Two plus more days in Washington

Days are full. Saturday morning, Bob and I walked down to Eastern Market where I used to do my weekly grocery shopping. It is a bit more arts and crafts and less with foodstuffs outside, but this inside is great. We bumped to an old friend from my NARAL days (ProChoice America - or some other name it has now). Lisa lives in beautiful West Virginia. She is less enamoured - the politics there is pretty rough. Trump country. It is in these moments, I am reminded of how lucky I am that I get to live in Canada. That 90-minute ferry ride across the border makes a big difference.

Right near the Supreme Court is the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument. Until fairly recently, it was a private museum of sorts. I gotta say, it is pretty sparse of furniture, artifacts, and information. I know the stories so was able to enjoy it, but it needs a good curator. The ferocity of the women who fought for women’s suffrage belies the whole “fairer sex” thing. They were jailed, force-fed, and maligned mercilessly - for decades. I do hope that at some point this national monument will be elevated.

Conveniently, Saturday was the Democratic Party Convention for DC where delegates are chosen. It is an insiders game. You have to make your way over to the Convention Center to cast your ballot. I ran as a delegate in 1984 to represent Mondale. With the immense organizing by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, I came in second behind the sitting City Councilmember, Betty Ann Kane. Who the hell is this Ginenthal? This was the year of Jesse Jackson, so he captured the lion’s share of seats here in DC.

“It’s me. Hi. I’m a French Cream Donut” beckoned for days. We finally gave in on Sunday. It was as delicious as it sounds. We walked it off (at least that is what I’m focusing on) going over to the National Museum of the American Indian on the mall. What used to be just small collections of a few of the 900 different tribes/nations on display is now an eloquent telling of the history of colonialism in the USA and Canada. Take a look at my photos. Recognize the dates? Highly recommend on your next visit to DC.

We walked down to the Wharf area: a neighbourhood that didn’t exist when I lived here. Trendy restaurants and everything new. Along the way, we saw four women dressed in giant blow-up costumes. No party, no event. Just four kooky women out enjoying their day?

Dinner in Chinatown at a very traditional restaurant where Bob is a known customer. They knew his regular order. Chinatown is not quite so cleaned up as most of the other areas we visited.Read more