Washington, DC Tour - Day 2

We were so tired from yesterday's tour we woke up quite late. By the time we went to the breakfast area, the staff is already cleaning the tables and packing the food away. Good thing there's a box of donuts left. Yum! To get to the National Mall, again it's a bus ride from Arlington to Pentagon, then take the Metro to Union Station. It was raining the whole morning, so I didn't get the chance to take some outdoor shots of the Union Station. First landmark we visited is the Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court has quite a bit of history. The first session of the Supreme Court convened on February 1, 1790, but it was not until 146 years later when it was provided with its own building. Architech Gilbert Cass chose to give the building a Neoclassical look from ancient Rome. The cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1932 and construction completed in 1935. Out of $9,740,000 allotted by Congress, $94,000 was returned to the Treasury. Now that's a miracle!

The main entrance of the Supreme Court building is on the west side, facing the Capitol Building. Flanking the main steps to the entrance are two seated figures by sculptor James Earle Fraser. On the left is the Contemplation of Justice. On the right is the Guardian or Authority of Law. The facade of the building uses marble quarried from Vermont. Sixteen Corinthian columns support the western pediment or portico. If you look closely, you'll see words "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW" engraved on the architrave. You'll also see a sculpture set done by Robert Aiken representing Liberty seated in a throne and guarded by figures who represent Order and Authority. On either side are groups of three figures representing Council and Research.

What most people don't know and don't see is the east side of the Supreme Court building. Above the columns are the words "JUSTICE THE GUARDIAN OF LIBERTY" inscribed on the architrave. The sculptures on the eastern pediment are done by Herman A. McNeil, representing three great lawmakers: Moses, Confucius, and Solon, flanked by symbolic groups representing Means of Enforcing the Law, Tempering Justice with Mercy, Settlement of Disputes Between States, and Maritime and other functions of the Supreme Court. There was a bit of controversy when the sculptures were first unveiled as they have some religious connotations. (Yeah, as if In God We Trust doesn't). MacNeil was able to get out of that one by explaining that, "Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The 'Eastern Pediment' of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East." Nice one, dude.

Entering the bronze doors, you get to the Great Hall with two rows of marble columns rising up to the ceiling and busts of former Chief Justices displayed along the walls. At the end of the Hall is the Court Chamber. Some bits of interesting trivia: its walls and friezes are of Ivory Vein marble from Alicante, Spain; and its floor borders are Italian and African marble. For the Courtroom's 24 columns, Gilbert felt that only the ivory buff and golden Siena marble from the Old Convent Quarry near Liguria, Italy will do. So he wrote to Benito Mussolini for his assistance in acquiring some. Another interesting feature of the building is the self-supporting elliptical staircase designed by Cass Gilbert. I quote from the board on the wall: "Each of the two staircases has 136 steps that complete seven spirals while ascending five stories from the basement. The cantilevered desing of the staircases alleviates the need for a central support. Each step is anchored into the marble wall on one and and rests upon the step below it. The steps, therefore, are held in place by fit and pressure." And what do we have on the fourth floor? A basketball court, also known as "the highest court in the land."

After the rain has weakened a bit, we rushed to the Library of Congress. Sounds a bit boring, but I tell you, the architecture inside the Library is awesome. If you have enough time to join the guided tour, I strongly suggest you take it. A little history first. The Library of Congress was first established by an act of Congress in 1800. Established with $5,000 appropriated by legislation, it was housed in various spaces in the new Capitol from 1800 until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol Building, burning and pillaging the contents of the small (3000-volume) library. Within a month, former President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library of 50 years as a replacement. In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. With the introduction of the copyright law of 1870, which required all copyright applicants to send to the Library two copies of their work, the Library experienced a shortage of shelf space. Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford convinced Congress of the need for a new building, which Congress authorized in 1886. And thus, the Thomas Jefferson Building came into being.

Now, on with the tour. From the ground floor where the Visitor Center is, we take the stairs to the first floor. Normally, the main entrance to the first floor would be through three 3.5-ton double bronze doors, depicting Tradition, Writing and Printing. Nowadays, these are opened only for special occasions. We now find ourselves in the West Corridor or Entrance Vestibule. Take a close look at the ceiling, and wish that parts of it fall down, as that's real 23 karat gold leaf. Around the edge of the ceiling are 8 pairs of statues by Herbert Adams; each pair consisting of a Minerva or War and a Minerva of Peace.

Once in the Great Hall, you'll know this is the centerpiece of the Library. The flooring is of whiteItalian marble. In the middle of the floor is a large brass inlay shaped like a sun. The ceiling is 75 feet high and decorated with stained-glass skylights. Flanking the Great Hall are two grand staircases embellished with sculptures of cherubs by Philip Martiny. These putti represent the various occupations, habits and pursuits of "modern life." Halfway up the railing are cherubs represnting Asia and Europe (on the north side) and Africa and America (on the south side). Upon the newel post at the base is a bronze female figure wearing drapes and carrying a torch of knowledge.

At the center of the east side of the Great Hall is the Commemorative Arch. Above the arch are the words LIBRARY OF CONGRESS written in gold, in case people get lost. Beyond the Commemorative Arch is the East Corridor. The East Corridor features a vaulted ceiling covered with mosaics honoring Americans and their achievements in a variety of professions: painting, poetry, engineering, natural philosophy, architecture, natural science, music, sculpture and astronomy. Here, you'll notice two glass cases on either side of the corridor. These cases contain the treasures of the Library: the three-volume Gutenberg Bible (only one of three perfect vellum copies in existence) and the Giant Bible of Mainz. Understandably, no photography is allowed. On to the second floor, it's more marble floors, mosaic portraints, paintings, etc. There's another staircase which leads to a visitors' gallery from which you can view the cavernous Main Reading Room. Again, no photography allowed, so as not the distract the people below. I could go on and on and on, but we really have to move on. Also, at this point my camera batteries ran out.

Next up is the Capitol. The Capitol Building is quite easy to identify. It's the white building atop Capitol Hill at the end of the National Mall with the Neoclassical dome, the rotunda, and the two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. Fearing that we might destroy the building with our cookies and potato chips and bottled water, the security staff asked us to dispose of them before we enter the site. The place is pretty busy and crowded. Amidst all the tourists and tour groups and security people and building staff, we lost our way. Apart from the Congress chambers, there's really not much else to see. You can't loiter around too long because the place is not a museum, and the security people tell you to keep on moving. We inquired about the central dome, and was told that it's not open to walk-in tourists today, and that we need to join a tour tomorrow. Since this is our last day in Washington, the security lady took pity on us and pointed us to a stairway that leads to the dome. The rotunda is bigger than I imagined - 96 feet in diameter and 180 feet in height. Right in the middle of the concave canopy is a fresco called The Apotheosis of Washington painted by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi in 1865. It shows Washington rising up to heaven and becoming a god. Just below the belt of 36 windows is the Frieze of American History - not really a frieze with bas reliefs, but a frescoed panorama of selected 19 scenes from American history. Brumidi started work on the scenes in 1878. After Brumidi's death, Filippo Costaggini continued the work, following Brumidi's sketches. I was able to only take two pictures before we were noticed by a security guard, and were requested to leave the place.

Next stop is the Lincoln Memorial, which is a leisurely walk from Capitol Hill. The Lincoln Memorial's architecture is in the form of a Greek Doric temple with 36 columns surrounding the central chamber. Inside is a massive sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln done by Daniel Chester French using white Georgia marble. It is 19 feet tall and 19 feet wide. On the wall above the statue is the following inscription:
IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER

On the south wall is inscribed the Gettysburg Address, while the north wall carries his second inaugural address. Trivia time: If you look closely at the second inaugural address, there's actually a typo - EUTURE instead of FUTURE.

Just a few meters away is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Within the memorial triangle are 19 stainless steel statues of soldiers on patrol - 15 Army, 2 Marines, 1 Navy Medic, and 1 Air Force Observer. On one side of the memorial is a 164-foot long black granite wall with photographic images sandblasted into the wall. Very nice effect. You have to stand further a bit to really see the images. Right in front of the soldiers is a plaque inscribed with the message: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met 1950 - Korea - 1953".

On the other side of the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It's basically made up of three structures - the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Three Soldiers statue. The Wall is made up of two long granite walls (75 meters long and 3 meters high) placed at an angle of 125 degress to each other. On them are inscribed the names of all the servicemen who fought in the Vietnam War - 58,249 names as of 2005. One little known fact is that the memorial is actually designed by a student of Chinese ancestry by the name of Maya Lin. She was then an architecture student at Yale University, and designed the wall as a class project. Out of 1,421 entries for the design competition, hers was chosen, but her name was not even mentioned in the dedication ceremony because of her Asian heritage, which was a sensitive issue then.

Just nearby is The Three Soldiers (a.k.a. The Three Servicement). That bronze sculpture also has its share of controversy. It was commissioned as a result of the negative reactions to Maya Lin's original design. The protesters didn't like the fact that Lin's concept doesn't look like a traditional war memorial - no bronze statues, no patriotic writings. To appease the protesters, Frederick Hart (who placed third in the original competition), was asked to design the statue. Naturally, it was Lin's turn to feel displeased that her design was adulterated without her permission. She refused to attend the statue's dedication on Veteran's Day, 1984. The Three Soldiers depicts three young men (White American, Black American, and Hispanic), looking at the wall from a distance. South of the Wall is the Women's Memorial, dedicted to the women who served in the Vietnam War. It was designed by Glenna Goodacre and dedicated on November 11, 1993.

Would've been nice to spend the rest of the day exploring all those museums on the National Mall - the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Natural History, etc. Unfortunately, it started raining even harder, so we have no choice but to go back to the hotel and call it a day.

Washington, DC Tour - Day 1

In our haste to get to the Buffalo Airport, we forgot to fill up the tank of the Kia Sorento. Instead of paying premium petrol price to Alamo, we opted to look for a gas station ourselves. Easier said than done. We had to drive miles and miles away from the airport before we find this worn-down gas station. I'm surprised it even accepts credit cards.

The security checks at the airports are very strict, as usual. This was the first time I've seen a GE EntryScan3 system in action. The machine looks like a portal with swinging doors. You walk into the machine, the door closes, then a few puffs of air are directed at you. The machine uses a spectrometer to analyze the air samples for minute traces of explosives. If none are found, the exit doors open, and the machines tells you to leave. The people who got the chance to go through the EntryScan3 (not me) seemed happy with the experience.

Got to Baltimore in an hour's flight. We could've taken a direct flight to New York, but the price difference is two to three times more expensive. From the Baltimore-Washington Airport, a free shuttle brought us to the BWI train station. From there, it's a 45-minute MARC train ride to the Washington Union Station. The place is very impressive - cavernous halls, high ceilings, nice mood lighting. There's also a multicultural food court in the lower ground - Japanese, Chinese, American, Greek, Italian, Mexican - you name it. Outside the Union Station is the Columbus Fountain with its semi-circular fountain and a central pylon with a draped Columbus and globe supported by four eagles. To get to our hotel (Day's Inn Pentagon), we had to take the Metro to the Pentagon station, then Bus 16. It only it's legal, I would've take a picture of the Pentagon. Unfortunately, there are big signs around warning that photography is prohibited.

Rested for a while at the hotel, then started our Washington, DC tour around 5pm. Apparently, bus tickets can be used within a certain time period. And I think Metro tickets can also be validated for use on the buses. Not sure how it works. Anyway, our first stop is the Pentagon City for a bit of outlet shopping at Marshalls. On second thought, better leave the shopping till we get to Las Vegas. Hopped on the Metro to Farragut West, which is closest to the White House. First landmark we passed by is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building). Built between 1871 and 1888, it was originally housed the Departments of State, War, and Navy. Nowadays, it's being used to house various agencies that compose the Executive Office of the President, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council.

Further on, we pass by the 7-acre Lafayette Park on the left with the statue of Major General Andrew Jackson in the center of the park. On our right is the White House. Would you know, it looks exactly the same as in the movies. For the trivia-inclined, the official address of the White House is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Construction of the official home and workplace of the American president started on October 13, 1792. After eight years, at a reported cost of $232,371.83 ($2.4 million in 2005 dollars), the White House was still not yet completed. Still, John Adams took up residency in the building on November 1, 1800. Making a right at 15th Street, we pass by the Treasury Department Building. The US Department of Treasury was established in 1789 with the task of managing the government's revenue. It prints and mints paper currency and coins and postage stamps. It also collects taxes and monies paid to and due to the US. On the other side of the street is the Hotel Washington. The oldest continuously operating hotel in the District of Columbia, Hotel Washington has been around since 1917. Going around, we pass by the White House South Lawn. Personally, I prefer the rounded South Portico to the rectangular North Portico. From here, we can already see the Washington Monument. It's that white-colored obelisk at the west end of the National Mall. Continuing on, we see the First Division Monument at the back of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The tall column with the winged Victory on top was built to commemorate the members of the US Army's First Division who fought in World War I. In front of the monument is "the big red One" - a bed of red flowers spelling out a huge numeral one.

Turning left on 17th Avenue, we head for the National World War II Memorial. Along the way, we pass by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the American Red Cross Building, the DAR Memorial Continental Hall, and the Organization of American States Building - all very nice buildings to take pictures of. It was already nightfall by the time we got to the WWII Memorial, and it was such a wonderful sight. There's a huge elliptical pool with two fountains on either side and water jets at the edge of the pool. Encircling the pool are 56 five-meter tall concrete pillars inscribed with the names of the 48 states, plus District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. I guess these are to honor those who served in the US armed forces and those who supported the war effort. On opposite sites of the pool are two 13-meter arches inscribed with "Atlantic" and "Pacific". On the west side of the memorial, between the Reflection Pool behind it is the Freedom Wall with 4048 gold stars, each one representing 100 American lives lost in the war. We would've gone further to the Lincoln Memorial if not for the drizzle that has started to fall.

Beating a hasty retreat, we went back to the train station and went back to our hotel. Not wanting to sample the McDonald's across the road, we opted for Rincome Thai Restaurant right beside our hotel. My brother later told me the food is not that good, but when you're hungry, everything tastes ok.

Niagara Falls Buffalo

Woke up around 4am for our 6am flight to Chicago. Due to bad visibility, our flight was delayed. Our plane took off an hour late, and we missed our connecting flight for Buffalo. Killed time at the O'Hare airport foodcourt. It was noon by the time we got to Buffalo. Picked up a Kia Sorento from Alamo, and went straight to Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar - home of the original buffalo wings. Aside from the buffalo wings, we also ordered pulled BBQ pork sandwich and spaghetti. Nicest meal of the trip so far.

As we drove around downtown, one will find churches of different denominations and sects just a few meters from each other. Too bad we didn't have time to get off and explore or take pictures. Drove straight to Niagara Falls. First thing we did is to stop by the Welcome Center. It's about a quarter to 5pm already, so we're not sure if we can still catch the Maid of the Mist cruise. The guy at the counter tell us that by this time the last trip would've left already, and we have to come back tomorrow. If we need accommodation, he can get us discounts at the nearby hotels. Yeah, right. Find some other gullible guy to fool. We ran all the way to the Welcome Center and was so relieved to know that we still can make it for the last trip of the day. That's U$11 per adult.

Each of us was handed a blue plastic poncho, then escorted from the observation tower down to the docks, where we boarded the Maid of the Mist boat. Before the several suspension bridges were built, Maid of the Mist boats used to ferry people across the Niagara River. Now, the Maid of the Mist is mainly used as a cruise boat to bring tourists from the Rainbow Bridge, past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, into the curve of the Horseshoe Falls (a.k.a. Canadian Falls), then back.

As to how the name of Maid of the Mist came about, there's a Indian legend about it. Story goes that the Indian tribes who used to inhabit the Niagara area were mysteriously dying. To appease Thunder God Hinum and his two sons, every year the Indians would send canoes filled with fruits over the Falls. When this didn't help, they started sending their most beautiful girls. One year, it's the turn of the Chief's daughter Lelawalo. As luck would have it, she was caught in the arms of one of the god's sons on her way down. The son told her that there's a snake that was poisoning her tribespeople. Knowing this, her tribespeople were able to spear the snake, who died near the edge of the Falls, giving it its horseshoe shape.

The blue poncho is not merely for show. The falls looks calm and serene from afar, but at close range (near Horseshoe Falls), it's like being in the middle of a rainstorm. There's a roaring sound all around us, and everyone who chose to stay on the top deck got wet - even with the poncho. I was using mine to shield the camera while taking pictures of the falls, which explains why my lower body was totally soaked. Was worth it though. After the tour, we spent some time at the observation deck and the nearby surroundings before heading back to our hotel in downtown Niagara, which is like 16 miles (26 km) away. Funny thing is, I can't decide whether our hotel is the Holiday Inn Select or the Crown Plaza Hotel. Well, the place is under major renovation, so it could be one or the other. Because of the lobby facelift, we had to enter through a side door. The lifts are dusty and dirty. The corridors are dark. The carpets are worn, and there are exposed cables everyone. I couldn't care less as the airconditioner is working, the beds are clean, and there is free WiFi.

Too bad it was raining outside, or else I would've checked out the new Seneca Niagara Casino right across the street.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros

Another free day. My brother has to go to work, so again we got his friend to bring us downtown. This time we're able to get in the Science Center. Entrance to the museum is free, but we had to pay U$8 for parking. Some of the interactive exhibits are visibly old, but still fun to play with. The center also offers entertaining live science demonstrations for the kids.

After that, we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Our host is a member of the place, so our entrance fee of U$8 per adult is waived. The Missouri Botanical Garden is comparable in size to the Royal Botanical Garden, and much better. Upon entering the garden, the first thing you see is the Gladney Rose Garden and the Linnean House. Built in 1882, this brick greenhouse is the oldest continuously operating display greenhouse in the United States. Further ahead are the reflecting pools with the Chihuly pieces floating among the lilies. To the right is the Climatron, the world's first geodesic dome greenhouse. It's currently the venue for the Glass in the Garden Chihuly exhibition. (Another U$6.) For those who don't know Dale Chihuly, his colorful and innovative blown-glass works are just wonderful. To appreciate them better, I would suggest you attend the Chihuly Nights at the Garden on Thursday nights for U$15.

Moving southeast, you'll reach the Victorian Area with the Henry Shaw Mausoleum, the Tower Grove House with its herb garden, and the Kaeser Maze. Be careful here as we found a few snakes slithering about in the shrubs. To the west, is the massive Seiwa-en Japanese Garden. Covering 14 acres, it is the largest traditional Japanese garden in North America. Going northeast, you'll pass by the Lehmann Rose Garden. The roses are currently being re-planted, so not much to see here. Further on is the Grigg Nanjing Friendship Chinese Garden, which is closed for the moment, and the Doris I. Schnuck Children's Garden.

For our nighttime entertainment, we went to the new Busch Stadium to watch the baseball game between St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros. As usual, parking near the stadium is a problem, but not to worry as we have front-row seats anyway. Actually, second-row seats. For U$180 per seat, it's not really cheap, but then again, the view is great and you can order anything on the refreshments menu as much as you like. Had I known earlier, I would've brought along my backpack. Again, this is my first time to watch a live baseball game, though I know the rules of the game beforehand. As with yesterday's baseball game, it's more of a social event where people talk to people during the many breaks in the game. The Cardinals won 7-0.

St. Louis Rams vs. Denver Broncos

Trouble at the airport. We went for the express check-in and carried all our bags with us - totally forgetting about the liquid ban and the toiletries inside our bags. My brother got caught (not arrested, though), and had to check in his bag. In the meantime, I ordered McDonald's breakfast for all of us while waiting for the plane.

A little rest when we get home, then off to Edward Jones Dome to watch the St. Louis Rams play (football, American) against the Denver Broncos. This is the first time I've watched a football match, so I was spending most of the time analyzing what's going on. According to the displayboard, there are more than 40,000 spectators in the stadium. That's probably not counting the people selling beer, cotton candies, softdrinks, tacos, etc. What's interesting is that for a game that's supposed to have 4 quarters of 15 minutes each, it's taking a really long time to finish. There's too many time outs, and the spectators make use of every opportunity to talk to the people around them, buy more food, or go to the toilet. During half-time, there's a Parade of Everyday Heroes presented by the police force and the fire department, in remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks. After three and a half hours, the game finally finished 18-10 in the Rams' favour. The Broncos had one touchdown, while the Rams got 6 field goals.

With the time left for today, I managed to finish Michael Crichton's Prey. The book has an interesting premise about nanorobots learning and mutating and taking over human hosts. Nice, quick read, but the plot is a little bit far-fetched for me.