Exploring DC: The best of the rest

Five minutes after we emerged from the metro train on our first day in DC, closed streets and a profusion of uniforms told us something was going on.  Moments later, as we stood expectantly on the corner of C and 14th, the presidential motorcade glided by and we got a clear glimpse of the leader of the free world, that instantly recognisable profile bent forward in serious thought.  

That, dear readers, is a metaphor for the whole trip.  It wasn't the planned and much anticipated stuff like the tours that provided our finest moments, but the things that just rolled with happenstance into our day.  My top Washington D.C. tourism tip?  Pick a couple of things you must see and then just wander.

Our wandering started with the monuments.  We did the whole official loop, starting with Jefferson's Pantheon-like temple on the Tidal Basin and ending at Vietnam.  (It's at least four miles, so be ready to walk.)  Roosevelt's series of water garden "rooms" is striking in its difference, though English visitors may think it seems more like a Chelsea show garden than a presidential memorial.  The new Martin Luther King memorial is striking, with a giant statue of him striding forth from the white marble mountains behind him.  Korea haunting, with its slightly larger-than-life patrol striding through the undergrowth.  Vietnam sobering, with its grim blackness and the weight of its names.  World War II patriotic and bold, fitting for the unambiguous war in which we know we were force of good against evil.  And Lincoln, sadly, disappointing.  This is probably because you know it so well, the reality finds it hard to live up to those quiet, inspirational, dramatically lit scenes in the movies when our heroes go, alone, to commune with the spirit of the great unifier.  In reality, it was the monument most in need of renovation, with dirty roof panels and a patchy lawn, a view of a drained reflecting pool under re-construction and hordes of shrieking children.  

That was really the issue for all the monuments.  It's hard to feel the appropriate sense of contemplation and reverence when surrounded by little people playing tag and packs of teenagers more concerned about gossiping with their friends than learning anything.  Where the hell were their teachers?  Would it have been possible to actually gag them, and tie them into a chain gang, to force them to pay attention?  And could I arrange a public execution at the foot of the Washington monument for the pack who "honoured" the Korean vets by seeing who could jump highest to pluck leaves off the bottom of the pleached limes at that memorial?  End of rant.

Our local hosts suggested that the monuments are actually best seen at night, when they are illuminated and the kiddies have cleared out.  That is the way we saw the 9.11 memorial at the Pentagon, certainly the most poignant of all.  Each person who died in the crash is commemorated by their own wing-shaped steel sculpture with a small reflecting pool beneath.  These are organised in rows by year of birth, forming a grim and sobering bell curve.  We couldn't linger long, the emotions it sparked were so palpable.  Just what a good monument should do.


And then there's the National Mall and its staggering array of museums.  Top of my priority list was American History and, again, reality didn't live up to anticipation.  Maybe the place is showing its age (very '60s, in a tired and worn rather than a cool, Mad Men way), maybe I'm jaded by a world of museums since I visited as a 19-year old, or maybe I was just tired.  But exhibits seemed too heavy on boards of text and videos, too light on actual artefacts or substantive information.  Julia Child's kitchen was closed for renovation, a huge disappointment.  Kudos, however, for the new installation of the Star Spangled Banner, a vast improvement over the old.  And the first ladies' gowns are as wonderful as ever.

I hadn't intended to get to the National Gallery, worrying that Piers would be bored and thinking we should concentrate on stuff we couldn't see at home.  (Art from the great masters isn't exactly unusual in London!)  But we ended up close by, the line to the National Archives was long and we could walk right in to the gallery so...  Once inside, I remembered just how magnificent the building is.  Take out the art, it would still be worth seeing in all its neo-classical glory.  And the collections are magnificent enough to impress even those who pop into London's National Gallery all the time.  I transformed quickly into the art historian's daughter, revelling in the Renaissance section where I payed homage to Raphael's Alba Madonna, Verrocchio's bust of Lorenzo de'Medici, Leonardo's Ginevra de'Benci and the room of Botticellis.  It's as good as a trip to Florence.  We also zipped though the American section, where the star sight must be Saint-Gauden's Shaw Memorial, an almost life-sized bronze relief sculpture of the first black combat troops in the Civil War, immortalised in the film Glory.

This is also a great place to grab lunch, as it's off the beaten track of the school groups.  Too expensive, too high culture.  The cafe in the basement has great food, but horrific service.  It's Catalan-themed, with a wonderful buffet worthy of a proper restaurant.  But make sure you order your wine well in advance.   And if you're allergic to tomatoes, you're in trouble, as poor Piers discovered.

Another highlight was the National Portrait Gallery, with a stunning collection that probably teaches you more about history, in a more thoughtful way, than all the "fun" stuff at the history museum.  It deserved far longer than we gave it, especially the gallery of presidents.  The building wraps around a courtyard, now glass-roofed, where they do afternoon jazz and cocktails.  (Which is the reason we didn't have so much time in the galleries.)

Just around the corner is Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was shot.  Now a part of the National Park Service, thus free, with an excellent museum in the basement.  After viewing that you sit in the theatre itself, where a much-practiced Ranger tells you the story of the fateful night.

All those free museums help you to justify the painful $21.95 you'll shell out to get into the Newseum, a temple, monument and institution of discovery for the profession of journalism.  It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I was joined in Washington by two old and dear friends who were with me at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism; for us, this was pilgrimage.  It's a fantastic place and really deserves a whole day.  My favourite bit was the history of news gallery, bisected by a double-sided row of sliding glass drawers of real newspapers going back to the 15th century.  All the big dates in modern history are here, along with quirky stuff like the report of one of King Charles II's precious spaniels going missing.  (Clearly, Datchet has inherited his wanderlust from original sources.)  The three of us gathered, a bit mournfully, around the case with the old wire machine in it, with much bittersweet remembering of tearing copy from its ceaselessly spewing mouth and some observation of just how old we were getting.  The global gallery that explores just how free the press is from country to country is fascinating, and Tim Russert's office, donated by his family and installed intact, will draw a sad sigh from those who remember him.  More likely to draw tears is the gallery holding one of the communications masts from the Twin Towers, with an exploration of reportage around that event.  And if it all gets too heavy for you, the balcony on the top floor has one of the best views in Washington.

Beyond the tight parameters of the major tourist sights, circumstance also brought us to Alexandria for a few hours.  I had wanted to get to Georgetown but an Alexandria resident encountered earlier in the trip told me her home had all of the charm and none of the crowds of the more famous suburb.  I have to believe her, because we spent a very pleasant couple of hours strolling around, looking at colonial architecture, window shopping and taking in views of the broadening Potomac.  The big historic sight here is Gadsby's tavern, which George Washington frequented and where Thomas Jefferson had his inaugural banquet.  It still operates as a working restaurant, which would have been fun had we had the time.

So much to see, so little time.  Story of the trip.  This time, we embraced the unexpected.  Next time, we won't plan anything at all, and know that whatever we wander into will need most of a day to do it justice.