Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial--I love memorials and monuments and cemeteries and holidays, because they direct my thoughts away from myself (and I am one of my own favorite and all-consuming interests). I especially like the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials because I think they do a really nice job of conveying the idealism of early historical figures. The size of the monuments makes me feel like I, personally, am small and that there are things like freedom and truth that are larger than I am. I like that.
Arlington Cemetery--I visited my grandparents in Arlington Cemetery. It was late afternoon and hot and I was tired, though, so I didn't see much else at the cemetery. I'm a bad American. Not bad enough to sneak into the reception they were having for some military guys who had done something important (the refreshments looked really good), but bad enough not to go see the Kennedy Eternal Flame or the changing of the guard in favor of going home to watch Seinfeld and take a nap.
Folger Library--My first day in DC, I decided that I should visit the touristy attractions I haven't seen before, so I went to the natural history museum. Unfortunately, every single middle school child in America was also in the museum that day. I kept ahead of them for about half an hour, but then I escaped to the Hirshhorn. I (correctly) assumed that no middle school administration would dare to take hordes of 12-yr-olds to the Hirshhorn. Being on the Mall at all, though, was a trial, so I fled to the Library of Congress and the Folger Library (also middle-schooler free zones).
I love the Folger Library for the following three reasons:
1. They have an amazing collection.
2. They don't search your bag when you enter an exhibit.
3. They provide free audio tours on your cell phone. I think this is genius. The display cases are numbered and after you dial the main tour phone number, you punch in the number of the case you want to hear about.
This is the view from the Folger Library garden.Seeing Friends--I had lunch with two friends from graduate school on Friday. We had only the very tiniest misunderstanding with our Vietnamese waiter. After that it was all good food and friends I love and baby squeezing.
Jaleo--This is a delightful tapas place in Crystal City. The names of all the menu selections are in Spanish. I pointed at what I wanted and used English descriptions (I'd like this--the beet salad), but Rebekah dove right in and ordered using the Spanish names (with a Spanish that has never been heard before and would not be recognizable to any native speaker). She is brave. The waitress, though, clarified everything she said by repeating the names in English. The best one was after Rebekah ordered the croquetas de pollo and the waitress said, "Okay, the chicken fritters?" I suppose, technically, that's what they are, but it sounded ridiculous.
2 comments:
ha! croquettas! i love it. and i was speaking a rare spanish dialect that most spanish speakers aren't even familiar with. i feel bad that the waitress couldn't even understand her mother tongue.
Are any Spanish speakers familiar with your dialect? Not that I doubt you . . .
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