7-20-19 Washington, DC Part I

Humidity?  What humidity?

We are asked how we are dealing with “the weather.”  We are hot, sweaty and our clothes are soaked and sticking and it is misery.  But we shall never pass this way again and we are committed to immersing ourselves (as it were) in this experience.  Some things we have seen before but there is so much that we haven’t seen so we are making each moment count, the heat be damned.  We defy the humidity gods.

This all began when, one day last January, I got this brilliant idea that we really need to see the White House.  You must acquire tickets from your Senator or Congressman.  I couldn’t bring myself to write to our blue Senators or Congressmen in NV to ask for a favor.  Just couldn’t do it.  So I wrote to Ted Cruz.  Happily, he responded the same day, “Sure!  No problem!  What day do you want?”  So “the plan” has been brewing for six months, getting our security clearances and so on but they said that we’d not know anything for sure until a week before hand.  Well shit!  We had to be on the road for at least a month before we would even know their decision!  But we decided to take our chances, which is what this trip, my friends, is all about.  Just last week, we were overjoyed!   We were informed:  you are cleared and confirmed to tour the White House, print out these passes.  We were sure to have a functional printer on board for exactly this purpose. 

Red line to Glenmont

Red line to Glenmont arriving

Getting around DC is not for the faint of heart.  We are camped at Cherry Hill Park, where they are focused on helping their guests with every aspect of this.  Upon arrival, we learned that there was a one-hour orientation presentation in progress and we caught the tail end of it and got a lot of handy pointers from Barbara on how to navigate the maze.  She knew every detail;  every street corner, stop sign and chalk mark on the sidewalk and that in itself removed a lot of our trepidation. Right out of the box the next morning, White House tour day, we had 2 options:  the bus or the Jeep.  We drove the Jeepster.  At the metro (local train system) we caught two different trains to the correct stop where we disembarked to walk a couple of blocks to the White House Visitors Center, once again all mapped out by Barbara.  It was really a piece of cake once we got the hang of it.  (In fact, the metro system here is brilliant.)  After six months of planning from the other end of the USA, we arrived right on schedule, 15 minutes before our White House tour was to begin.  The Police and Secret Service guys aren’t cordial.  We knew in advance what was allowed, presented our credentials and passed through three security check points.  After all of that, we are both confident that we do not need a colonoscopy for another 10 years.

The White House is, in a word, breathtaking.  We passed by the Jacqueline Kennedy Gardens and entered the East Room.  From there we moved on to the Library, Vermeil Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, State Dining Room and out the North portico.  The décor spans centuries, each President and First Lady leaving a personal touch;  linen wallpaper, crystal chandeliers, silk upholstery.  Every President has a portrait on display in the White House, even George Washington who did not live in the White House.  (It wasn’t built, yet, but he did oversee its design and participate in its construction.) Later, a portrait of every First Lady including Martha Washington was added to the wall displays.  The furnishings are priceless, dating back centuries;  chairs, desks, tables, mantels, carpets, draperies and china.  Each piece has a story and a history and all of this fills volumes.  Stunning.  Historic.  Amazing.  At last, we have checked the White House off of our “bucket list.” - continued

Thomas Jefferson

Nancy Reagan's portrait

Red room

Lindy and Rob with
the President's seal 

Lindy & Rob at the
North Portico

The Green Room

L 

Rob in the State Dining Room

The north side of our White House