LIB'S LABYRINTH: Maze: Washington, D.C.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Maze: Washington, D.C.

Maze: Washington, D.C.

The capital of the United States of America - where the seat of power is. So one November day, back in the past, together with my Nanay and Tatay, I packed my traveling Samsonite. I have visited the national capital once and I wanted to at least show the beauty and majesty of the place to my family. Why not? The place is not only exclusive for protestors and activists but for all the American people. Schoolchildren save their money and do fundraising just to go to Washington and see how government is being conducted. Rich in history, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful and impressive of world's center of government.

Washington and the District of Columbia were built in an area that was once a swamp with a few scattered villages of Powhatan Indians.

The Capitol stands on an 83-foot-high hill called Capitol Hill. George Washington laid the cornerstone in 1793. Invading British troops burned the building in 1814, during the War of 1812, but it was rebuilt in 1819. The Statue of Freedom, designed by Thomas Crawford, atop the dome stands 19-and-1/2 feet high. John Trumbull's painting of the Revolutionary War hang on the walls of the Great Rotunda. From the Capitol, wide avenues radiate diagonally across the city. Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a famous French engineer and architect hired by George Washington to draw plans for the city advised Congress to "make no little plans" when building the capital. It's probably the beginning of full-blown deficit. The Senate meets in the northern white marble wing, and the House of Representatives occupies the southern wing

A feeling of wonder overcomes visitors to the Lincoln Memorial, where the Statue of Abraham Lincoln recalls the quiet, sad wisdom of America's greatest statesman. It is sculptured from white Georgian marble by Daniel Chester French.

George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon, Virginia.

During the early 1700's, Scottish and Irish trappers and farmers built homes in clearings on the east side of the Potomac River. Plantations developed across the river in Virginia. George W. the First was a farmer before he was the first President of the United States - elected in 1789. One of these plantations was Mt. Vernon that lies in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 15 miles south of Washington, D.C. The tomb of George and Martha Washington is also at Mt. Vernon.
There are 19 large rooms in the two-and-a-half story building. Washington's half brother, Lawrence, built the main section in 1743. Later, he named it for Admiral Edward Vernon, his former commander in the British Navy. Smaller buildings stand at the sides and behind the mansion. Some were living quarters for the servants/black slaves and craftsmen, farm implements and animals. Washington who wore denture made of human or animal teeth or ivory (not wood as earlier told), having learned the importance of dental hygiene, ordered daily teeth brushing for his six favorite horses.

The White House

It is often called the Executive Mansion. The building was originally called the President's Palace. During the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt (TR), it became officially known as the White House when he had repaired in 1900's. It is three stories tall and not very large like the palaces of the world but it has dignity and excellent proportions. It cost $400,000 to complete the original building in the late 1790's. It's made of sandstone painted white and represents a classic style of architecture. It consists of the main building and two additional wings connected by two terraces.

This photo of us taken before 9-11 waiting at the portico with Ionic columns is the dominant feature of the North Side of the building. It serves as the main entrance. State rooms for public affairs occupy most of the first floor. Most famous is the East Room for public receptions. The private apartments of the President and family are on the second floor. Guest rooms are also on this floor. I wonder if tourists post 9-11 are still allowed to enter the White House?

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

We and the other visitors at Arlington National Cemetery enjoyed watching the Changing of the Guards. It was our first time to see such magnificent display of precision and timing. So amazing and we have never seen quite like it in all our travels. It has never been equalled if you asked me. I read a few years ago that the last of unknown soldier inside the tomb was finally identified by DNA.