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Favorite thing: "A child only educated at school is an uneducated child." George Santayana

At my High School in Robinson, Illinois, it's a custom for the seniors to take a trip to Washington DC during the spring of the year.
In 1959 we boarded school buses and were taken to the train station where we boarded the train to Washington. It was an exciting time for all of us. Today, it would be no big deal because seniors are so much more sophisticated and more well traveled.

The dress that I wore on the train (in the photo) was one of many that I sewed in Home Economics class primarily for this event. Be sure to click on the photo to see a very young deecat!

We saw the Lincoln Memorial, The US Mint, the Capitol, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and several other lesser-known places.

Fondest memory: But what I remember most was going to a club in one of the suburbs where the young Bobby Darron was performing. He did his famous "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife" songs, and we were all thrilled.

Maybe things have not changed as much as I thought!

Favorite thing: "Well done is better than well said." Ben Franklin

Allan and I were quite excited about seeing the famed FBI Headquarters, & so we were willing to stand in a long line to get in. We certainly were not impressed with the architecture of this Penitentiary Moderne style dun-colored block of a building that was designed by former director & building namesake, J. Edgar Hoover!

After standing in line for more than an hour, we were shuttled through (like cattle) where we saw posters of the Ten Most-Wanted criminals, assault rifles, pipe bombs, & confiscated drugs. Oh, yes, there is an introductory film for orientation purposes.

There was something about this place that was a disappointment. It certainly did not seem like a state-of-the-art facility, and it was somewhat "shabby" in appearance both inside and out. Perhaps they have renovated it since then.

At the end of this 45-minute tour, there was a firearms demonstration by a woman agent, and then there was a question/answer period.
I almost forgot to tell you: you have to undergo a security check so be prepared.

Fondest memory: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is located at 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Tours start at 9:45 am, but lines start by 8:00 am! There are also tours at 11:45 am and 1:45 am as well as 3:15 pm. In the summer months, they add a 2:45 pm tour. You can plan ahead and write to your Congressman six to eight weeks in advance to schedule a tour time if you have a group of six or fewer.

I did enjoy the information about fingerprinting, blood typing, hair and fabric analyses as well as the tales about Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde.
The only thing I liked about the building itself was the bronze entryway topped by a massive eagle.

This is the only photo that I have of the building so forgive its poor quality

Favorite thing: "All of Edelson's art can be interpreted according to an understanding of the ever shifting parameters of individual identity." Laura Cottingham

One of DC's finest Beaux Arts buildings, Corcoran Gallery of Art, has ornate grillwork & copper roof. It's the city's oldest art museum & has a marvelous collection including American landscapes, French Impressionist, Flemish masters, early photographs, medieval stained glass, & Belgian tapestries.

Also, the 18th-century Grand Salon from the Hotel D'Orsay in Paris is fully reconstructed! It's the city's oldest & largest private art museum.

Photography & works by contemporary American artists are among the gallery's strengths.

Some of its positives are: it is just a "stone's throw away from the White House; it has a charming Cafe des Artistes which is open for lunch & dinner on given days, but Sunday brunch is what it's famous for; there is also a very wonderful gift shop.

Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North

This art gallery was founded by William Wilson Corcoran, a banker with a strong interest in American art. In about 1925, US senator, William A. Clark, added many of the European works.
Within the building is an art school, one of the only accredited art schools in Washington DC.
My husband's sister, Mary Beth Edelson, taught at the Corcoran School of Art in 1968. She lived in Washington & had several exhibits in the Corcoran Art Gallery.

She organized the first National Conference for Women in the Visual Arts (CWVA) which was held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1972. There was a follow-up six-week seminar which she conceived & organized, & it was sponsored by the Smithsonian.

As a leading member of the first generation of feminist artist during the early 1970s, Mary Beth did one of the best-known documents of the women artists' movement called Some Living American Women Artists.

Fondest memory: One of the main reasons we visted the Corcoran was to see Mary Beth's work. When we looked up her name in the archives, we were amazed at the amount she has done. Her book, The Art of Mary Beth Edelson was published in 2002.

I loved the architecture of this fine gallery which was designed by Ernest Flagg. The building is of white Georgia marble with a green copper roof. This was reportedly Frank Lloyd Wright's favorite, & he called it, "the best designed building in Washington."

The Corcoran stands on a trapezoidal site. There is a frieze under the cornice that bears the names of eleven artists that include Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Valasquez, & Rubens. Critics think that if the founder, Wm. Corcoran had been alive at the time, he might have included contemporary sculptor, Thomas Crawford, whose statue called "Freedom" stands atop the Capitol dome.

I also loved the double atrium on the first floor & a grand marble staircase leading to a rotunda & the second floor.

Favorite thing: "He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times." Johann Von Schiller

One of the most famous war memorials in the Washington DC area is the 100-ton bronze statue of five Marines and one Navy corpsman struggling to erect the American Flag atop Mt. Suribachi, a ridge on the small Pacific Island called Iwo Jima. This was the site of fierce fighting during WWII, which resulted in almost 7,000 American deaths.

This powerful scene was captured in a photograph by Joe Rosenthal, a war photographer, and was then translated into a bronze scupture by Felix DeWeldon. Three of the men in this statue were killed later, on this same island.

This poignant and symbolic statue was dedicated in 1954 and stands at the north end of Arlington National Cemetery. A real flag flies 24 hours a day from this 78-foot-high memorial.

Note: The United States Marine Corps War Memorialis the official name for this famous statue; however, it is better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial that honors all Marines who lost their lives while serving their country.

Fondest memory: For those of us with parents who participated in WWII, we had often heard of this particular battle, and so when Allan and I went to Washington DC, the Iwo Jima Memorial was at the top of my "must see" list. I think it should be on everyone's "must see" list too!

Favorite thing: As soon as you book your trip, look up the website for your Congressman if you live in the US and see what kind of special/VIP tours that they can get you passes for. Tours are handed out first come first serve and tours fill up more quickly during the peak time between March 15-September 15.

I contacted my Congressman's office in Washington only a couple of days before I was going, since it was October they were able to arrange for a VIP Capitol tour and entrance to the permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Museum.

The woman I spoke to said it takes a minimum of 3 weeks to get security clearance if you want to visit the White House and the intern who showed me around the Capitol said it was even more difficult than that especially during busy times. Even though it says you must have a group of 10+ people on the website, he said sometimes they get lucky and get smaller groups in so it doesn't hurt to ask.

Other tours on my Congressman's website include the Kennedy Center, Washington National Cathedral, Supreme Court, Mount Vernon and Engraving and Printing.

Favorite thing: SIGHTS
One of the great things about Washington DC for families and tourists on a budget are all of really cool free things that there are to see including some of the best museums and monuments in the country and the National Zoo. During my four day visit I did not pay an admission charge for any place that I visited.

HOTELS
Priceline worked reasonably well in Washington DC, if you are on a budget, take a look at the Crystal City area or Rosslyn which are both in Arlington VA but well connected by metro. The ride into central DC from Crystal City was only 4 or 5 metro stops, 15-20 minutes, and winning bids average around $50 per night (check www.biddingfortravel.com).

DINING OUT
The food court in Union Station was a reasonable option

TRANSPORTATION
The metro is $1.35 per ride (a little more during peak) or if you plan on using it a lot there are daily/weekly passes

Favorite thing: I started at Arlington Cemetery and walked over the bridge but you can also start this at the Lincoln Memorial.

Start at the Lincoln Memorial and walk around the reflecting pool to get to the WWII Memorial. Head back towards the Lincoln Memorial to get to the Korean War Memorial and Vietnam Memorial.

Heading towards the Jefferson Memorial you will pass by the FDR Memorial as you walk around the Tidal Basin. Continue onto the Jefferson Memorial to complete the walk.

Favorite thing: Here is a site you can print our a pretty good map showing the location of many of the memorials and monuments.

Check it out:
http://www.nps.gov/wash/pphtml/maps.html

Sometimes we get in a hurry, so can't hurt to be prepared some. Hehehe, I know, easier said than done.:-))