Last Day in D.C

    I haven't been away from home long enough to feel nostalgia when I say my 3 1/2 days in D.C has made me tanner than an entire Seattle summer did.
    That said, there are a lot of ways in which it's different here.
It's likely just this small pocket of the city & the areas I've chosen to explore, but the place reeks of wealth, success, and people eagerly clamoring for their generous helping of both. Though, as is usually the case when you have a city full of BMW's and Prada handbags, the streets are also full of homeless people.
   
    Aside from the money thing this city also just reeks in general. Or, at least my neighborhood. They're draining the sewers, and all the food from the international festival a block away, nor the exhaust from the tour buses has the ability to mask the smell of waste.
    Don't get me wrong, D.C has a lot more going for it than sunshine, yuppies, and poo. I've had a really good time here! Thanks, mainly, to the Smithsonian museums. I went to eight during the last few days.

    My favorites: The Air and Space Museum. They had the very first plane the Wright Brother's built and flew, and I listened to an informative talk given by a former astronaut about his time in space.
The National Portrait Gallery. I was at first a bit disappointed they didn't have any paintings by Rafuse (who I fell in love with when I was 18 after a painting of his inspired me to write a children's story that got me an A in Creative Writing). But they more than made up for their omission of his work, which may have been too abstract for their museum as it was,when I discovered the indoor courtyard oasis. It is full of trees and natural light prisiming down through an all glass ceiling. Gorgeous!
Museum of Natural History. One word: Dinosaurs! Full scale, built with skeletal pieces.

    My 1st full day I saw Arlington Cemetery. I had to elbow my way to JFK and Jackie O's grave site so the pictures didn't turn out too well. Nothing like a couple hundred international tourists to interfere with a steadycam shot! After taking the picture I felt a little confused about what drives people to take pictures of graves anyway, so I'm not going to post it here.

    I also took no pictures at the Pentagon because apparently it's not allowed post 9/11. (The remnants of which can still be seen by the marble they laid over the original exterior which is a few shades different than the rest.) Here are some of the picture I did  take: