Washington DCIt
has been my great good fortune to have attended the National
Association of Realtors Mid-Year Legislative Meetings for the past 8
years or so. I love visiting Washington D.C. and even though
I would not want to live there, it is one of the most fascinating
cities in the country - a great sense of history, a repository for art
and literature and the seat of power for our government. Over the years
I've seen most of the attractions including tours of the White House
and Capitol, FBI, Mint, all the galleries, the Zoo, The Pentagon, the
Holocaust Museum and the War Memorials. Time permitting, I try to add
one new scene every year. This year the meetings were extremely tight
and I only managed to sneak enough time between Hill visits to see the
National Arboretum.
Last year I managed to sneak in a full day walking tour that captured
many of the highlights of that great city and so I wanted to share it
with you.
No
trip to DC is complete without a ride on the Metro. You can get to
nearly any point in the city and beyond in a safe, timely manner for
just a couple bucks. Metro stations are conveniently located throughout
the area and once you learn the routes it's a piece of cake. Some are
actually at street level while others, including the Woodley Park
station by NAR Hotels, is like descending into a mine - you go down a
loooong ways.
Take the Red Line to Metro Center where you can switch to any other
line and get from here to there easily. Or stay on the Red Line to
Union Station and go across the street for a great lunch and cold brew
at the Capitol City Brew Pub - a favorite stop of mine for years. Great
burgers, crab cakes and a variety of fine home brews. From there it's
just a couple blocks to the Realtor HQ.
This tour I rode the Metro all the way out to Arlington National
Cemetery. You can easily spend a full day just wandering the grounds
and marveling at the sights - from the Kennedy flame to the Tomb of the
Unknowns, from soldiers who died last week to Civil War tombstones that
read like history books. The view over the city isn't bad either.
What appears to be a short walk down the hill to the Lincoln Memorial
is actually a pretty good trek. Cross the Potomac on the stately George
Washington Bridge with it's massive bronze sculptures and watch the
planes taking off from Reagan International.
Just as you think your legs are going to give out, you arrive at the
Lincoln Memorial. I've been a fan of Abe Lincoln since I can remember
so this is always a poignant stop for me. The statue is so well done
you can see facial expression and he seems to be looking serenely out
over our present day hubbub with a glimmer of humor.
Again,
it looks like just a short walk down to the Washington Monument so
after catching breather with Abe, it's back to the jaunt.
Everything here is on such a grand scale that it looks deceptively near
when it's actually 42 miles away. But the Reflecting Pond is grand and
in the spring it's populated by entire families of ducks who could care
less about all the ruckus as the baby ducks parade along behind their
parents and learn to swim, to beg for popcorn and avoid small humans.
But eventually you get to the Monument after stopping by the Tribute to
World War II Veterans (In the mid-ground here). Again, this spectacular
tribute leaves you in awe as you contemplate the sacrifices made by so
many to get us where we are today. I've never been anyplace that brings
that message home as powerfully as do the many memorials in DC.
A
brief jaunt to the left from the Washington Monument brings you to the
White House (well, it's not all that brief). If you're up to a longer
trek you can actually get around to see the front but I didn't have the
energy this day so I watched them repair a lawn sprinkler in the back
yard. See - just like you and me, sprinkler troubles. (Except they've
got a full time crew to fix them and if you stop too long the Men in
Dark Glasses will come visit you.)
I've been to most all the museums and galleries and the Smithsonian and
so forth but the one place I have to stop by every year is the
Hirshhorn Galley of Modern Art. It's not that I'm a big modern art fan
but there's just so much fascinating stuff here and for some reason the
modern paintings and sculptures just grab me. It's just down the block
from the Smithsonian Castle along the Rose Walkway about mid-way down
the Mall toward the Capitol.
Naturally no trip to DC would be complete without a visit to the home
of our Legislative Team, the Realtor Building. If you haven't been
there, take the tour at Realtor.org to see how this building was
reclaimed from a ravaged neighborhood and now serves as an award
winning beacon to put our Legislators on notice that the Realtors are
in town. That's a huge R up on the side facing the congressional
offices.
It's literally a good one wood shot from the 12th floor deck of the
Realtor Building to the Capitol.
It's your humble host and tour guide. Just so you know I was really
there and not just pulling your chain.
So
what started out from Arlington looking like a nice stroll over the
Potomac, past Lincoln and Washington monuments, with brief side trips
to the White House and the Realtor Building, total ground covered was
about 11 miles to the steps of the Capitol. Let me tell you my dogs was
barkin' but I wouldn't have missed this for the world and I'd recommend
it to any of you. A couple more blocks down to the Capitol South Metro,
a relaxing 15 minute ride to the Wardman Park Marriott and there's a
cold brew with my name on it (and one to soak my feet in).
Hope to see you in DC next May.
Gene
Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes including
Temecula, Murrieta & The Southern California Wine Country
Remember, Don't wait to buy real
estate - Buy real estate and wait.
Gene, I really enjoyed these shots, it's been a long time since I've been to DC. You might want to post this in Localism Success and Accountability Group. Thanks for the tour!
Gene Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes / Temecula & Murrieta
No
trip to DC is complete without a ride on the Metro. You can get to
nearly any point in the city and beyond in a safe, timely manner for
just a couple bucks. Metro stations are conveniently located throughout
the area and once you learn the routes it's a piece of cake. Some are
actually at street level while others, including the Woodley Park
station by NAR Hotels, is like descending into a mine - you go down a
loooong ways. 
Again,
it looks like just a short walk down to the Washington Monument so
after catching breather with Abe, it's back to the jaunt.
Everything here is on such a grand scale that it looks deceptively near
when it's actually 42 miles away. But the Reflecting Pond is grand and
in the spring it's populated by entire families of ducks who could care
less about all the ruckus as the baby ducks parade along behind their
parents and learn to swim, to beg for popcorn and avoid small humans. 
A
brief jaunt to the left from the Washington Monument brings you to the
White House (well, it's not all that brief). If you're up to a longer
trek you can actually get around to see the front but I didn't have the
energy this day so I watched them repair a lawn sprinkler in the back
yard. See - just like you and me, sprinkler troubles. (Except they've
got a full time crew to fix them and if you stop too long the Men in
Dark Glasses will come visit you.)
So
what started out from Arlington looking like a nice stroll over the
Potomac, past Lincoln and Washington monuments, with brief side trips
to the White House and the Realtor Building, total ground covered was
about 11 miles to the steps of the Capitol. Let me tell you my dogs was
barkin' but I wouldn't have missed this for the world and I'd recommend
it to any of you. A couple more blocks down to the Capitol South Metro,
a relaxing 15 minute ride to the Wardman Park Marriott and there's a
cold brew with my name on it (and one to soak my feet in). 
;)
;)
Thanks for the pictures Gene. I was there last Year with my daughter.