Sadly, today's our last day here. Our intentions were to spend 2 months --we'd spent a month twice before but needed longer this time. Cruisers don't have plans---unless they're cast in dilute Jello---we have intentions. We've delayed our departure twice but now, after 3 months, we've gotta go. Temps are falling so we're outa here.
Of all the big cities we've visited, none has the accidental loveliness, to us, as does D.C. This is a city you can walk across, with wide-open avenues, front porches, old neighborhoods and river views. It was designed by a Parisian, Pierre L'Enfant, and, in some respects, still retains that 'feeling'. By law, buildings cannot be taller than the width of the street they front, enabling one to always be able to see the sky. There are more than two dozen free museums, so you can absorb culture the way it was meant to be experienced. Take a tour of NPR. Enter the name of a museum on-line and discover lectures, concerts, and classes that each offers. They aren't publicized so the only way to know what's happening aside from the obvious is do a few searches and you'll be quite surprised at what's available--you just have to hunt.
To get a break from all the history and heritage, we've often hopped on our bikes and headed across the Potomac River to Gravelly Point Park off the Mt. Vernon Trail in Virginia. The trail is marked just like a higihway with lines down the middle and is very well used by commuters. They haul on their way to work and home. The park is a grassy knoll known mostly to locals, where you can watch airplanes come in, shockingly close to your head, for a landing just a few hundred feet away at Reagan National Airport.
There is also a walking and biking path that runs along the river, plus a pretty view of Washington.
There is also a walking and biking path that runs along the river, plus a pretty view of Washington.
America does not have many truly impressive Gothic cathedrals, so the National Cathedral is one worth visiting. It is actually an Episcopal church, but Congress has designated it the National House of Prayer. Since 1907, it has been used for state funerals for three presidents, monthly emergency unity services during WWII, presidential prayer services and 9/11 memorial ceremonies. Half-hour tours are held throughout the day. It is striking and pleasantly removed from the rest of official D.C.
National Cathedral
The best way to see most of Washington's monuments and museums is to stroll down the Mall, a greenway with the Capitol as a focal point at one end and lined with treasures all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.
When “the Smithsonian” is mentioned, many conjure up an image of just one museum but greater DC boasts 20 other sites—enough to thrill any museum buff. The National Museum of Natural History (not to be missed!) is the home of the Hope Diamond along with an insect zoo, an IMAX cinema and a hall full of dinosaurs. There’s even an African elephant in its rotunda. A massive collection of all things American from Abraham Lincoln's top hat to the Nintendo Game Boy, the National Museum of Natural History has something for everyone from the femme to the fierce.
From an 1855 castle to venues show-casing art, outer space, and culture, the buildings around the National Mall have something for every member of the family.
The Smithsonian Castle
If your head’s in the clouds, the National Air and Space Museum will delight you with its 23 galleries brim-full of aircraft, vehicles and satellites used for space travel.
A stroll through Chinatown
Architecture, history, art, and culture come together at the National Museum of the American Indian. The building’s unique curvature makes it impossible to miss. Sorry for no photo.
The newest museum, just a year old, is the Museum of African American History and Culture. There’s a collection of 37,000 historical artifacts as well as exhibitions on sports, segregation, slavery, music, and so much more. Because it’s so new AND very popular, tickets must be secured far in advance. I failed to do that so when tour busses arrived the day I was there, I just fell in line with those folks and when the tour group leader went down the line doling out tickets, my hand was out stretched and it collected a ticket.
When visiting our nation's capital, our suggestion is not to visit things that look the same on TV as they do in real life. The White House, for example, is not worth the trouble, sorry to say, having nothing to do with President Trump's description of it being "a dump". Look at it from the outside and marvel at the snipers on the roof but keep walking.
The Washington Monument? The best thing about it is its starkness. You will see that from afar all over town. In 24 hours, your time is better spent popping into one of the outstanding museums, strolling through a garden and then inspecting one of the many icons that say more about America than a slab of concrete ever will.
Courtyard of Freer/Sackler Gallery
Today was our last day to do something new or re-visit a favorite. I love the bike path to Georgetown. Riding uphill, I was going through the woods and then...I was in Georgetown! There's a mystical facet to that.
The Capital Crescent Trail connects DC to its Maryland suburbs. The trail is so lushly wooded that it's easy to forget the hubbub of our capital lying just over the trees. While pedaling along the Potomac River, glancing over my shoulder provided a beautiful view of the iconic Washington Monument which serves as a reminder of the city's proximity.
Georgetown is a trendy neighborhood and is where the 7 miles of paved trail ends--or begins--just a few blocks from the Kennedy Center and the infamous Watergate complex.
View of the Potomac from the trail
We've ridden the trail on weekends and weekdays. As in cruising, we like to leave the weekends for the gainfully employed and then enjoy the week days when bike paths and the waterways are less crowded. The first few miles are nestled within a national park and tucked between the Potomac and the C and O Canal. The towpath parallels the Capital Crescent before veering off on a journey of 185 miles to Cumberland, MD.
Georgetown Waterfront
It seems there are very few things here without a historical background and this trail is no exception. It traces the route of the former Georgetown Branch of the B and O Railroad which opened in 1910. The train ran for 75 years and carried coal to provide electricity for Georgetown's streetcars. That coal also powered a steam plant that heated the White House. In preparation for construction of the Lincoln Memorial, these trains also brought in the limestone.
For me, the Dalecarlia Tunnel is the highlight of the trail, especially on a hot day. It's 340 feet long, built of brick, and on steamy summer days is a total respite to ride through. There are a few cut-outs in the walls for a pedestrian to get out of the way if a train came as they were walking through--from the olden days.
We're fond of celebrations and it's fairly easy for us to always find something to celebrate. Today will not be a deviation. There are several things for which to be thankful and the first is that today's the birthday of our son, Andy. How he got to be 46 years old, I do not know!!! Secondly, today's the 20th anniversary of our first date. I just can't believe it's been that long. Seems like only a year or two ago. And number 3--we're so thankful for our 3 months in this marvelous city and our proximity to any and everything we might want to see or do. Along with that is thanksgiving for our health and our ability to walk and cycle to every corner of Washington, DC.
Tomorrow we cast off our lines and begin our southern trek by way of Calvert's Marina in Solomon's, MD, where we'll tuck in Kindred Spirit III for several months while we explore land based destinations. Saying goodbye is hard to do!
Bill and Laura
Washington, DC
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