Party Prep - DC Style

They're getting ready for a huge party here in the Nation's Capitol.  Of course by party I mean inauguration.



Can you see what's hiding behind these bleachers? That'd be the White House.



And then there's the assortment of trailers that have gathered nearby.



The media have arrived.



Just a little behind the scenes peek.

Occupy DC

I'm sure that you've all heard about the "occupy" movement but have you experienced it? Seen it up close? I have. I wouldn't call it a pleasure but it certainly is interesting.


The part of Occupy DC taking place on Freedom Plaza has been in the news earlier this week because they got permission from the park service to stay there for 4 months but I think they're nuts. I used to walk through Freedom Plaza every day on my way to and from work and it's just a big stone plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. So not a comfy place to camp.


Closer to my current office (close enough to smell it) is another Occupy DC outpost in McPherson Square. It's a lovely, shady, park and now it's home to a bunch of folks. They've really moved in.

I looked it over yesterday morning. They've got a nifty, well-stocked pantry with produce and condiments and they're out there cooking up a storm when I pass in the morning. They've got signs up indicating where the compost pile it and where the sleeping area is. I saw folks playing cards and a guy with a guitar. Urban camping at it's best.

As I observed it all I noticed some small children in their pajamas wandering around. I wonder what they must think of the experience now. What will they take away from it? Will they look back on it fondly in the future? Will they feel like they were a part of something big or will they think their parents were nuts?

Street Art

I have a few things awaiting photo shoots and even more that are just thisclose to being finished but I found something pretty cool to share today anyway. This is an art installation in front of the National Museum of Women in the Arts which is about a 5 minute walk from my office. I went over yesterday to get a better look and some pictures for you.

This is the view as I approached it. I don't know if you can tell but the sculptures byNiki de Saint Phalle are placed in a raised and grassy median right in front of the museum which is to the right. The first figure that greeted me is called Nana on a Dolphin.

Then there are Les Trois Graces.

Here's a close up of one of the graces. I took the picture to give you a better view of the details in the shapes but now I notice that it really highlights the figures ample rear. Suddenly I don't feel quite so bad.

I just love this colorful Arbre Serpents. Right behind it is a building I like a lot. It's an old Greyhound bus station that is now the lobby of an office building. Very cool and art deco.

I'm kind of curious about these last 2 figures which are called #23 Basketball Player. The one in the red shorts has a #23 on the front of his shirt but I find myself wondering why he's being held up by silvery one. Can't he jump?

I really enjoyed taking these pictures and the walk itself was lovely too. Maybe I can try to do this a few more times before the weather gets too cold.

My DC - Film Edition

No pretty flowers for ECF today. There's quite a bit of excitement this week on the streets around my office so here's a little slice of my DC.

How do you know that they're filming a movie? Well, for one thing there are lights like these in the park near my office that illuminate the trees.


And there are people all over the place modifying the facades of buildings and prettying things up.


Did I mention the lights? They're perched in aerial lifts all around the perimeter of the park. For filming at night perhaps?


I suppose you could ask the director. According to the sign on the door, this is his trailor.


Perhaps he could tell us all about the lights. I tell you they are everywhere!


I hear that this flick is tentatively titled How Do You Know and stars Raul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, and Owen Wilson but I haven't seen any of them. I'd like to though. Maybe they could use a roly-poly, knitting, librarian type.

My DC - Cheesy Edition

What a cheese-fest!

I headed over to the Inauguration souvenir store again the other day to pick up treats for a friend and one of the people working in the store was allowing people to take pictures in this little vignette they have set up in the entry to the store. I'm not sure if the desk is authentic or a replica but I can say that we were told not to touch anything. Don't I look good in the seat of power? Nah.

One of the lovely things about working in DC is that we get a 4 day weekend because the city is going to be locked down tight for the festivities. The list of Metro stations, highways, streets and bridges being shut down is about 10 pages long and it sends a message loud and clear to all of us locals... STAY HOME! Noted.

So I will be watching the Inauguration in the warmth of my livingroom just as many of you will be. It's a little sad that they've made it so difficult for those of us who live here to attend the events. It's ok though because with just 2 weeks until our next big family event there are lot's of things for me to do.

Have a great weekend!

My DC - Disruptive Edition

Over the past year I've really enjoyed presenting My DC every Friday. It was fun to share my perspective on a city I love and it was incredibly gratifying to hear from so many of you who really enjoyed it. You are what drove me to take long, meandering, walks in search of cool stuff to share and my health is all the better for it. Thank you.

That said, in 2009 My DC will alternate randomly with Eye Candy Fridays depending on what I see around me. Of course whenever there is something exciting going on here I'll do my best to share whatever insight I can. Today is just such a day.

I'm sure that you are all hearing about the preparations for the Inauguration and how President-Elect Obama has moved to DC. The hotel where they are staying, the Hay-Adams, is very close to my office and the disruption caused is something I face every day. That hotel was one of the local landmarks that I considered sharing as part of My DC but I chose to share the church across the street instead.


Talk about disruption, imagine being one of the folks with reservations at the hotel. Instead of arriving in style and pulling up under the porte cochere to have the bellman unload your bags, you are met at a barricade a block aaway. Can you say classy?


As you stroll down the block to the entrance this is what you see. A maze of barricades under the watchful eye of police and secret service. There are news crews too and you're lucky if you're not accosted by them. You can barely see it but there is another white tent on the far side of the porte cochere in H Street. That's how the new first family arrives without being seen by paparazzi.


What's their view from the hotel? Here it is. Beyond the barriers is Lafayette Park and if you go through the park you'll see the grandstand which is obstructing the White House from sight. You can just barely see it's roof over the grandstand. I suspect that the Obamas can see it better from their room.


Just down the street from the White House there is a new store full of Inauguration souvenirs. I have already been there once and I suspect I'll go again. My girls got commemerative coin keychains and Bruce and I got "Yes We Did" bumper stickers. It was quite crowded and I suspect it'll only be more so in the coming week.

My DC - Week 43

Last week I told you about a long lunchtime walk I took. Well here is my destination. This the the Einstein Statue that stands on the grounds of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. I just love it.

Here's a closeup of his face. It's so expressive.

Can you see what's on his book? I wish I'd been able to take a better shot of it.

We're off to NY for a quick visit to celebrate my grandfather's 90th. Sadly I can't take my new wheel with me but I'll be back to play with it and tell you all about it on Monday. Till then, have a great one!

My DC - Week 42

I was a little worried about how I'd finish off the year of "My DC". The weather just hadn't been cooperating with my desire to go roan and take pictures. Then on Monday we had an unexpectedly beautiful day so I went out for a nice long lunchtime walk.

It wasn't planned in advance so I didn't have my DSLR with me but my trusty Cannon Elph is always with me. It's been quite a while since I used it extensively. It was kind of fun but a little frustrating to have less control than usual. Here is Simon Bolivar.

I had a particular destination in mind but I'll save that for next week. Along the way I saw all kinds of cool stuff like this statue on the grounds of the American Red Cross headquarters.

Last but not least, I saw the progress that they're making on the grandstand for the Inauguration.

My DC - Week 41

Here's a building that may look a little familiar to fans of the West Wing although I don't think that this is the side that appeared on the show. This is the face that the Old Executive Office Building shows to the ellipse.

It's not the most attractive building but it has it's high points like the golden statue perched out in front of it. Oooooh shiny.

Here is the opposite side of the building, which faces the Renwick Gallery. I like the dormer wibdows that pierce the roofline and the elegant, white, chimneys.

The pediment that sits atop this side of the building is kind of neat in a weird way. A limbless torso topped by a headless helmet with a bird perched on it... maybe it's just weird.

My DC - Week 40

Today's gonna be wicked busy but I can't neglect "My DC" 2 weeks in a row so here's a quickie. These buildings are right near my office like most of what I show you. Soon I'm going to have to take my camera and go walking about the city again because I'm running out of stashed pictures. It's cold out there

There is a plaque on this next one proclaiming that it's the site of a dwelling house that was owned by James and Dolley Madison. It's referring to the yellow building on the end not the boring brown one that sits between these 2.

My DC - Week 39

I took the day off on Wednesday to do errands. Most of them were pretty mundane but we finished the day at a meeting in a place with a spectacular view of DC. Today I'll share pictures from a vantage point that most people don't get to experience.

If you look straight down you can see the Marine Corps War Memorial (better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) which is actually in Arlington but I'll include it anyway.


Also on the Virginia side of the river is the Air Force Memorial. It's supposed to represent the "bomb burst" maneuver and evoke the feeling of flight. I can feel it. Can you?


AI also took a series of distance shots to give you all a sense of the city as a whole. I started by looking off to the right towards the Pentagon (technically in VA - sue me). The little white dots in the forground are grave stones in Arlington National Cemetary.


Shifting to the left and into DC proper you can see the Jefferson perched on the edge of the tidal basin. The 14th Street Bridge is in the top right of the picture and at the bottom left is the Memorial Bridge.


This one really needs no explanation. Isn't it cool how the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capitol line up so perfectly? To the right of the Lincoln you see the Memorial Bridge again.


Moving to the left yet again you can see the Key Bridge. On the left is the bright white marble of the Kennedy Center.


In this last picture in the series you can see the Kennedy Center again and to it's left is the infamous Watergate.


One thing that you may notice looking at these pictures isthe flatness of the city. It really has no skyline. This is due to the Heights of Buildings Act of 1899 (amended in 1910) which says in part that no building in DC can be higher than the Capitol.

Have a great weekend!

My DC - Week 38

Here's another building I've been saving for quite a while. Can you guess what attracts me to it? Ummmm... red brick anyone?

How beautiful and ornate.

Can you imagine what those windows must look like from inside?

It's the Luther Place Memorial Church.

Here's a statue of Martin Luther that stands in front of it.

Have a great weekend!