Washington DC, 2014 | FindPenguins

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January 7, 2014
Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
Washington DC
January 7, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ -9 °C
In January, a friend I had made while working as a foreign correspondent in DC back in 2007 invited me to a ceremony where she was going to be given an award at the National Press Club. It turned out that she could have only one guest, and naturally that was her husband. But we did get together a couple of times, and I had other adventures as well.

I stayed in a studio apartment I found on Craigslist, and it was very nice. The Adams Morgan District, where it was located, has many beautiful old buildings that have been restored--the one I stayed in was an apartment block, but the apartment owner lived just a few doors down in one of the many beautiful old houses in the area.

It's near Samuel Gompers Park--he was an important leader of the labor movement in the US. The diner pictured was nearby. Maybe...I don't really remember! But it's worth seeking out because the food was hearty, heaping and delicious.Read more
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Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
The Hill and the National Press Club
January 8, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ -1 °C
Next day, I took a tour of the Senate and the House. During my time there in 2007, the Visitors Center was under construction, so I'd never done the tour.

Then I went to one of the newer buildings that houses part of the Library of Congress collection, where I spied this cardboard stand up of Chuck the Reporter.

Later in the day, I joined Connie at the National Press Club members lounge and accompanied her to the gym!Read more
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Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
Back to the Library of Congress
January 9, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C
Not many photos for the next day, but I think that's because I spent it looking through music archives for my Sousa tour of NZ research, and the photo archives for material to use in the RORI presentation.

I can't remember now where I saw that stone plaque, but it was on my way to LOC in the morning. I guess I was impressed by the Susan Sontag quote--the woman who died was a well-known realtor, I discovered later.Read more
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Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
The National Archives, College Park MD
January 10, 2014 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 0 °C
I took the opportunity, while I was in DC, to do some research in the National Archives for a presentation I was putting together about how the rail system was taken over by the US government during WWII. It was for the Rosie the Riveter WWII National Homefront Historical Park that I volunteered at in Richmond, CA.

Those archives--like most of them--aren't housed in the impressive building in the center of DC, but you do catch a free shuttle from there to get to the College Park MD campus. It was a great day, and the location is very pretty.Read more
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Party time!
January 11, 2014 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 10 °C
Connie invited me to go with her and her husband to a party being thrown for a local radio celebrity at a swanky, long-established downtown restaurant. Not unexpectedly, the party made the social pages of the paper I picked up at the airport a couple of days later on my way back to Oakland.Read more
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Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
National Museum of the American Indian
January 12, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
On my last day in DC, I went to what is probably my absolute favorite place in that city--the National Museum of the American Indian.

Architecturally, both the exterior and interior are just wonderful. I especially love the way the slit windows containing prisms are used to fracture the light into the colors of the rainbow so there's an ever-changing, every-moving pattern of light on the interior walls of the atrium.

There's a great cafe, interesting films and exhibits, and there's always a performance of some sort in the central atrium, which is often streamed live on their website.Read more
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Washington DC, 2014 Traveler
A different kind of Indian
January 12, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
The studio where I was staying was just a street or two away from the DC Convention Center, so on my way back from the NMAI I stopped in there to see what was a-happenin'. Turned out to be a motorbike expo!

The next day, I returned to Oakland.Read more
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Trip end
January 12, 2014