George Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone in 1793 and since it opened in 1800, it’s been the center of American power and government. 

The building needed to be partially rebuild after the British burned parts of Washington, DC in 1814.  In the 1850s, the Capitol building was expanded, with the massive dome top statue, Freedom being put in place in 1863, after he dome rebuilding was complete.  Finally, the front of the Capitol (east end) was rebuilt in 1904 to balance the two sides. 

The most recent construction project, started in 2001, involved the same east end of the building, for the addition of the new underground visitors complex.  It’s due to open December 2, 2008, 145 years to the day after the Freedom statue was placed on the top of the  Capitol Building. 

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society offers 2-hour walking tours of the exterior of the building every Monday morning, through November.

Spectacular Tour to Remember – US Capitol Exterior Walk
U.S. Capitol Historical Society
200 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

Meet point – Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Dates and Times – Mondays only, May 19, – November 24, 2008 10:00 a.m.

Tickets – No reservations required, $10.00 (cash only) collected by the tour guide. Contact tours@uschs.org or 202-543-8919, ext. 17, for additional information or to arrange a private walk.

Meet-up point is at Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Union Station – Red line, meeting point is outside the station or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Paid parking is available at Union Station, as well as limited and time-restricted street parking in the area.

Images – from personal collection   ©2008, Jon Rochetti  ___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

The Eden Center is DC’s Vietnamese-centric shopping mall and community gathering place.  Located in suburban Falls Church, Virginia, about 20 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, it seems to caters almost exclusively to the Vietnamese community.

Close to 30 Vietnamese restaurants and phở soup shops, along with another 17 bakeries, delis and cafes, with not a Burger Kings or Subway in site, draw many people to come Eden Center for authentic Vietnamese food.  I like the bánh mì sandwiches at Song Que. But don’t be afraid if all of the menu boards are in Vietnamese; most servers will be more than happy to help you find what you want.

Another 90 shops draw heavy crowds 7 days-a-week.  The 20+ jewelry stores are the main draw for shoppers, especially for gold and jade items.  Other speciality stores include Vietnam music and video stores, a couple food markets, a few clothing stores and more.

I also found an interesting herb shop, where I couldn’t identify a single item in any of the large glass jars.

At one restaurant, there was a whole roasted lamb in hanging in the window.

Some of the “lounges” seemed to be the exclusive haven of exclusive men and over loud Vietnamese music.

The mall’s clock tower is a replica of a famous French-era Binh Tay market in downtown Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).

The Eden Center makes for a great cultural tour and the perfect place to discover a new place to enjoy the fabulous fusion cuisine of Vietnam.

If you visit New Your City and are looking for a great bánh mì sandwich check out Heather’s recommendation at The New York City Traveler.

Eden Center
7663 Wilson Blvd. just off Seven Corners
Falls Church, VA 22044 (map it)

Hours – Stores hours vary, but most open by 11:00 a.m. and close no earlier than 7:00 p.m.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – West Falls Church – Orange line, then a 1 mile walk.

Parking – Free parking is available.

Images – from personal collection   © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

And you too can add a bit of romance to your life and surprise your loved one with an afternoon or sunset rental of a rowboat at Burke Lake Park, in Fairfax Station, Virginia. All you need is a book of your favorite poet’s work.  Mother Nature can proved a romantic sunset.

In the late 1950s, Fairfax County Park Authority decided to create a public fishing lake. They found a 218 acre location that could be flooded in Northern Virginia, inside of a 900 acre track of land, less than 30 minutes from Washington, DC. 

After a dam was erected in 1961, the newly created lake property began to fill and was stocked with fish. 

The area was originally considered to become an small international airport, but area residents defeated the plan, in favor of a park and lake.

The 200+ acre lake and 900 acre park boasts over 5 miles of shoreline, with plenty of places to relax and read something like this, She Walks In Beauty Like the Night, by Lord Byron. 

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

If boating isn’t your pleasure, or romance isn’t in the air, the park also offers fishing (license required), camping, a 4.7 miles crushed gravel and paved shoreline hiking and biking trail, disk golf, horse shoe pits, volleyball courts, and picnic areas with grills.

On weekends for the children, the park provides a 1.75 mile miniature train ($2.00), carousel ($1.50), along with miniature golf ($6 for adults, $5 for kids), three playgrounds and an ice cream parlor, all open daily.

The golfer can also have some fun on the par-3, 18-hole golf course, or hit a bucket of balls at the park’s driving range. 

Row Boat Rentals
Burke Lake
7315 Ox Road
Fairfax Station, VA (map it) directions & park map
703-323-6600 

Dates and Times – Park hours – daily sunrise to sunset, May 24, 2008 – September 1

Row Boat Rentals (weather permitting)

• Saturday &  Sunday 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Weekdays, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Reduced days/hours before Memorial Day and after Labor Day

Admission & Boat Rental Costs – Free admission to the park on weekday, weekends – non-Fairfax County residents in a car or on motorcycle – $8.00. Row boat rentals* fees extra.

• Rowboat Rental – ½-day – $10.50, full-day – $16.00, includes up to 3 life preservers. Add’l. life preservers – $1.00,
• Rowboat with electric motor – ½-day – $27.50, full day – $41.00

* Poetry not included.

Half-day rentals begin at 3:00 p.m., full day rentals at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and 8:00 a.m. on other days.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Metro is not convenient. Vienna/Fairfax-GMU – Orange Line or Franconia-Springfield – Blue line, line, then a 10 mile cab drive. 

Parking – Free.

Images – wedding couple, sunset, train, carousel,

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Post from: The DC Traveler

National Memorial Park

The parks many acres of mostly open a rolling hills, in nearby Falls Church, Virginia are tranquil and relaxing. And with all the sculptures, if you aren’t paying attention, you might think you were transported to the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden or the Hirshorne sculpture garden.

There are numerous benches where you can sit and reflect, and I assume no one would mind if you brought a blanket to relax on the grass.

I recently took a drive through the park and found some great pieces of art including the: 

- Four Chaplains Memorial, resembling a flying white bird at the top of the park’s entrance driveway, by abstract expressionist, Constantino Nivola.

- September 11, 2001 Memorial – a 7-panel marble memorial surrounding a fountain dedicated to those who died as a result of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  Six of the panels list all of the names of the people who died, including victims in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and the passengers and crew members aboard the three airline flights.

- Babyland, a small heart-shaped grove dedicated to infants and small children who died before their time.

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- Sunchaser by Carl Milles, who worked in Auguste Rodin’s Paris studio, and has over a dozen major fountains and statues across the United States. 

- A piece very similar to the famous 15th-century white marble sculpture of the dead Jesus lying in the arms of his mother,  Michelangelo’s Pieta.

- The highlight is probably, The Fountain of Faith, also by Carl Milles. With its many human figures dancing in the spay of numerous water fountains, its make for a tranquil place to stop.

There are other statures and monuments around the park – some Victorian, others modern, and a few, a bit gaudy and ostentatious. 

The list of notable internees includes four U.S. Congressmen, two professional baseball players, three pro football players, and Frances Foster, the actress who played Vera on the soap opera The Guiding Light from 1985 to 1994. But the focal points of the park is its many memorials and statues.

National Memorial Park
7400 Lee Hwy
Falls Church, Virginia (map it)
703-573-8800 

Dates and Times – Weekdays – 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , weekends 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Admission – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – West Falls Church – Orange line, then a 2-mile walk.

Parking – Free.

Images – from personal collection © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Twenty years later, the 7-acre President’s Park was renamed Lafayette Park, after the French General who participated in the Revolutionary War.  He was one of the six foreigners that were ever granted Honorary Citizenship of the United States, along with Winston Churchill; humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg; governor of the American colony of Pennsylvania, William Penn and his wife; and Mother Teresa.

Over the year, Lafayette Park has been used for many purposes, besides a comfortable park – a race track, a graveyard, an apple orchard, a zoo, and even a slave market. Within blocks of the park, slaves were housed who labored constructing the White House.  

During the Civil War, parts of the park were used as a Union Army encampment for as well as to corral their horses, mules and cattle. 

The park hosts five statues, four of foreign Revolutionary War heroes, including Lafayette, French General Rochambeau, Poland’s General Kosciuszko and General Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben of Prussia. One American, President Andrew Jackson also has a statute in the park.  He is probably most recognized as the face on the $20 bill. 

In 1963, protesters, led by Rev. Martin Luther King, gathered at St. John’s Church at the northeast corner of the park (H Street and Madison Place) before starting the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Today, the park is popular with chess players, feeding the birds, quiet relaxation or as an occasional  site for a protest or rally.

Lafayette Park is just a block from the White House and is surrounded by historical buildings, including the Old Executive Office Building (now called the Eisenhower Executive Building) at 17th and Pennsylvania.

Lafayette Park
Pennsylvania Ave. and Jackson Pl, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Dates and Times – The park is open to the public 24-hours a day.

Admission – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – McPherson Square or Farragut West, Blue and Orange lines, then a 2-3 block walk, or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Limited metered street parking is available in the area.

Images – Jackson statue, Lafayette statue, cannon, chess players, birds 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Luckily, I was recently invited to a press conference hosted by Dr. James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, where the new Library of Congress Experience was being debuted.

The library’s new visitor experience located in the stunning Thomas Jefferson Building, take visitors on a tour of some of the library’s most treasured pieces, including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible, and Thomas Jefferson’s original book collection. 

Besides the collections, there’s the building itself, which should be on everyone’s Top 10 List of places to see while visiting Washington, DC. The architecture and ornate decorating make it one of the most impressive building interiors in Washington, DC.

The four main exhibits in the library’s new visitor’s experience include:

• The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building – Starting in the ornate Great Hall, the tour guides visitors through the spectacular architectural details focusing on the of the Minerva mosaic and the lamps of knowledge. Embellished with art from 50 American painters and sculptors, the Great Hall also hosts a collection over a dozen Old World bibles, including two world-famous bibles, the Gutenberg Bible (1455), the first great book printed using moveable type, and the Giant Bible of Mainz (1453). The Mainz bible is one of the last  large-format handwritten bibles, which took 15 months to create by hand.
• Creating the United States – From a purely historical point of view, this was my favorite section of the experience. The National Archives holds the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, but the LOC has on display several other critical historical documents regarding the founding of our nation. Some of the documents that we might today call “working copies”, include a rough draft of the Declaration of independence, which show changes and contributions made by Benjamin Franklin and  John Adams. A second document, called the John Beckley’s Bill of Rights, which was ratified by Congress a full two years before the current Bill of Rights was approved. And another rare document, a copy of the draft Constitution, with George Washington’s annotations. Numerous other documents allow visitors to follow the road of America, from British colony to independent nation.

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• Exploring Early Americans – Using audiovisual presentations and interactive touch-screen stations, the visitor can tour artifacts and learn about Native American life and culture in the time before Europeans arrived in America and shortly thereafter.
• Thomas Jefferson’s Library – When the British army invaded Washington, DC in 1814 and burned the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress was also completely destroyed. Thomas Jefferson, who had retired from public life to his Monticello plantation, offered to sell his collection of 6,500 books to Congress. The collection doubled the original size of the Library of Congress and expanded it to include not just volumes on law, history and government, but everything from farming and philosophy to music and the arts. Many of the books have been digitally reproduced to allow visitors, using an interactive kiosk, to read, from cover to cover, each book in the collection (see example below).

Besides a new experience for people who have the opportunity to visit the library, the LOC also unveiled a new interactive web site that offers online visitors the ability to view ongoing exhibitions.  The online Passport to Knowledge also offers audio and video tours of some the library’s most popular exhibits and artifacts.

At www.myLOC.gov, and www.loc.gov, online visitors can tour over 13 million of the library’s 138 million item collection and enhance their learning and knowledge of American,world and literary history. Additionally, there are online educational learning activities for school children and teachers.

If you visit the LOC in person, don’t miss the often overlooked view of the famous circular Main Reading Room from the visitors gallery.  Surrounded by eight tall giant marble columns, each crowned with a 10-foot tall female statue, and representing a different aspect of life and learning (commerce, history, science, law, art, philosophy, poetry and religion), the room is one of the most ornate in the country.

Library of Congress
Jefferson Building Visitor’s Center
101 Independence Ave. SE, between East Capitol and Independence Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20540 (map it)
202-707-3399

Dates and Times – Daily, except Sundays and holidays, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Admission – Admission to the visitors center is free. Researches must have a current Reader Identification Card to enter the Main Reading or other library rooms. ID cards are free, but must be obtained in person.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Capitol South – Orange and Blue lines, then a 2-block walk, or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Limited metered street parking is available, especially during business hours. Try parking south of the Capitol in the residential neighborhood behind the Supreme Court or at Union Station.

Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

To this…

With all the rain that we have had recently, Great Falls literally disappeared.

Visiting now will give you a rare perspective on the falls, that you only see after massive rain storms.

Here’s a quick clip of the falls from Tuesday afternoon (May 13, 2008)

Great Falls Park
9200 Old Dominion Drive at Georgetown Pike (Route 193)
McLean, VA 22102 (map it)

Days and Hours – Open daily, 7:00 a.m. until sunset.

Entrance Fee- $5.00 per vehicle, individual passes (on foot, horseback, bicycle or motorcycle) – $3.00, annual pass – $20.00

Nearest Metro subway station– West Falls Church or Dunn Loring – Orange line. Then a 7-10 mile cab ride to the park.

Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The 2-week festival begins Saturday, March 29th and runs until Sunday, April 13th, with peak viewing some time during that two weeks.  But I recommend that, if possible, you get  down to the National Mall early (the first weekend) to view the blossoms.  Historically, DC’s spring rains and wind can often put an abrupt and early end to the show.

Historically, the average blooming date is April 4th, but nature doesn’t always cooperate.  The earliest blooms have started was March 15th and as late as April 18 back in 1958.  The National Park Service reports one of the earliest “green buds” on the trees, suggesting blooming may occur early this year.

The Yoshino cherry tree blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis) range in progressive colors from bright whites to then soft then brilliant pink. So visiting a couple time over the two weeks usually results in seeing a different range of nature’s colors.

The original cherry trees along the Tidal Basin were first planted in 1912.  The trees were a gift of friendship from the government of the Empire of Japanese.

The blooming season of the cherry tree blossoms is probably the most picturesque time of year in the nation’s capital.

My favorite locations for enjoying the colors and for photo ops is:

• Anywhere around the Tidal Basin, notably across from the Jefferson Memorial. 
• Along Independence Avenue along the Tidal Basin, at the southern and eastern ends of the Washington Monument grounds.
• Near the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.
• At the garden at the Smithsonian Castle (Smithsonian Information Center) at 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW.

Tours

• You can attend a free 20-60 minute National Park Service Ranger talk daily at 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. at either the The Tidal Basin near the of entrance of the FDR Memorial or at the visitor’s welcome tent at the Jefferson Memorial.
• There’s also a self-guided mobile phone tour, starting Friday, March 28th. Call  202-727-3465 to hear Park Rangers present information about the historic cherry trees. (Phone charges may apply.)
• There are also 1½ mile Ranger led night time Lantern Walking Tours of the Tidal Basin on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, during the festival, starting at 8:00 p.m.  Reservations are required. Register at the National Park Service Welcome Tent, but reservations are accepted only on the same day, and they go fast.

To avoid the big weekend afternoon crowds, try to schedule your cherry blossom visit before 9:00 a.m. on weekends or after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays.  Parking is easier and there are less people that might end up in the background of your photos.

Want to see a few more photos?  Check out my photos from last year’s cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Nearest Metro subway station – Federal Triangle or Smithsonian – Blue and Orange lines.

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Post from: The DC Traveler

These tours, led by Arboretum specialists, are offered only a couple days a month, at 8:00 p.m., when the moon is full.

But reserve your walk quickly, as the limited slots fill very quickly.

Two of each three April and May hikes are sold out, but all three days in June are available (as of the time of this writing).  Check the Arboretum’s online schedule for current availability of walks scheduled at other times or for other botanical events.

Full Moon Hikes
U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE – at the corner of New York Ave. & R St.
Washington, DC 20002 (map it)
202-245-2726

Dates and Times - Sunday-Tuesday, June 15-17, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m., additional hikes held monthly. 

Tickets - $19.00 and advanced registration is required. Not recommended for children.  Rain or shine.

Nearest Metro subway station– Stadium Armory – Blue and Orange lines. Transfer to the B-2 Metrobus to Bladensburg Road.  Then a 2-block walk to R Street. Turn right on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates.

Parking – free parking is available at the park.

Images – Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

In both the first and second election for President (1789 and 1792) after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, General George Washington received only 69 votes. But at that time, it was a landslide.

Since there was no popular vote for president by citizens at the time, only members of the elected electoral college cast votes, making Washington the only president to win 100 percent of the vote. 

Congress set the president’s salary at $25,000, (worth about $500,000 in 1789), a sum that remained unchanged until after the Civil War.  Their thought was that the office should be available to any man, not just the wealthy who could afford to work for little or no pay.

Washington, as the president of a new nation and a new democracy, wanted his title to be less formal and to avoid resembling any of the titles that might be used on European royalty. Suggestion as to how to address the president ranged from "His Exalted High Mightiness", to "His Highness the President of the United States and Protector of their Liberties. He preferred simply "Mr. President".

Surveyor, farmer, revolutionary, soldier, statesman, president, whiskey maker, and finally country gentleman, Washington set the standard for future presidents.

His image is on the U.S. quarter and $1 bill, he’s honored on Mt. Rushmore, and the nation’s capitol city is named after him. 

In the DC area, there are several major monuments to George Washington; the Washington Monument, the George Washington Masonic Memorial Temple in Alexandria, along with many places in Virginia he visited (creating the classic "George Washington slept here" line). But none are more notable than his home and estate in Mt. Vernon.

George Washington’s Mt. Vernon Estate is one of the most well maintained historical homes in America.  I recently took a tour of the renovated museum and education center and it is a must-see site. Besides the house and grounds, the museum completes the story of George Washington, from young man to his death.  With a large collection of personal possessions and images of the president, it is a learning experience for kids and adults alike.

The center includes 23 galleries, ten original videos, and over 500 historical artifacts. There are also three life-size wax models of Washington as a 19-year-old surveyor, a 45-year-old general, and lastly as a 57-year-old president, taking the oath of office.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA, 22121 (map it)

Dates and Times – Daily

• November through February, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• April through August, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
• March, September, and October, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Admission - Adults – $13.00, Seniors – $12.00, kids 6-11 with an adult – $6.00, under 5 – free.  

Nearest Metro subway station – Huntington – Yellow line, the catch the Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon.

You may also reach Mt. Vernon form Washington, DC via Gray Line Bus Tours or on a Tourmobile.

Parking – free parking is available.

Images – personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler