Beginning October 4th we spent 7 days in Washington DC. What a good trip we had. The weather and sites were great. We rented a car much to the concern of those we talked to who have lived or been to Washington DC. We found out about that concern. DC is not a good place to drive in or find anything. The layout of the town is very different with angle streets. Jerry was very frustrated thinking that he was really getting old. He has a good sense of direction and is a good person to travel with for that reason but this town had him baffled. We found out later that others we knew coming to the SSA convention had the same problem. One couple went to visit friends living in Washington for a 15 min. trip and it took them 1 1/2 hours.
We came to DC for the SSA Convention. We came early to see the sites. The convention had blocked out 4 days for us at the Hyatt near DC but because of an armament convention being held over we were moved to another hotel. I guess the goverment wins out over us. We stayed at 3 hotels in 7 days. It was frustrating but we got two days free and the other days at a reduced rate.
Our first stay was in Silver Spring for Sunday night. This little town was so busy for a Sunday, I couldn't believe it. It seemed like any day of the week and not a Sunday when many things are closed down. We decided to spend just one night there instead of the three nights planned. Monday we happened on to the Temple. What a glorious site from the freeway. The leaves were barely beginning to turn color but one maple tree on the temple grounds was spectacular. It was flaming red.
We headed straight downtown to Washington DC. The next stop was Arlington National Cemetery. There we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard at 12:00. What a respectful moment that was. The walk to the Tomb was all up hill and I was exhausted. In fact by the time we got to the hotel that night I was so tired I could have cried. We did see President Kennedy and the continual burning fire at his grave plus Robert Kennedy and the recent grave of Edward Kennedy.
Jerry decided to stay at a motel out from the city so he found one 17 miles away in Manassa. It was a little further than we wanted but once we found our way there, the trip wasn't so long.
Washington DC Temple and Arlington National Cemetery
The next day we went to the Capitol. The weather was beautiful but on this day the wind was blowing so hard. There was no dust like in Arizona but the wind was as hard as a Santa Ana wind.
We were not allowed to go inside the capitol. In fact I read they had the unveiling of a statue honoring Helen Keller who was born deaf and dumb and learned to communicate. The steps to the capitol were barred off and guarded by police with automatic machine guns.
The White House was interesting. We accidentally found a parking spot nearby. There was one protester out front who has been there since the 1980s. Evidently someone important who lives in the White House, perhaps Michelle or her girls, were returning home and we got caught in that situation. But it was interesting with police, guns and black limousines. They were probably having a party that night because there were catering trucks out back. We could see guards with guns on top of the White House.
Capitol and the White House
Jerry was good to take me to the Congressional Cemetery in SE DC near the Naval Yards and the Anacosta River. We got lost several times but with the help of a GPS we found our way. Every place I go I try to see if there is information about my ancestors and Washington DC has quite a bit of history about my Coombe and Barry families. They knew George Washington and helped to settle DC and wanted to make it a great sea merchandising area. New York finally won out on that. Many of our Coombe and Barry families are buried in Congressional Cemetery. The Coombe Vault dated 1828 was restored in 2004. We were shown the vault and were given an inch thick of papers on the restoration and examination of the caskets. Our family helped to start this cemetery which is owned by Christ Church and not a federal ownership. The vault had not been opened since 2004 and the key was bent but the chairman of the cemetery board agreed to try to open the vault for me. Behold the key worked and the door opened. Jerry thought I was going to jump right in. Not really, there was a big spider web right in the entrance and of course no one is authorized to go in. In 1828 when someone died or a neighbor or friend died and there was no place to put the body, our Barry family volunteered their vault until they could get their own buried plot ready. There were 22 burials throughout the early years in this vault. I was given all the records they have available for this vault. It is awesome. When they opened the vault to start the restoration, the Smithsonian was there. They took the caskets and bodies and examined them thoroughly. Unknown to the Coombes when they first built the vault, it was built on a water belt (can't remember what it is called) so there was a well in the vault. It had flooded over time and when the vault was opened, the caskets and a skull were floating. Now it is all cleaned up and the bodies have been returned and put in wood boxes. One casket was not moved because it had deteriorated so much. This was an awesome experience.
Congressional Cemetery
The Lincoln Memorial was wonderful to see. A ranger gave an excellent talk on the Lincoln Memorial and its relationship to the other monuments in DC. There is so much symbolization on how and why everything is built in DC. The Lincoln Monument was built on marsh land and dedicated in 1922. It has 36 columns representing the 36 states that were in the union at that time. It overlooks the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. The DAR denied Marian Anderson, a contralto, to sing at Constitution Hall becuase of her race so she was offered the use of the Lincoln Memorial to sing before 75,000 people in 1939. Martin Luther King, Jr gave his famous "I Dream" speech in 1963 on the exact spot where she sang.
Lincoln Memorial
We saw some many old buildings, momuents and memorials. They were all so great. While at our second hotel, the Air Force Memorial was next door so I took pictures of it. All our soldiers were so brave. There are memorials to honor all of them. The names at the Viet Nam Memorial go on forever. I don't think they are put in alphabetical order so finding a name you know would be hard. The Korean War Memorial was very different. It is said that any soldier you look at looks at you and follows your eyes. Each figure reflects onto an adjacent wall at night making it look like there are more than the 38 soldiers there.
More Memorial and sites
By the time we were able to tour the Smithsonian buildings I was so tired from all the walking. It was a Saturday and a three day holiday so there were sooo many people there. It was not much fun. But we did go into the Space mouseum, the Natural History and US History Buildings. I've included pictures of these.
Smithsonian
We came to DC for the SSA Convention. We came early to see the sites. The convention had blocked out 4 days for us at the Hyatt near DC but because of an armament convention being held over we were moved to another hotel. I guess the goverment wins out over us. We stayed at 3 hotels in 7 days. It was frustrating but we got two days free and the other days at a reduced rate.
Our first stay was in Silver Spring for Sunday night. This little town was so busy for a Sunday, I couldn't believe it. It seemed like any day of the week and not a Sunday when many things are closed down. We decided to spend just one night there instead of the three nights planned. Monday we happened on to the Temple. What a glorious site from the freeway. The leaves were barely beginning to turn color but one maple tree on the temple grounds was spectacular. It was flaming red.
We headed straight downtown to Washington DC. The next stop was Arlington National Cemetery. There we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard at 12:00. What a respectful moment that was. The walk to the Tomb was all up hill and I was exhausted. In fact by the time we got to the hotel that night I was so tired I could have cried. We did see President Kennedy and the continual burning fire at his grave plus Robert Kennedy and the recent grave of Edward Kennedy.
Jerry decided to stay at a motel out from the city so he found one 17 miles away in Manassa. It was a little further than we wanted but once we found our way there, the trip wasn't so long.
Washington DC Temple and Arlington National Cemetery
The next day we went to the Capitol. The weather was beautiful but on this day the wind was blowing so hard. There was no dust like in Arizona but the wind was as hard as a Santa Ana wind.
We were not allowed to go inside the capitol. In fact I read they had the unveiling of a statue honoring Helen Keller who was born deaf and dumb and learned to communicate. The steps to the capitol were barred off and guarded by police with automatic machine guns.
The White House was interesting. We accidentally found a parking spot nearby. There was one protester out front who has been there since the 1980s. Evidently someone important who lives in the White House, perhaps Michelle or her girls, were returning home and we got caught in that situation. But it was interesting with police, guns and black limousines. They were probably having a party that night because there were catering trucks out back. We could see guards with guns on top of the White House.
Capitol and the White House
Jerry was good to take me to the Congressional Cemetery in SE DC near the Naval Yards and the Anacosta River. We got lost several times but with the help of a GPS we found our way. Every place I go I try to see if there is information about my ancestors and Washington DC has quite a bit of history about my Coombe and Barry families. They knew George Washington and helped to settle DC and wanted to make it a great sea merchandising area. New York finally won out on that. Many of our Coombe and Barry families are buried in Congressional Cemetery. The Coombe Vault dated 1828 was restored in 2004. We were shown the vault and were given an inch thick of papers on the restoration and examination of the caskets. Our family helped to start this cemetery which is owned by Christ Church and not a federal ownership. The vault had not been opened since 2004 and the key was bent but the chairman of the cemetery board agreed to try to open the vault for me. Behold the key worked and the door opened. Jerry thought I was going to jump right in. Not really, there was a big spider web right in the entrance and of course no one is authorized to go in. In 1828 when someone died or a neighbor or friend died and there was no place to put the body, our Barry family volunteered their vault until they could get their own buried plot ready. There were 22 burials throughout the early years in this vault. I was given all the records they have available for this vault. It is awesome. When they opened the vault to start the restoration, the Smithsonian was there. They took the caskets and bodies and examined them thoroughly. Unknown to the Coombes when they first built the vault, it was built on a water belt (can't remember what it is called) so there was a well in the vault. It had flooded over time and when the vault was opened, the caskets and a skull were floating. Now it is all cleaned up and the bodies have been returned and put in wood boxes. One casket was not moved because it had deteriorated so much. This was an awesome experience.
Congressional Cemetery
The Lincoln Memorial was wonderful to see. A ranger gave an excellent talk on the Lincoln Memorial and its relationship to the other monuments in DC. There is so much symbolization on how and why everything is built in DC. The Lincoln Monument was built on marsh land and dedicated in 1922. It has 36 columns representing the 36 states that were in the union at that time. It overlooks the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. The DAR denied Marian Anderson, a contralto, to sing at Constitution Hall becuase of her race so she was offered the use of the Lincoln Memorial to sing before 75,000 people in 1939. Martin Luther King, Jr gave his famous "I Dream" speech in 1963 on the exact spot where she sang.
Lincoln Memorial
We saw some many old buildings, momuents and memorials. They were all so great. While at our second hotel, the Air Force Memorial was next door so I took pictures of it. All our soldiers were so brave. There are memorials to honor all of them. The names at the Viet Nam Memorial go on forever. I don't think they are put in alphabetical order so finding a name you know would be hard. The Korean War Memorial was very different. It is said that any soldier you look at looks at you and follows your eyes. Each figure reflects onto an adjacent wall at night making it look like there are more than the 38 soldiers there.
More Memorial and sites
By the time we were able to tour the Smithsonian buildings I was so tired from all the walking. It was a Saturday and a three day holiday so there were sooo many people there. It was not much fun. But we did go into the Space mouseum, the Natural History and US History Buildings. I've included pictures of these.
Smithsonian
There are a lot of pictures here. Hope you're not too bored or don't want to take the time to look at all of them. I'm grateful for this experience to see our Nation's Capitol and all the sites there.
