More Adventures in DC

Today we had a pretty off day so I will focus on yesterday!!

Our little tour guide at the Capitol was delightful. She’s a rising senior in Virginia at boarding school, working for Senator Dole for the month of August. She had plenty of crib cards to help her through our tour, but it went fine and she had a good bank of knowledge. We walked through the tunnels from the Dirksen Senate Building to the Russell Senate Building, then took the Senate trolley through the tunnel from the Russell under the street over to the Capitol.

I had not at all expected the Capitol to be so beautiful. I had expected lots of marble, and businesslike offices, which were centainly there, but the breathtaking mosaics and handpainted walls and ceilings took me by total surprise. The frieze around the Capitol dome in the rotunda was wonderful….it begins with pioneers hacking down trees and finishes with scenes from the Civil War. The "whisper spot" in the rotunda really works and all in all we had a delightful time.

From the Capitol we went over to the Library of Congress, Jefferson Building. Missing the 11:30 tour by only 2 minutes, we hopped into another tour nearby that had just gotten started. Boy was that our lucky day. Our docent was a man who clearly loves the place and had stories galore as to how and why each component of the building came to be. DH and I have been to the LOC before, but did not have the underlying reason as to why this or that is included in the ornament, and boy is there plenty of that. LO seemed to enjoy it, too, and even though 2/3 of the folks in the tour group ebbed away, probably due to his long stories, we stuck it out and learned more than we ever dreamed.

As we left, we asked a couple of security guards where they recommended for a good lunch, and they suggested the LOC cafeteria on the 6th floor of the Madison bldg. I guess this place is mostly for employees, but it was great and we all got exactly what we wanted. I lucked up on some soup! I rarely eat soup publicly as it usually has a chicken or beef base, but DC is sososo veggie-friendly and this soup’s ingredients were posted in case you were vegan. Vegetable broth, shitake mushrooms, spinach and tofu, and boy was it yummy. I paired that with a salad with balsamic vinegar and an apple for dessert.

Every day so far we have spent $36 for lunch for the 3 of us – not much more, not much less -- $36 – and boy does that suck. We haven’t been eating a lot, or elaborate stuff, sandwiches and wraps and the like – but $36 seemed to be the magic number. Yesterday at the LOC cafeteria we came in just under $25 and were thrilled. (Today we ate lunch for $26 but only b/c I got pbj and plain water in a glass. If I had gotten real food we would’ve been at $36 again!!)

After that yummy lunch we ventured out to Air and Space. Everyone was happy there as we looked and looked to our hearts’ delight. LO and DH rode an F18 Hornet simulator and the three of us went to the Albert Einstein planetarium, which I heartily recommend. Many times we really felt as if we were in the images. Learned a lot, too. The Wright Brothers’ exhibit was quite rich and I guess that’s where I spent most of my time.

Walking home from the subway, we stopped at the neighborhood Safeway, where we have shopped every night since arriving. I got a little Gouda cheese, some fresh cherries, and some sourdough bread. A little Perrier and I was set. LO hit the salad bar and DH picked up some HOT wings at the neighborhood deli to take home.

I won’t go into today, but will give one clue: a block away from the Holocaust Museum, I was still sobbing. DH was hapless. On the train home tonight, I asked LO what part of it meant the most to her. " I can’t talk about it for a few days, Nana," she said. "It’s too sad."