History. Powerhouse Politicos. Suited and Booted Lobbyists. Ugggggg…yet, I couldn’t help myself …I fell in love with the city …
Drool Worthy Food Scenes
Drinks Galore
A Plethora of Museums
An incredibly rich history with an Abundance of Memorials
Whimsical Neighbourhoods
Easy Getting Around
…And Lots of Free Activities
“Tunnicliff’s Tavern is a popular Hill watering hole that has been a local favorite since the early 1980s. Its name, however, has a much longer history reaching back to before Washington was the capital of the country. From the mid 1790s, during a ten-year period, a man named William Tunnicliff ran taverns that were important meeting places on what became, during that time, Capitol Hill” Hill.https://www.tunnicliffstavern.com/story
A couple of stiff drinks and a refreshing night’s sleep …the new day was full of promise …September fall weather was cool and refreshing …and we were off …With so much to see within a short 3 day stay, we opted for a 6-hour guided tour to view the highlights of the area in a less rigorous mode of transportation than walking entire mall and surrounding monuments…definitely, the correct choice
Walking the almost 2-miles to the meeting place at the US Navel Memorial Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution through the long lush grassy mall park was full of morning wonder…our first views of the iconic domed Capital and White House on the North side …. The 14-foot-tall sculpture of a blue rooster on the roof terrace of the National Gallery of Art donated by the German artist Katharina Fritsch’s “an animal often associated with regeneration, awakening, and strength, has been donated to the nation’s art museum on its 80th anniversary by Glenstone Museum in honor of the resilience of the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic” https://www.nga.gov/press/2021/fritsch.html…
The 5.9 m (19.5 ft) Bronze Statue of Freedom on the Dome of the Capital weights approx. 15,000 lbs (6,8oo kg) …one colossal, classy lady that caused a lump in my throat, as she faces the east sunrise that morning …
She is an allegorical figure whose right hand holds the hilt of a sheathed sword, while a laurel wreath of victory and the Shield of the United States are clasped in her left hand. Her chiton is secured by a brooch inscribed “U.S.” and is partially covered by a heavy, Native American–style fringed blanket thrown over her left shoulder. She faces east toward the main entrance of the building and the rising Sun. She wears a military helmet adorned with 9 stars and an eagle’s head which is itself crowned by an umbrella-like crest of feathers. Although Freedom stands atop a cast-iron globe encircled with one of the national mottoes, E pluribus unum (Out of many, one). The lower part of the base is decorated with fasces (symbols of the authority of government) and wreaths. Ten spikes of platinum are attached to her headdress, shoulders, and shield to deter birds from roosting and protection from lightning. (1,2)
General George Meade Memorial …Meade a career military officer from Pennsylvania, best known for defeating General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg …
Along with the beauty of art and sculptures in the city, there were people openly shooting up, urinating, defecating and other unsavoury acts … Washington DC has a much different policy for the homeless in their city …since 2009 the government of the city allowed the homeless to camp wherever they pleased, yet continue to try and alleviate the cause …the current mayor trying to alleviate homelessness by 2025 … their dedication to the homeless population causing a decrease of 47% since 2016 … In October 2022, the District was the first to implement a landmark law to ban all discrimination against homeless people – whether by employers, landlords, law enforcement, private businesses, or others …a current social issue across the world
On the west side of the capitol, made of Carrara marble and blue granite stands the neoclassical 44 ft. Peace Monument. Erected in 1877-1878 to commemorate the naval deaths at sea during the Civil War. The price of freedom.
At the top of the Peace Monument, facing west, stand two classically robed female figures. Grief holds her covered face against the shoulder of History and weeps in mourning. History holds a stylus and a tablet that was inscribed “They died that their country might live.” Below Grief and History, another life-size classical female figure represents Victory, holding high a laurel wreath and carrying an oak branch, signifying strength. Below her are the infant Mars, the god of war, and the infant Neptune, god of the sea. The shaft of the monument is decorated with wreaths, ribbons and scallop shells. (3)
Our early morning personal walking tour, to the 10am meeting point at the Naval Memorial , was a phenomenal start to our sightseeing day…
- Architect of the Capital. (n.d.) https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/statue-freedom#:~:text=Statue%20of%20Freedom%20is%20a,with%20fur%20and%20decorative%20balls.
- Wikipedia. (n.d.) Statue of Freedom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Freedom
- Architect of the Capital. (n.d.) https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/peace-monument
It sounds wonderful. Your photographs are great.
Thank you. You’re thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Too short … I was so enjoying it and hoping it would carry on with the tour and night tour etc pics