The DC Traveler

A memorial statute of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the U.S. stands on Theodore Roosevelt Island.  The 88-acre island sits in the Potomac River and is accessible by a footbridge from the Virginia side.
The island has had several names, including My Lord’s Island, Barbadoes, Mason’s Island and Analostan Island; as well as several owners starting as early as the late 1600s, including founding-father, George Mason.  Mason’s son, John, built a mansion with gardens on the island but the family left the island after 30 years when the pathway leading to the island caused the river’s water  in that …read more

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A couple months ago, I took a drive out to Hains Point and took a few photographs of The Awakening, a 5-part aluminum sculpture by J. Seward Johnson, Jr.
At night, the statute takes on a completely different feeling.

Images – personal collection

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Technorati Tags: attractions, b5 media, DC, dc travel, Haines Point, J. Seward Johnson, Jr., local attractions, sculpture, site seeing, The Awakening, The DC Traveler, tourist information, travel, vacation, Washington, Washington DC

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We’ve had our first snowfall of the season. The first frost of the season has come and gone, killing any Fall bedding plants.  And the annual tradition of people freaking out due to a trace of snow on the roads has occurred, all without major death and destruction. 
And sadly, that means most of the trees have lost all their color. 
So I thought I’d post a few photos of the drive I took last month out to the Shenandoah National Park to drive the famous Skyline Drive. 
I only drove about 32 miles of the 105 mile road, stopping about a dozen …read more

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America’s 32nd and only 4 term President (1933-45), Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the nation out of the Great Depression and through most of World War II.
Growing up in upstate New York, FDR won a seat on the New York State Senate and later was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913.
In 1920, he ran for Vice President with Ohio Governor and Presidential hopeful James Cox, but was crushed by Republican Warren Harding.  
The following year, while on vacation he became ill from polio, resulting in permanent paralysis from the waist down, leaving him almost incapable …read more

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Across the street from Lafayette Park on H Street is the Stephen Decatur House, the former home one of American’s most famous naval heroes and the last private residence on Lafayette Square.  It’s also one of DC’s oldest surviving homes, dating back to 1818.
Decatur served as a U.S. naval officer and held several important commands in the undeclared naval war with France, the War with Tripoli (Barbary War) and the War of 1812. Starting his Naval career as a Midshipman onboard the USS United States starting in 1798, he later commanded that same vessel. His accomplishments included the recapturing of a U.S. warship that …read more

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On June 12th, 1776, by a unanimous vote, the Virginia Convention of Delegates drafted by George Mason approved Virginia’s Declaration of Rights. The 16 rights are the first modern Constitutional protection of individual rights for citizens of the New World.

The Declaration’s first Right was “That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights… namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”
Additional Rights detailed now commonly accepted rights (but new to the time) including many which were later included in the …read more

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Every year around this time, for perhaps the past four years, I’ve pledged to take a drive to enjoy the Fall colors on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. For some reason I always get detoured.  The explosion of reds, oranges and yellows in the area are truly beautiful.  I’ve driven around and even through the park a bunch of times but never on Skyline Drive, this time of year. Bad traffic, rain on the planned weekend, or some other silly excuse has kept me away. Well, no more.  This year, my time has come and my camera is ready.  …read more

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Here’s a rare chance to tour seven of Old Town Alexandria’s most beautifully restored and decorated homes.  At the 66th annual Alexandria Tour of Homes you can take a self-guided tour of some of the most notable homes in Old Town.
While the list of homes will not be released for security reasons until just before the tour, this event is always very popular.
Alexandria was first settled around 1695. About a hundred years later, George Washington included Alexandria as part of the District of Columbia. Yet 50 years later, the size of the District was reduced and Alexandria one again became …read more

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One of my favorite places in Washington, DC to truly get away from the hustle of the city (without actually leaving the city) is the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens at Anacostia Park.  Especially during the annual blooming of the sacred lotus flower, which happens this time of year.  I took a walk through the gardens this past Saturday and as you can see, the lotus flowers are in full bloom, along with some of the other lilies.  
W.B. Shaw, a Civil War veteran bought a 37-acre marshy farm when he came to DC from Maine to work for the Treasury Dept.  He …read more

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Three years in the making, the Segway Personal Transporter is the world’s first two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric transport device.With no accelerator or brake, the Segway is propelled simply by the rider’s posture and motion. Leaning forward causes the Segway to roll forward, lean back and it stops or reverses. A single knob on the left hand grip controls the rider’s steering.  
Using battery-powered motors, dual computers, tilt sensors and five gyroscopes, the Segway automatically (and seemingly magically) maintains its upright position, even while standing motionless. The top of the line Segway (about $5,500) can cruise at speeds of up to 12½ …read more

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