The Waiting Game

Still not working, still no word on the status of my security clearance. Just... waiting.

So instead of mope around for the day, after a leisurely morning and breakfast, I decided to go out and see stuff in D.C. And by see stuff, I mean go to the National Gallery of Art, because I am me.

I spent about 3 hours there, taking my time through the museum's West Building. It took me a while to figure it out, but it is on two floors. I started in the (basement? Not-main) floor. There was much colonial furniture from just prior to the Revolution, to about halfway through the 1800s. There was also much statuary and sculptures. One thing I did learn, was apparently Edgar Degas (of ballet dancer paintings fame) made a bunch of models for small sculptures, but never had them cast. After he died, the family found them, and had them cast. The National Gallery has the largest collection of these small statutes, and had many of them on display. So you learn something new every day.

I finally made my way to the main gallery on the main floor. And pretty much saw European paintings from the 1300s through about the 1600s or 1700s. This means: there were many portraits, ALL OF THE JESUS/MARY STUFF, and much representation from Italy and the Netherlands, with some French people thrown in for good measure. It was informative to look at, as I don't usually seek out this type of art; while I appreciate the insane skill it takes to paint like they did -- particularly in the 1500s and 1600s-- with exacting precision, I don't find Renaissance art particularly interesting, aesthetically or artistically. But it is good to see this stuff once in a while, if for no other reason to appreciate where modern (as opposed to art from antiquity) started, to then understand where it went and why.

Here are some of the works I came across. I took pictures of particularly famous works, because it was cool to see them in person.

Little Dancer by Edgar Degas

The Thinker by Rodin

If you are in D.C. and like art, here is the information for the National Gallery. Like so many things in D.C., admission to the Gallery is my favorite price: Free

Address: Between 3rd and 9th Streets, on Constitution Ave. NW

Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10:00AM-5:00PM, Sunday: 11:00AM-6:00PM

After I was done at the museum, I headed over to the DuPont Circle neighborhood. I went there looking for needle and some thread, which is kind of absurd, but I am glad I went. It is my new favorite neighborhood. I think it is somewhat arty and hipster-y, but I liked that because it means that there were a lot of funky, not-chain stores to check out. Like this one bookstore that was a combination bookstore, cafe, and grill. It was pretty awesome. There was another store that was like a walk-in, public art studio. Any person from the public could just go in, grab and canvas and some paint, and just create art. While I am definitely not that artistically-inclined, I definitely intend on going back and painting up a canvas some time while I am here. I love funky neighborhoods like that.

One thing I really love about the East Coast, is just how everything is old. I am a huge history buff, and find it fascinating that you can get things out here that date from the 1600s and the 1700s. Some of my most favorite "old" stuff, is definitely the architecture. You get styles that you just don't see much of out west, at least in ways that are authentic. In D.C., it is an interesting mix of the colonial and early-1800s style from New England, with some Antebellum Southern Plantation styles. And the resulting product is just so interesting, intricate, and often colorful. The pictures below will show what I mean. You just don't get that anywhere else.

Repurposed mansion in DuPont Circle

Row of houses in DuPont Circle. I particularly like the curvy, intricate form of the red house on the right

Row of houses on Monroe Street at 16th Street NW. Just love it

So it looks like I might be on my own for the next few days, trying to figure out what to do. I am going to try to explore D.C. some more, and find things to do that are not necessarily "typical." There are always the Smithsonians and the monuments, but I have been a tourist in D.C. three times before, and honestly, you can only go to the Lincoln Memorial so many times.

Until next time.

Maybe I should go here. Not going to lie, I want to know what makes this gallery "very special." Will have to go back to DuPont Circle to find out

In Memoriam

I got-- again-- a late start today. But it was (a bit) cooler out than it has been, so I decided to do something I have been meaning to do, but hadn't yet gotten it together to do: I went down to the September 11, 2001 memorial. The memorial plaza is surrounded by construction of the new World Trade Center buildings, so for safety reasons the city is currently regulating how many people can visit at a time; in order to go, I had to make a reservation ahead of time. My reservation was for 5:30pm, the earliest time available.

I headed down to the financial district a couple hours early, because I knew that there were some other 9/11-related spaces near there that I could visit before my scheduled time. One of those was St. Paul's Cathedral. St.Paul's is a very, very old Episcopal cathedral, located right across from the WTC site. It has an interesting history. Dating to the pre-Revolutionary War era, the cathedral-- mostly by chance-- has laid witness to some of the defining moments of American history. During the Revolution, after the Brits had captured lower Manhattan, a fire broke out in what is now the financial district. To save the cathedral, the residents of the area spent all night taking buckets of water from the Hudson, and dousing the exterior, so that it wouldn't catch fire. And they saved it. After the Revolution, when George Washington was inaugurated as the first President, he came and attended a service at the Cathedral. A reconstruction of his presidential "box" is still housed in the interior. And when Sept. 11 happened, the Cathedral transformed into a command center of sorts for those who were working rescue and recovery. For 9 months, until the site of destruction had been cleared, the Cathedral provided food and shelter to those volunteers who were working 12-18 hour shifts trying to, at first find survivors and remains, and later clearing out the debris. The edges of the interior of the Cathedral, display many artifacts and memorials dating to around that time.

The Cathedral also houses a small cemetery, which is fascinating. The most recent tomb probably dates from the late 1800s; most are from the mid-1800s or earlier. Several tombs date from before the Revolution. In fact, there are several tombs marked as belonging to Revolutionary War veterans. I am ever the history buff, and just in general find cemeteries interesting and oddly peaceful. I have always liked cemeteries, actually. Maybe I am just weird like that. The sad thing is, a lot of the information on the headstones have washed away with time; now, they silently lay witness to someone whose identity has been lost to time. Anyway, below are photos from St. Paul's.

View of the right side of the cemetery

Translation from the French inscription: "E.M. Bechet, Sieur de Rochefontaine. Dedicated himself to the military career, where he long distinguished himself. He served under the Count de Rochambeau during the American campaign, gloriously ended in 1782 by the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, which ended that war. Louis XVI in 1792 named him ADJUDANT GENERAL of the Army of St. Domingue. After the death of the King, he entered into service of the United States as Colonel, until he retired in 1798, to enjoy in friendship a reputation well deserved, and a repose well worthily merited."

Resting place of a French veteran, J. Francis Vacher, d.1837, of the American Revolutionary War

"Erected to the memory of George Frederick Cooke, 1756-1812, by Edmund Kean of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1821. Three kingdoms claim his birth. Two hemispheres pronounce his worth."

Another view of the cemetery, protected by the shade of a grove of trees

The following are photographs from the 9/11 Memorial, and around the World Trade Center site and construction. Other than to tell you what these pictures show, I am not going to say anything more because, really, what else is there to say?

American flag and 9/11 remembrance posters on the side of some of the construction of the new World Trade Center buildings

South Tower memorial pool with cascading water

Names of the United Flight 93 victims. All the names of 9/11 victims are etched in a bronze edge that traces the perimeters of both tower memorials

View of the construction on and surrounding the Freedom Tower, built in place of the old World Trade Center towers

North Tower memorial pool and waterfall. These pools are in the exact imprint of where the Twin Towers used to stand

Lone flower laid in memoriam at one of the names of the victims

"Patricia Ann Cimaroli Massari and her unborn child"

I had sat down on one of the benches in the memorial plaza, to think and take it all in. I happened to look up, and this is what I saw. Rising anew from the memory of those lost

The steeple of St. Paul's Cathedral. It has seen it all, and has kept standing through the ages

Coming out of the memorial, I was reminded why I am entering the career I am. This memorial-- with all those names of lives lost-- should not have to exist.

Never Forgotten

Photo by stealingsand on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons