Washington D.C. (Magnetic Fields)

W a-s-h i-n-g t-o-n, baby, D.C.!
W a-s-h i-n-g t-o-n, baby, D.C.!
Washington, D.C.
It's paradise to me
It's not because it is the grand old seat
Of precious freedom and democracy
No, no, no
It's not the greenery turning gold in fall
The scenery circling the Mall
It's just that's where my baby lives
That's all.
Washington D.C.!
It's the greatest place to be
It's not the cherries everywhere in bloom
It's not the way they put folks on the moon
No, no, no
It's not the spectacles and pagaentry
The thousand things you've got to see
It's just that's where my baby waits for me
W a-s-h i-n-g t-o-n, baby D.C.!
W a-s-h i-n-g t-o-n, baby D.C.!
Washington, D.C.!
It fits me to a T
It's not the people doing something real
It's not the way the springtime makes you feel
No, no, no
It ain't no famous name on a golden plaque
That keeps me that makes me ride that railroad track
It's my baby's kiss that keeps me coming back
It's my baby's kiss that keeps me coming back

After the Holocaust museum, Jason, Alyson, and I tromped around the Mall area of DC. Jason navigated the area fairly easily as a result of extensive playing of Fallout 3—apparently the developers stayed pretty close to reality of the DC area, with a few minor changes! We grabbed a burger and shake at Ollie’s Trolley restaurant, a joint on a corner near the Treasury straight out of the 40’s. The inside has paneling painted yellow and hung with old-timey memorabilia, and they make your food to order. The burgers are big, fresh and juicy, and the chocolate shakes are made with real chocolate ice cream. They had Benny Goodman looped in the background. It was great.

From there we passed the White House on our way to the Lincoln Memorial. We saw the WWII memorial, and took a picture next to the Idaho pillar (sorry Texas!). There was no water in the Reflection Pool, but we think that’s because it’s winter and it’s still too cold for it. We saw the Korea and Vietnam memorials, and those were very moving, especially since Jason is a soldier and has been to war. It’s striking that in the walls, made of marble, you can see your reflection. You are looking at these names and faces, but you are also looking at yourself, and you realize that you, too, have a part in these wars, in all the conflicts that the US has been and is a part of. And you are also suddenly aware that the soldiers whose names appear on the walls have had an effect in your life; you just didn’t realize it until you saw their names on your face.

We ended at the Jefferson Memorial, a tall bronze statue of the president. From the memorial you can see the Potomac, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument...it was like looking at a summary of our day.

For dinner we took a train to Alexandria to an Irish chipper. We ate fried cod and fries drenched in malt vinegar and dipped in various delicious sauces. We also had a fried Milky Way bar, something I was very skeptical about, but I exercised faith, experimented on the word, and tried one. It tasted like a warm donut wrapped around melted chocolate and caramel. I saw that it was good, my faith was expanded, and I believed. This has been one of our favorite meals on our trip so far.