stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2025-07-10 08:42 pm
stevenpiziks) wrote2025-07-10 08:42 pm
Entry tags:
Washington DC: Wednesday
Wednesday in Washington. The heat wave continues.
Today was my long day, the one day when I had no appointments or other engagements. It was to be my main day to tour the city. There's no way to see even a zillionth of Washington in one day, so I'd narrowed it down. I'd spend the morning at the Smithsonian and the afternoon at the National Archive and the Library of Congress. Then, if I had the energy, I'd try another museum.
Best laid plans...
First, the accidental good thing. I passed a department store and remembered that it was supposed to rain later. An umbrella would be a good idea. I popped in and bought one. Then I realized that I'd have to carry it all day unless I wanted to go all the way back to my flat to drop it off. I decided to carry it. Good decision, it turned out.
The sun was blazing, punishing, and relentless. It slammed into me the moment I exited the Metro, and I had several blocks to walk to the Smithsonian. I kept to the shade of the buildings as much as I could, but I was seriously sweating by the time I arrived.
The Smithsonian was closed.
Or rather, that big castle building that everyone thinks of when you say "Smithsonian" was closed for renovation. A helpful sign suggested that disappointed tourists visit one of the other Smithsonian museums nearby. I trudged sweatily to the Museum of American History, which was wonderfully air-conditioned. The MAH was diverting, but I already knew most of the history it explained. The displays were interesting enough, but I'd come to see the famous American artifacts like the Spirit of Saint Louis and Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theater. Well, whattayagonnado? I explored the MAH to my satisfaction, then headed toward the National Archive and the Library of Congress.
Here's where the umbrella came in. At this time of day, the sun was overhead and the building shadows were non-existent. I promptly put up my new umbrella. If I hadn't had it with me, I would have been forced to go back "home," or hide inside another building for a few hours.
To get to the LoC by foot, you have to pass by (or through) the National Mall, so I explored that on the way. It's massive. Photos don't give you the sheer scale of the place. I've seen smaller prairie farms. Trees line the sides of the grassy part, and I gratefully kept to their shade. I walked the entire length of the mall toward Capitol Hill. At one point, I stopped at a little cafe, the only one in sight, and bought a can of Coke for $4.50. It was worth it.
I found the National Archive first. Here the main thing to see are the originals of the founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They're kept under glass on the third floor under an echoing rotunda. The documents are faded to the point of near illegibility. I was barley able to make out John Hancock's signature. But it was still impressive to see them. There was also a letter from Abraham Lincoln, in his own handwriting, demanding emancipation for enslaved people. I felt like I was reaching back in time and touching Lincoln when I read his words from his own hand.
I got restless later, though, and remembered that the flat was basically across the street from the National Zoo. They closed in a couple of hours, but hey--admission was free, so I wasn't losing anything by going.
Hoo boy.
When you enter the National Zoo, you find yourself at the beginning of a long, wide brick avenue. You walk down it and walk and walk and walk. Bamboo thickets line the thing so you can't see anything but the avenue. Why bamboo? Pandas! The pandas are the jewels in the crown, the stars of the show, the gooey center of the lava cakes. And they don't let you forget it. Every few feet there was a panda sign, a panda cafe, a stand selling panda merch. We have pandas! Did you know we have pandas? Come see the pandas!
I kept walking and walking and walking. No wildlife at all. Were there any actual animals in this zoo? I finally came across a gap in the bamboo barrier that revealed I was actually on a bridge above the elephant enclosure. Two elephants, far below and far away, hosed themselves with dust. That was it.
I kept on going. Everywhere I went, though, I found empty enclosures. No sign of any animal life. Not a sausage. A sign said the sloth bear was being attended to by the vet, but that was it. The hell?
At last I came to the panda house. The big one. The grand finale. You can probably see where this is going.
In the panda house, there was exactly one panda happily munching bamboo behind glass. That was it. From the advertising, I'd expected an entire valley of them like in the third Kung Fu Panda movie. Or at least two of them. Nope. Just the one. And watching it eat was only interesting for about three minutes. At least the building had AC. At this point, I gave up.
I have to say the National Zoo was a huge disappointment. You'd think that, as the NATIONAL zoo of the USA, it would be the best. It would set the standard and make all the other zoos jealous. But really? It was small and uninspiring. It would have been dull even if all the animals had been front and center dancing with little top hats and canes. I trudged back to the flat for my second shower of the day.
The rest of the evening, I caught up on my reading. It was an unfortunately lackluster day.
The biggest problem was the horrifying heat. I'm from Michigan, and I'm used to summer scorchers, but this was another level entirely. It was my own fault, I suppose--everyone knows DC in July is a misery. But the heat was compounded by everything being closed or under renovation.
Or blocked off.
Well, tomorrow was the Big Day--my own passport application. I gathered up the papers I'd need, mapped out my route, and worked out how long it would take to get there. With that small accomplishment behind me, I went to bed.
Today was my long day, the one day when I had no appointments or other engagements. It was to be my main day to tour the city. There's no way to see even a zillionth of Washington in one day, so I'd narrowed it down. I'd spend the morning at the Smithsonian and the afternoon at the National Archive and the Library of Congress. Then, if I had the energy, I'd try another museum.
Best laid plans...
First, the accidental good thing. I passed a department store and remembered that it was supposed to rain later. An umbrella would be a good idea. I popped in and bought one. Then I realized that I'd have to carry it all day unless I wanted to go all the way back to my flat to drop it off. I decided to carry it. Good decision, it turned out.
The sun was blazing, punishing, and relentless. It slammed into me the moment I exited the Metro, and I had several blocks to walk to the Smithsonian. I kept to the shade of the buildings as much as I could, but I was seriously sweating by the time I arrived.
The Smithsonian was closed.
Or rather, that big castle building that everyone thinks of when you say "Smithsonian" was closed for renovation. A helpful sign suggested that disappointed tourists visit one of the other Smithsonian museums nearby. I trudged sweatily to the Museum of American History, which was wonderfully air-conditioned. The MAH was diverting, but I already knew most of the history it explained. The displays were interesting enough, but I'd come to see the famous American artifacts like the Spirit of Saint Louis and Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theater. Well, whattayagonnado? I explored the MAH to my satisfaction, then headed toward the National Archive and the Library of Congress.
Here's where the umbrella came in. At this time of day, the sun was overhead and the building shadows were non-existent. I promptly put up my new umbrella. If I hadn't had it with me, I would have been forced to go back "home," or hide inside another building for a few hours.
To get to the LoC by foot, you have to pass by (or through) the National Mall, so I explored that on the way. It's massive. Photos don't give you the sheer scale of the place. I've seen smaller prairie farms. Trees line the sides of the grassy part, and I gratefully kept to their shade. I walked the entire length of the mall toward Capitol Hill. At one point, I stopped at a little cafe, the only one in sight, and bought a can of Coke for $4.50. It was worth it.
I found the National Archive first. Here the main thing to see are the originals of the founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They're kept under glass on the third floor under an echoing rotunda. The documents are faded to the point of near illegibility. I was barley able to make out John Hancock's signature. But it was still impressive to see them. There was also a letter from Abraham Lincoln, in his own handwriting, demanding emancipation for enslaved people. I felt like I was reaching back in time and touching Lincoln when I read his words from his own hand.
Outside, I realized I was starving, so I found a place to eat before hitting the Library of Congress. I had to pass Capitol Hill though, so I figured I'd stop by, thinking I could do a little walk-through, I found it surrounded by fencing. No one allowed inside. I wondered what they were afraid of. Visitors were left to stand in the blazing sun and had to content myself with looking at the enormous building from the outside. And it IS enormous. A huge display of wealth and power.
By now, I felt nauseated and a little dizzy, early symptoms of dehydration. I wouldn't make it to the Library at this rate. The nearest building was the Botanical Garden, so I headed over there. That could be kind of fun, I thought. The lobby was life-savingly cool, but the areas with the plants were tropical--almost as warm as outside. I couldn't handle more than a couple minutes. I went back to the lobby and sat on a bench, reading, until I had cooled off enough to continue.
I got restless later, though, and remembered that the flat was basically across the street from the National Zoo. They closed in a couple of hours, but hey--admission was free, so I wasn't losing anything by going.
Hoo boy.
When you enter the National Zoo, you find yourself at the beginning of a long, wide brick avenue. You walk down it and walk and walk and walk. Bamboo thickets line the thing so you can't see anything but the avenue. Why bamboo? Pandas! The pandas are the jewels in the crown, the stars of the show, the gooey center of the lava cakes. And they don't let you forget it. Every few feet there was a panda sign, a panda cafe, a stand selling panda merch. We have pandas! Did you know we have pandas? Come see the pandas!
I kept walking and walking and walking. No wildlife at all. Were there any actual animals in this zoo? I finally came across a gap in the bamboo barrier that revealed I was actually on a bridge above the elephant enclosure. Two elephants, far below and far away, hosed themselves with dust. That was it.
I kept on going. Everywhere I went, though, I found empty enclosures. No sign of any animal life. Not a sausage. A sign said the sloth bear was being attended to by the vet, but that was it. The hell?
At last I came to the panda house. The big one. The grand finale. You can probably see where this is going.
In the panda house, there was exactly one panda happily munching bamboo behind glass. That was it. From the advertising, I'd expected an entire valley of them like in the third Kung Fu Panda movie. Or at least two of them. Nope. Just the one. And watching it eat was only interesting for about three minutes. At least the building had AC. At this point, I gave up.
I have to say the National Zoo was a huge disappointment. You'd think that, as the NATIONAL zoo of the USA, it would be the best. It would set the standard and make all the other zoos jealous. But really? It was small and uninspiring. It would have been dull even if all the animals had been front and center dancing with little top hats and canes. I trudged back to the flat for my second shower of the day.
The rest of the evening, I caught up on my reading. It was an unfortunately lackluster day.
The biggest problem was the horrifying heat. I'm from Michigan, and I'm used to summer scorchers, but this was another level entirely. It was my own fault, I suppose--everyone knows DC in July is a misery. But the heat was compounded by everything being closed or under renovation.
Or blocked off.
Well, tomorrow was the Big Day--my own passport application. I gathered up the papers I'd need, mapped out my route, and worked out how long it would take to get there. With that small accomplishment behind me, I went to bed.