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cahaya 19891 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 00:00 AM (EST) "A walking tour" Over the many years I've been overseas, I've walked the streets of cities and towns that not many Americans have trod - Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, Taipei, New Dehli, Tehran, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, and many other cities and smaller towns and locales that would make up a list that I couldn't be sure was complete. And after all this trekking, for once, this evening I trod the sidewalks and paths of our nation's capitol, stretching from the U.S. Capitol itself to the National Mall to the Reflecting Pool to Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and around to the White House and much in between. I began and ended my trek from the Chinatown Metro Red Line stop, taking almost five hours to hoof a circular path within the capitol of this nation of which I am a citizen. It amazes me, the historic symbolism and ideals expressed by much of what I saw and read today. The inscriptions and quotes within the Lincoln Memorial itself conveys ideals and sincere feelings that reach to into our hearts and our shared humanity. I can appreciate the struggle, the sacrifice, the pain that many endured for our nation to be what it is today and potential for what it can be tomorrow. But my eyes also saw discordant signs - ugly barricades haphazardly put up ostenably as a security measure, an empty-looking White House set off as a showpiece behind impenetrable barriers, the Washington monument with corners in new repair or disrepair, a Capitol building cool and austere in the sunset with a gold backlit glow the sole reminder of the heart and soul of American democracy. And on the streets of D.C. itself is the constant reminder of the dichotomy of those who have benefited, sitting at the sidewalk cafes imbibing their drinks in their newfound entry into the elite, and those who haven't as they join together at the park benches after dark with what few possessions they hold. Yes, I'm an idealist, yet I'm also a realist. I feel democracy is a constant struggle, as it always has been. We get out of it what we put into it. It's not perfect, nor do I expect it to be. We have the free spirit - like the Frisbees that fly in the National Mall - and it is this unique spirit that makes us Americans, each and every one. Surfkitten Summer sigshop 2008   Top

Subject     Author     Message Date     ID    RE: A walking tour dabo 08-22-08 1    RE: A walking tour Sagebrush Dan 08-22-08 2        RE: A walking tour cahaya 08-22-08 3            RE: A walking tour Sagebrush Dan 08-22-08 6  RE: A walking tour kingfish 08-22-08 4  RE: A walking tour mrc 08-22-08 5  Sounds beautiful Karchita 08-22-08 7

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dabo 26942 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 00:41 AM (EST) 1. "RE: A walking tour" LAST EDITED ON 08-22-08 AT 09:00 AM (EST) The last time I was in DC was a week after the 4th of July some years back, the National Mall was a mess and there were barricades everywhere and we didn't get there early enough for the kids to go up the Washington Monument, or me either I was actually looking forward to that but then I've done it before (unlike the kids). But we ate lunch at the Holocaust Museum (the Kosher Cafe) after seeing the Washington and Lincoln and FDR and Jefferson and various war monuments. Then we toured the Smithsonian. Then we went to the National Aquarium. You want to gripe about something, gripe about the National Aquarium, it's a joke. Way small, needs to be moved out of the J. Edgar Crossdresser building basement. Honestly it is a national embarrassment. Way sucky aquarium. And all the fishies are small, very small. I was way embarrassed to even be there. Now watch all the Dixie Chicks haters get all nosebent about I had an opinion about something that didn't involve dissing the Dixie Chicks, this ought to be fun.   Top

Sagebrush Dan 10002 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 00:56 AM (EST) 2. "RE: A walking tour" You didn't diss the Dixie Chicks! I hate you I hate you I hate you! Bad Commie, bad bad!   Top

cahaya 19891 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 01:13 AM (EST) 3. "RE: A walking tour" One thing that surprised me was the crowds - rather, the lack of them. Maybe it was because it was a weekday night after vacation season, but the weather was perfect for a good jaunt. Speaking of Dixie chicks, I saw a pair of gals who could easily pass for them tossing Frisbee in the Mall. Even more interesting was an Afghan cultural dancer in full garb (and Georgetown grad in international relations) I met on the Metro en route and talked with after she took a seat next to me.   Top

Sagebrush Dan 10002 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 02:50 PM (EST) 6. "RE: A walking tour" I went both in summer and in spring. In the summer, the Lincoln Memorial was wall-to-wall people. When I went in the spring, a bunch of us went to that area very very late at night. I managed to grab a handful of White House lawn (this was pre 9/11); we then went over to the Jefferson Memorial — with that lighting and the sense of late night mysticism, that memorial was a profoundly moving experience. Transcribed by Sharnina   Top

kingfish 20752 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 07:45 AM (EST) 4. "RE: A walking tour" Interesting, C. Kinda got to you, Huh. I have traveled a bit too, not nearly as much as you. But some. (Tehran?) And I have never visited DC. I have namesake ancestor who, as a deputy sheriff in the waning days of the wild west was shot an killed while chasing down a thief in Texas, may have his name or a plaque or something hung in some place in DC during a ceremony for something, fallen law enforcement officers, I guess, later this year or next year. As you can tell the plans are vague right now. But the point is that I was going to use attending that ceremony as an excuse for a vacation in DC, primarily, I think, in the Smithsonian, but taking in the historic sights of the city and environs as well. And I like your approach to seeing the sights. Especially since I can be packing, now.   Top

mrc 10113 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 08-22-08, 02:02 PM (EST) 5. "RE: A walking tour" I love walking in D.C.* When I do research there, I usually take a day and wander around the city looking at museums and monuments. I try to see something new every trip. One thing that disappoints me is that the Capitol is so closed off now. Back in grad school, before 9/11, some buddies and I wandered around the building, running into several politicians we recognized and probably some we didn't. We even got lost and took the underground tunnel between the Capitol and the Russell Senate Building. (Or was it one of the House buildings? I can't recall exactly.) Shar-licious *I don't like having to walk so far to get to the Jefferson Memorial. The tidal basin is gorgeous and all sometimes, but it's a heckuva walk.   Top

Karchita 4483 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest" 08-22-08, 04:41 PM (EST) 7. "Sounds beautiful" Thanks for sharing. I will be there in just a few weeks (repeat visit) and am really looking forward to it. I would like to do some walking, too, but I think I'll have to do it in daylight. I see your Seoul, Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam and I raise you Tokyo, Budapest, Bucharest, Berlin, Rome, Ankara, Sofia, Bratislava, and Tegucigalpa. Did I say that right? I don't speak gamblerese.   Top

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