Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Washington, D.C., again. This time, there was a special occasion: it was Caitlin's birthday, so I, along with several other Oles, descended upon her city to help her celebrate. This required, of course, visits to museums and the Mall and all that Washington-y stuff that you'd expect of a trip to the capital. For example, we stopped in the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and of course, the Constitution -- all 4 pages of it. That's right; ever since the building was remodeled less than a decade ago, all 4 pages have been on display, whereas only the first and last pages were displayed before. It was remarkable how much better preserved the Constitution was than the other 2 documents. It was interesting to note how much more legible the Constitution was compared to the badly faded documents to its sides. We have no theories as to why that is. I'm sure it's on Wikipedia somewhere.
The azaleas seemed to be EVERYWHERE.
After the National Archives, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the National Gallery of Art, which of course had far too much to see in one afternoon. We triaged and ended up seeing paintings from the Impressionists, Renaissance Italy, and 19th-century Germany, as well as some sculptures. It was wonderful to see the likes of Raphael, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Rodin, and countless other famous artists all in our nation's capital. We really have so much to be thankful for.
How can I not love Mercury? Wings on his feet, caduceus in his hand, and a finger pointing up toward the stars. My kind of guy.
Another highlight of the weekend was my excursion to the National Basilica, which is apparently the largest Catholic church in the Americas (yes, ALL of them). It was, as would be expected, incredibly beautiful. It was filled with mosaics and beautiful statues, not to mention a gigantic pipe organ. At the same time, the white walls lent a feeling of openness and airiness which helped counteract the feeling of being very small in a very big space. It was much lighter and more welcoming than St. Patrick in Manhattan, which to me feels dark and closed in, comparatively. The celebrating priest was from Chicago. I got the feeling that there are frequently visiting priests (after all, why not?), so it was interesting to have someone from the Midwest.
After Mass, I was able to meet up with my friends one last time on the Mall. There was a climate change rally going on that afternoon, which, as environmentally conscious Oles, we dutifully attended. And got free stuff. Yes, as noble as it sounds to go to a rally in the nation's capital, I have to admit that the overriding motivation was to get free stuff. Here's how I think of it: a rally is kind of like a museum. There are tents and exhibits set up by different people and organizations, and they're interesting to look at and learn about, and sometimes to even interact. For example, I got to pose in an EVA suit at the NASA tent! And we all got to sign a space shuttle tire -- one that's been into space! Even better, though, were the handouts: I now have a holographic NASA ruler, a DVD about the earth's changing climate (video taken by satellites), NASA hand sanitizer, little flashlights, a bright-green reusable bag with the NASA logo (that was my favorite), and sycamore seeds. Good haul, I'd say. And then I got on the bus back to New York. What a great weekend!
Yeah...I'd say it fits me pretty well.
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