Very close to our hotel, there is a building with an observation deck on its top floor, which rises 400 feet up in Rosslyn, Virginia. It has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the ceilings are very tall. Those windows curve all the way around the entire building, so you get 360 degrees of peering out at the world. From the top, we saw the very big difference between DC itself, where the tallest things are monuments and museums, and Virginia, where office buildings are the norm and things stretch up to parallel our observation deck’s 31st floor vantage point.
That was a cool experience. We were there with very few other people, but we could clearly tell that there was a group planning an event in that space. I looked, and it is available as a space you can book for corporate events, parties and weddings. That would be pretty cool- I bet the photos are pretty great at those weddings.
When we left the 31st floor, we headed out to see the Supreme Court building. The plan was to head there, take a look around, then get a hot dog for lunch on the way to our next spot. When we got into the Supreme Court, it was absolutely beautiful, Here’s a first, too- we were in a very old-timely elevator that actually had an elevator operator. The building itself was completed in 1937, and that is about the time period the elevators make you feel you’re visiting. We went up to the main courtroom, where unfortunately, we were told not to take photos. It’s a shame, too, because I don’t quite know how to express the feeling of that room. I can’t imagine how intimidating it would be to stand there and try to persuade nine justices of any era that you are on the right side of an issue.
We didn’t linger at the court building too long, though, as it was definitely time to locate a street vendor and have a hot dog. We walked toward the Museum of Air and Space to the on-the-way vendor Cas had scoped out earlier, but apparently, he stayed up way too late selling hot dogs to Independence Day visitors the night before, and he decided to close yesterday. So much for the best hot dog in DC, but fear not, there are vendors on every block. We had a hot dog, then lined up for our timed entry to the Museum of Air and Space. It took about a half hour of shuffling around and clearing security to get in, but we entered the museum near the time on our tickets. Each exhibit hall was jam-packed with people, but they were all interesting. (The exhibits were interesting, not necessarily the people). The first one (if you go around clockwise) was about the Wright brothers. You always think of them as a unit- inseparable brothers who were always together, but Wilbur died at age 45 from typhoid, leaving Orville to carry on well into his seventies without his partner in crime.
We made our way though several exhibits, learning about travel to the moon, different airplanes, and eventually, we visited their planetarium. There were two half-hour shows, and we saw them both. The second one was, of course, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It had started raining outside, so the plan was to stay inside until the museum threw us out. Well, another exhibit or two after the planetarium, and they did exactly that at 5:30. The sun had returned just in time to greet us when we left. Unfortunately, the larger part of the museum was closed off for some kind of redesign. It had been closed for so long that the wall maps were updated to reflect the closure. Last time either of us were there, we got to see so much more. In my list visit he place felt practically overflowing with airplanes hanging from the ceiling and vessels that had been outside of Earth’s atmosphere. This time, over half of the building was off limits. A no-fly zone, if you will. I suspect they’ve moved a lot of stuff out to their auxiliary museum. There are 19 Smithsonian museums in all, and three of them are outside of DC proper. Two are in New York, and one is in Virginia. The Virginia one is a second Air and Space museum. That one has some very cool stuff- a real space shuttle, the Enola Gay airplane- we had considered a visit, but it is a bit off the beaten path.
Regardless, when they Smithsonian folks threw us out, we reapplied sunscreen and headed to a metro station. A bus driver a few days ago recommended a spot for a really nice happy hour, and we were ready for a little break. We spent the rest of the evening wandering. We went to happy hour, then back to the hotel to drop off our sun hats and a few things we picked up. We did check out a gift shop or two, but we still haven’t found the perfect T shirts to commemorate this trip. Actually found the perfect one for Cas- almost. The color and design were exactly what he wanted, but they didn’t have it above size medium. Probably a popular shirt. Figures. Neither of us is particularly fond of shopping.
We called it quits and went to dinner. We picked a spot in Virginia so we wouldn’t have to deal with more crowds. Nothing like visiting one of the most popular museums in DC to make you crowd-averse.
Today, we have the oh-so-dorky experience of a Segway tour booked. Nobody (I mean nobody!) looks cool on a Segway. Knowing that, we actually have done a few of these in different places, and they’re really fun. That’s later this morning, and late this afternoon, we have timed entry tickets to the Library of Congress. Mid-day is kind of wide open, though we’ll probably find a way to fill it up.
So, it’s time to get Segway-ready and head out. This should be a good recap of what we’ve seen and what we may have missed. In the meantime, here are the photos again: https://photos.app.goo.gl/i5YWxcScDLHgbJqLA
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