked up the car, went to Pho 79 in Cleveland Park for dinner, and headed to BWI to drop off Valerie.
I on the other hand, took our sweet ride (a new, red, Ford Mustang) for a nice drive down I-70 to my father's house in Keedysville (pop. 249). The Mustang is an exhilarating car to drive, especially out on windy country roads on a cool summer night. You roll down the windows, turn up the radio, and feel the wind whip by you. Sadly, I had to return the car to Budget the next morning, but for a brief moment....
Up next: Adam continues his U.S. tour, stopping in LA. Valerie hangs in Ohio and begins to pack for her trip to PR. The Doog's comings and goings remain unknown.
Valerie: On Sunday, we went to check out some of the national monuments. And because we liked 2 Amy's so much, headed there again for lunch.
We stopped in on the Jefferson Memorial:
Adam: Note the skillful use of the gorillapod (the flexible tripod that we use because tourists take bad pictures).Valerie: On one of the walls inside the memorial there's the following Jefferson quote, which Adam rightly pointed out makes an argument in favor of a living constitution:
The FDR Memorial:
The new WWII memorial, which I liked but Adam didn't:
Valerie: The controversial memorial (DC residents objected to the location of the memorial) revolves around a pool of water with fountains in the center. There are 50 identical structures surrounding the pool with wreaths at the top. Each pillar has the name of a state etched on it. Their are two larger pillars (the entrances to the memorial) symbolizing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Adam: I might add that much of the controversy revolves around D.C. sovereignty. D.C. residents objected to the location of the memorial on the grounds that it would disturb the layout of the national mall, which provides for a direct and unobstructed line of site between the Washington and Lincoln memorials. Despite local objections, Congress took the project up as a political bonanza (think of all of the voting veterans), and mandated its location. This is just another example of why D.C. needs real representation in congress. For those of you living under a rock, it is basically the only place in the democratic world where people are literally suffering under a system of taxation without representation.
Also, the monument is ugly. If you walk around the rest of the D.C. monuments, you understand what "subtle dignity" means. Then you get to the WWII memorial, and the word "ostentatious" comes to mind.
The pillars and wreathsValerie: And of course the Lincoln Memorial, my personal favorite:
(Me in front of the memorial)Adam: The Lincoln memorial is also a favorite of mine. It was just six blocks from my freshman dorm at GW (Thurston Hall), and is absolutely beautiful late at night, when the hordes of tourists are gone and you can read the Gettysburg address in silence. Note that this monument is simple - a statute, some quotes, and a traditional Greek temple.
After we got done at the monuments, exhausted, we picked up the car, went to Pho 79 in Cleveland Park for dinner, and headed to BWI to drop off Valerie.
I on the other hand, took our sweet ride (a new, red, Ford Mustang) for a nice drive down I-70 to my father's house in Keedysville (pop. 249). The Mustang is an exhilarating car to drive, especially out on windy country roads on a cool summer night. You roll down the windows, turn up the radio, and feel the wind whip by you. Sadly, I had to return the car to Budget the next morning, but for a brief moment....
Up next: Adam continues his U.S. tour, stopping in LA. Valerie hangs in Ohio and begins to pack for her trip to PR. The Doog's comings and goings remain unknown.
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1 comment:
Let's hear it for the Living Constitution!
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