The DC Traveler

Enjoy a traditional colonial plantation holiday dinner at Gunston Hall, the home of founding father, George Mason.
Dine tavern-style, by candlelight, on items such as traditional   turkey and dressing, Virginia ham, dressing, and of course, home made pie.
For more about Gunston Hall, check out my Oct. 12, 2007 post.
Plantation Christmas Yuletide Dinner at Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall Plantation
10709 Gunston Road 
Mason Neck, Virginia 22079  (map it)
703-550-9220
Dates and Times – Friday, December 12, 2008 at 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 13  at 4:30, 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Tickets – Adults – $39.95 , children 10 and under – $19.95. Beer and wine is …read more

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After 8 years of construction, the much anticipated, costly ($600+ million) and highly needed U.S. Capitol Visitor’s Center is scheduled to open on December 2, 2008.  The grand opening date is exactly 145 years to the day, after the placing of the statute, the Statute of Freedom, was placed on the top of the completed dome in 1863.
The new 580,000 sq. ft. underground center will offer visitors two orientation theaters, showing a 13-minute video about the Capitol Building and American democracy.   Additionally, the building hosts several gifts shops and multiple (and much needed) restroom facilities.
A few of the notable artifacts …read more

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Veterans Day is the one day each year Americans can honor the service and sacrifices of the American soldier.
Originally called Armistice Day, November 11th, commemorates the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.  The “Great War” formally ended 90 years ago today, on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918.  Sadly, news of the wars end did not reach many non-European fighting fronts due to poor communications, notably across Africa, for up to two weeks.
After World War II, President Eisenhower signed a bill into law in 1954 to rename …read more

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The Pentagon’s new 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on the 7th anniversary of the September 11th attack and crash of American Airlines Flight 77.

Located on the western edge of the Pentagon’s grounds, just across the Potomac River from the National Mall in Washington, DC, the site is open 24 hours-a-day to the public, it is adjacent to the original impact spot.
The 184 victims of the tragedy (59 victims on the plane and 125 died inside the Pentagon) are commemorated by a "memorial unit" or steel bench, one  for each person killed. 
A gray concrete retaining wall around …read more

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If you have already toured the inside of the US Capitol Building, perhaps, now that the weather is starting to get a bit more bearable, it’s the perfect time to take an outside walking tour of the most recognizable landmarks in Washington, DC.
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 …read more

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Labor leader Samuel Gompers was the president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), for 38 years, after he first founded the labor federation in 1886.
It consisted mostly of skilled labor craft unions. While active, the AFL fought for better pay, safer working conditions, and more worker or union control over jobs.
Early in its history, it help organize or fund new unions, including the United Brotherhood of Teamsters and American Federation of Musicians unions.
In 1955, the AFL merged with the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations), to form the AFL-CIO.
A total of 61 major unions are part …read more

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The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial at the base of Capitol Hill sits between the Capitol Building and the Capitol Reflecting pool.  The memorial consists of three major statutes and is the largest equestrian statue in the country.

The first statue depicts General Grant calmly sitting on horseback, which was typical of him demeanor during the excitement of battle. He is surrounded by four oversized lions.   Bronze panels on the statute’s base depict infantry maneuvers.
The other two major statues are teams of mounted Union cavalry and artillery troops in full charge.
The cavalry group, shows seven riders charging into …read more

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For over 200 years, the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC has been the seat of American government and it’s open to the public for guided tours only.
The Capitol’s 500+ rooms serve both the House of Representatives and the Senate, plus staff.
On the third floor, when Congress is in session, visitors with passes can watch a couple minutes the proceedings where lawmaking, speech making, voting and typical partisan posturing occurs.

Afterwards, visit the Rotunda, with frescoed paintings of major events in American history, the Crypt, and the National Statuary Hall (rub the the shoes of Will Rogers for good luck). And …read more

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The Daguerre Moment sculpture on the grounds of the Reynolds Center is a tribute to the inventor of daguerreotype photography by French chemist and artist Louis J.M. Daguerre.  Created in in 1839 it was the first  photographic process that was commercially viable for portraits. The technique allowed photographers to permanently record an image on polished silver glass plates, using shorter exposure times. 
The labor-intensive process was quickly adopted by traveling American portraits photographers who moved from town to town, selling people the opportunity to have an image of themselves without having to sit for a painter or incur the associated high …read more

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One of my favorite spots in Washington, DC has always been the Library of Congress.  However, I had not visited in several years.
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 …read more

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