Croissants, Comets & Capitol Hill
We had a fantastic dinner last night at the Capitol Brewery; their giant tv screens showing the baseball, keeping Ross and our recently converted baseball fans, Toby and Sam, very happy. The Texas Rangers were whipping the New York Yankees’ butts. In honour of Halloween, I tasted the special “Fall Beer” named the Pumpkinator , which as the name suggests, is actually brewed using pumpkin (with a few other spices thrown in for good measure). Believe it or not, it didn’t taste too bad.
Our day started today with a scrumptious brunch cooked for us by my oldest school friend (by that I mean, the school friend I’ve known for the longest, not the friend that’s clocked up the most years). Tracey Smith moved to Washington DC 17 years ago now, to take up a fabulous job with the WWF. I can’t believe it’s been so long, and even more amazing is the fact she’s kept her Australian accent (almost) intact. She even hung an Australian flag out the front of her place so we’d know where to go. Tracey’s a gourmet cook from way back and she rustled up a veritable feast for us. Her lovely housemate Seth, ventured down from upstairs to join us and it was a great morning of feasting and catching up together. Thanks so much Tracey for your hospitality!
We’ve noticed that the integration between African Americans and white Americans is much stronger in DC. In Chicago, there was a huge African American population but it was much more segregated. Neighbourhoods were completely white or completely black. It seems very different here though, which is great. We’ve met so many cool African Americans with the best accents! (not to mention hairstyles!)
After Tracey’s place we headed out (on foot, much to Maisy’s dislike!) to the Capitol Building where we had booked into a guided tour. The building, which is such an American icon, was magnificent. We loved our tour guide Rich, who was better than any American history encyclopedia. There are one hundred statues in the building and Rich was fielding questions about each and every one of them, his knowledge comprehensive and vast. So many interesting facts to absorb! Rich also wowed us with the acoustic phenomenon of the Whispering Gallery, where you can be heard loud and clear in the centre of the room, while you are speaking from the periphery in even a soft voice. We stood in a specified spot in the middle of the room while Rich walked right to the edge and spoke in a whisper. We could hear him as loudly as if he had a microphone. It was amazing! The history of the Capitol Building is just so interesting. The kids got a crash course in American history too.
Next it was off to the Smithsonian Institute of Air and Space which we were all keen to investigate. It was so hands-on and fascinating with loads of authentic planes and space ships - the real deal! We got to actually touch a piece of the moon with our bare hands, which was such a buzz. Molly and Sam found out what they’d weigh if they lived on the other planets and we got to have a stroll through Sky Lab. We couldn’t believe how small the Apollo 13 command module was - not a lot of leg room that’s for sure. We had planned to see several more museums today but there was so much in this one that we ended up staying until they kicked us out at closing time.
Lisa and Steve posted Toby’s iPod in an overnight satchel from Chicago today and we had a very happy and excited ten year old on our hands! Thanks guys!
Tonight we feasted at the Hard Rock Cafe, Washington DC. No-one ever goes away hungry from the Hard Rock and we rolled out the door feeling more than satisfied. We were sitting next to Bob Dylan’s guitar and Sam had to use all his will power not to bust it out of the display and have a strum. He’s having withdrawal symptoms from playing his trusty guitar. We saw that on the dessert menu they had “bite size” samples of all the desserts so, as full as we already were, we decided to give the samples a go, knowing full well we all have a little room in that special dessert compartment in our stomachs. These “bite-sized” morsels were huge - even by Mick Jagger standards - so we ended the day with very full tummies and full hearts. We should all sleep well tonight!
