Washington, Part 2
Sunday, November 2nd was the day chosen to view the great monuments on the National Mall. The closest Metro stop is in front of the Smithsonian castle (where, in James Smithson’s crypt, you can see some of his books, which include volumes of Samuel Johnson), which is a bit of a hike to the Washington Monument, and a very long walk to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Between those two landmarks is the relatively new World War II Memorial, right at the end of the reflecting pool. It’s a sober and dignified design, with a central fountain surrounded by stone pillars inscribed with the names of America’s states and territories, and large arches at either end representing the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.
The walk along the north side of the reflecting pool takes you near the Vietnam War Memorial. It is a profound monument, with the names of every fallen soldier inscribed in black marble. It personalizes the conflict in a way other memorials cannot. The nearby Korean War Memorial is poignant and underrated.
The Lincoln Memorial is awesome. What you cannot tell from looking at a penny is how spectacularly large the structure is. Seeing how it dwarfs the crowds of people standing upon its steps is the only clue you have when seeing it from a distance. The seated Lincoln is enormous. His Second Inaugural and Gettysburg Address adorn the walls on either side of the temple.
The National Museum of American History was, alas, closed until November 21. But the National Museum of Natural History was open, and, though I thought that, in some ways, it is inferior to the Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian does have the Hope Diamond, and everybody loves that. Plus, I got to touch a rock from Mars. So, in the space of two days I touched pieces of Mars and the Moon.
Sunday was the only genuinely cold day during my trip, and I felt especially uncomfortable on my long walk back to the subway. The weather had turned cloudy and sometimes misty. Later in the week it was supposed to clear up, but it didn’t until Friday, which was very warm, but Saturday the 8th it was overcast and drizzling again in the morning.
Monday morning I walked the few short picturesque blocks up Connecticut Avenue to the National Zoo, part of the Smithsonian. It’s totally free, but almost nobody was there. The cool, cloudy weather meant most of the animals were up and about. I saw the fishing cat putting its paws in the water. The pandas were sleeping in the trees. Some of the animals’ habitats were empty. I gathered that the animals had been moved somewhere else. But I did get to see an octopus and a centipede, and in the bird house I saw a magpie eating a lizard, a toucan and had a close encounter with a kiwi. That is one weird bird. Even more bizarre: a black squirrel.
In the afternoon I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Photographs are not allowed in the exhibit, for obvious reasons. Needless to say, the museum is both disturbing and heartbreaking. This trip made me even more convinced that authentic artifacts have much more power than replicas or reproductions. So, while the photos were wrenching and the boxcar was evocative, it was a large room piled high with the shoes of Holocaust victims that was the most personal. Most affecting for me, though, were two genuine bunks from barracks at Auschwitz.
In future updates I go to the National Portrait Gallery, Mount Vernon and the Supreme Court.
Leave a Reply