D.C. Day 3

Another day done in D.C. The day ended early due to some thundershowers in the area. Hope some of this passed through Iowa on its way here.

Most of the day was great, though. We headed out this morning to our appointment to the White House. There were no unexpected cancellations, thankfully. We were warned that all appointments could be scheduled at a moments notice.

We arrived early via the Metro and spent a little time in the White House Visitor's center. About thirty minutes before our appointment, we showed up on the White House grounds. After a quick check of our I.D.'s and a check of our names on the itinerary, we were admitted into the White House. Our first stop was to security where we went through a metal detector. I would describe security here as "airport lite." Bags go through a scanning device or are given a quick look-through, but the due to the volume of crowds, everything is given nothing more than a cursory look. However, at the White House, we were not permitted to take any bags, cameras, pens, or anything else that could remotely be dangerous. So, no pictures of the White House yet. Perhaps later this week.

After the White House, we headed home for lunch. It's been great not having to pay for meals all the time. Fresh bread, good cheese, and fruit were on the lunch time menu. After lunch we headed out again. We thought about the International Spy Museum, but we found out that admission would have cost us over $60. Since there is so much to do around here for free, we decided to save our money and walk over to the Museum of American Art. The most interesting parts of the visit for me was an informational tour on the conservation (not restoration, we learned) of paintings. Later on, I especially enjoyed the gallery of the portraits of the American presidents. Many of the portraits of our presidents that we are familiar with are part of this display. Great to see up close.

Brian Williams from NBC has been doing a report from the White House. This has been fascinating since we have seen these things up close. Once again, its one of those existential moments where all the things that we have seen for years on the t.v. is now only a few miles, or sometimes, a few yards a way. Of course, a few yards away here, could just as well be hundreds of miles away with all the security around.

Tomorrow, more rain is forecast, but there are plenty of museums to still see. We have an appointment at the Washington Monument to keep as well.