Expedition 2: Gravelly Grounds and Profound Points of Interest

Gotta catch the train on time!

 Back at it again! Metro Journey number two was a blast, and this time it also showed us around the urban Virginia surroundings. It gave me a great view of one of my favorite human masterpieces, an outside look at one of the hubs of international fine arts, and even more! This blog is a virtual ride through my day in D.C. (and Virginia, I just liked the play on words) and what landmarks you can expect to find there. AWAY WE GO!

Stop 1: Arriving at Gravelly Point

After catching the yellow train line and riding a ways from College Park to Crystal City, we met with the rest of our awesome group. Then we began our short trek to our first destination: Gravelly Point Park. The place was planted just north of the runway of Reagan National Airport around 1746 by a captain from the Revolutionary War. It switched hands a couple of times in the 18th, 19, and early 20th centuries before being chosen as a site for a D.C. airport. In late 1938, almost 20 million cubic yards of both sand and gravel were moved onto the site for construction. As for the actual park, it has lots of space, including a football field, and on sunny days and weekends it probably gets plenty of visitors.  Merely 400 feet separates you from the runway, and it's a nice place to relax and observe airplanes taking off from the airport. It was apparently a relatively common bike path, as many bikers and runners passed us at the park. The noise was a bit disorienting, but the experience was unforgettable. It was amazing to see how busy the airport was; planes departed and arrived every other minute and roared just above us with incredible sound.

That close! It was really fun to see!

We watched about 15 jets, then, after a slick selfie, we made our way back into Crystal City.

Your Second Stop: The George Washington Hospital
The rest of our assignment would take place in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Once an industrial hub, the area was named for the fog that used to arise from the Potomac River, which touches the edge of the neighborhood. Our second task of the day was to visit the George Washington University Hospital. We didn't go inside the building, but it was neat to see the hospital and learn about its history and facts.
The current building has been in operation since 2002, but it goes way back to 1824, when it was founded as the medical department of what was Columbian College. The medical center itself was the first major one in D.C., and since has only grown in reputation. With nearly 19,000 patient admissions, almost 900 physicians, and 800 nurses, George Washington University Hospital works to save lives daily.

This was outside the main entrance of the hospital

Stop Number Three: A Fine Arts Forum
We were hungry. But it wasn't quite time for lunch, so we elected to stop by one of the "points of interest" we were designated to visit. The points of interest needed to be in the Foggy Bottom region, and had to be of decent significance, and the Kennedy Center was a clear choice. The hub of international fine arts, it was opened in 1971, but it's origin dates to 1958, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bipartisan legislation, legalizing the creation of a national culture center. President Kennedy, who always had an affinity for the arts, was the driving force in the center's conception, management selection, and promotion. Merely two months after Kennedy's tragic assassination, Congress authorized the construction of the John F. Kennedy Center, putting forth $23 million to build a "living memorial" to their past President.

The flags of the world in the lobby of the Kennedy Center

I love those timely reminders of human creativity

Personally, I've visited and seen shows about jazz, language, and musical concepts before, but I'd never seen the entire building from the outside. Boy, is it immense! The inside is equally striking, too, with flags from some countries of the world on the ceiling of the ground floor, and displays here and there. It was probably the highlight of the day of my eastern excursion.

Next Stop: Coming Up On Japan, Folks

After our little Virginia voyage, the stop at a huge hospital, and a quick peek inside a performing palace, our next assignment was to visit a D.C. embassy in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, so we caught the train back from Crystal City to Foggy Bottom. We weren't able to arrange a visit to an embassy in the area, but we were recommended the Japan Information and Culture Center as an alternative.

The main lobby of the JICC

Once we signed in, we asked a representative some questions about the function of the center and its difference from the Embassy of Japan. The representative was very helpful and explained that the JICC's main goal is to promote better understanding of the country and its lifestyles and civilization. They often host events and shows displaying examples of Japanese culture as well as publishing Japan Now, the newsletter of the Japan embassy. The representative let us walk around the foyer area and take pictures. There was some fabulous eye-catching art on the wall, and it perfectly fit my imagination of Japanese culture.

One of the many paintings in the JICC. Japan would be an amazing place to visit one day.

Your Final Stop: An International Terminal of Treasury
Finally, we hurried over to the World Bank. We didn't enter the bank, but it still has some interesting facts. Created in 1944, the World Bank has multiplied from only one institution, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), into five separate functions. The other four include the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Guarantee Agency, the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, and the International Development Association. They have some ambitious and inspiring goals, too.

Here are a few more pictures from the trip...

Early excursions

Cortland getting...well...wild, on our way to Crystal City

A reminder of  Who really is in control...

You almost got me, Trent!!!!

Metro Journey number two was an overall success, and once again was a ton of fun. It's cool to experience what it's like in our nation's capital, and attention-grabbing to see what I've been missing every time I visit. I hope this virtual ride was quite informative, and I feel confident that you once again reached a D.C. Destination.
Until next time!

    

Expedition 1: A Nature Hike, a Traffic Circle, and a Couple of Cool Stores

All set to ride to the capital with the fam!

 What a day! From riding the metro, to the nature hike at Rock Creek, to getting around Dupont Circle, and checking out the local businesses, and even to hanging out with the group, it was a whirlwind. I learned a lot about our nation's capital in just a few hours, and did it with some really cool guys. This expedition opened my eyes to the daily routines of district dwellers, and even the culture of the area. This blog is a walkthrough of what I learned on the trip and my personal experience exploring Washington D.C.. Shall we start with step one?

Step 1: Metro Mayhem, a Bustling Bus Ride, and a Pretty Nice Nature Hike

The day started off pretty early for my brother and I, and we had to be at Largo Metro Center at 7:45. After a bumpy ride to Friendship Heights, we had to catch a bus to our first quest of the day

The first bus ride to Rock Creek Park

, a nature hike at Rock Creek Park. We were a tad short on time, so we took the shorter Milkhouse Ford Trail. The park actually has some old origins. It used to be a quarry used by American Indians from the 1600's and on until the Civil War, when it was used strategically to halt the Confederate march. After meeting the whole group, (they were awesome and we all had a blast) we got going on the trail. Washington D.C.'s  forests are really a testament to God's creative genius. Most of the roughly 2 million trees in the District are American Beech, Red Maple, and Boxelders.

A view of the forest while on the nature hike.

I was hoping to spot any kind of wildlife as we went, but we didn't see much. One fascinating insect we found was a daddy long legs spider, but STOP. Forget what you think you know about this critter. These lengthy-legged creatures, if you thought they weren't dangerous like I did, are actually some of the most poisonous little crawlers on earth. But their fangs are too diminutive to harm us. And on top of that, there's daddy long legs, and then there's daddy long leg spiders, plus there's a third lookalike called harvestmen. Honestly, I've always found them quite interesting.  

After the hike, we caught a bus to Dupont Circle for the second half of our capital quest...

Climbing up a small drop off on the nature hike

The group halfway through the trail

Step 2: A Likeable Lunch and an Interesting Intersection

After the woody walk, it was time for the second half of our expedition, so we caught a bus to Dupont Circle. After a delicious lunch (peanut butter and jelly, but it was still good), our assignment was to make our way to the Dupont Traffic Circle. The traffic circle is just that, but it has a large fountain in the center of a stony circle surrounded by benches and bushes, and the place, a relatively peaceful park during the afternoons, has some intriguing history, too. In the early 70's, nope, the 1870's,,a Nevada Senator bought the area for his mansion and planned to build "Pacific Circle" near the mansion. It was renamed DuPont Circle in 1882 after the erection of a statue of Admiral Francis DuPont, a key figure in the Civil War. In 1921, the fountain was built. Three classical figures representing the sea, stars, and wind, were carved onto the fountain as well. The three avenues that cross the circle are New Hampshire Ave., Connecticut Ave., and Massachusetts Ave. 

The Dupont Circle Fountain

A nice sky view of DuPont Circle

Step 3: A Comical Cove, a Bedazzling Business, and Some Exciting Establishments
The final step in this walkthrough of what was an awesome day takes us down the three streets that intersect DuPont Circle. The first stop was Fantom Comics, a decade old comic book franchise that's bounced around in D.C. a bit and has quite an interesting selection of books. I enjoyed checking out the Marvel and Star Wars comics myself, and the staff was great. Next up was an eye-popper called Bedazzled. There was some extremely ornate eye candy to be found for sure; beads, small necklaces, and relatively inexpensive jewelry are the specialty.

Bedazzled's impressive selection of beads

 Afterwards we hustled over to Afterwards...well, the store is Kramerbooks & Afterwards, a fine bookstore/cafe`. With live music groups frequenting the bookstore, and a cafe`, the place is a real fan favorite

Me at Kramerbooks looking absolutely fantastic as usual!

. You tired of reading yet? Well, there's a few more stores to go. We had to visit two consignment shops, and ironically, the first one we entered was Secondi, a women's clothing store.

My bro and I at Secondi

It's quite a popular shop actually; they've won the Reader's Choice "Best Consignment Shop" award in three consecutive years and from what I saw, it just might capture a fourth straight award. It had some of the most exquisite clothes I've ever seen, but there was one little being that stole our attention there.

This is the attention-stealing canine we ran into at Secondi

From there it was on to Fillmore & 5th, the other consignment shop. It had meager space, but it was a modest franchise, with locations as far as Palo Alto.

Filmore & 5th's selection of clothes

 A quick look in the place and a selfie later, and we were off to the final destination: Pansaari.

Inside Pansaari. At the bottom right is an area for relaxing, and the spices are stored in the back.

This was by far the most fascinating and exotic store, as it features fresh spices, foods, fancy garments and fabrics, and even a full chai bar and cooking classes from Jaipur, India. It was a thought-provoking experience in Pansaari, entering the feel of Indian culture and talking to the staff, who really seemed to enjoy their jobs.

Overall, the day in D.C. was hectic, but enjoyable. This was just three steps, but there were many more small steps along the journey that were full of fun. I'm excited about the Metro Journey class this year and the destinations that await....until next time!