Sat, 07:40: Among the *nine* places or events we went to yesterday—this is only the fifth I have yet posted about—one was Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Shobhit was particularly interested in this one; I didn’t even have it on my already-exhaustive list. I’m so glad we went, though. https://t.co/etQP4tbmak
Sat, 09:02: We also did the White House tour yesterday. This portrait is hanging in the White House State Floor.
It seems bonkers, borderline psychotic, at first notice–but all things considered, it’s hardly surprising. And this is why I have always been against any assassination attempts, much as I detest the man: it only serves to make him a hero, if not a martyr. And I am far more eager to see the man eventually die friendless and ignored. Because fuck that guy.
(It’s unfortunate that the one chance I had to take a White House tour was when this putrid man was occupying it, but I do also believe the White House transcends him: whether he likes it or not, he cannot change the full scope of its history—still complicated, of course—as with the history of this entire city, which really is inspiring in many ways.) https://t.co/GM8KpPSjeb
Sat, 11:26:
[guy walks past us in Chicago Cubs shirt]
Shobhit: Chicago Bears?
Me: I think it might be the Cubs.
Shobhit: I think they have both?
Me: I think you’re right, but I don’t know what the difference is.
Shobhit: A cub is a small bear.
Fri, 13:15: After days, even weeks of trying in vain to secure timed-entry tickets up the Washington Monument—and only on my third visit to Washington D.C. (previously in 2000 & 2010)—I *finally* made it happen! I just had to wake up at 6am; get in line for daily-release tickets by 8am; and wait for the ticket window to open at 8:45. And we got in at 9am!
Constructed between 1848 and 1888—pausing between 1854 and 1877 due to the Civil War—at a height of 555 ft (169 m) it was the world’s tallest structure for 5 years, until the 984-ft (300 m) Eiffel Tower overtook it in 1889. The Washington Monument remains the tallest stone structure in the world. https://t.co/etQP4tbmak
Fri, 17:02: Another city, another Central Library! This makes two libraries visited this trip—no, three! Sort of! We did the Library of Congress on Wednesday, but today we saw the Carnegie Library of Washington D.C., now the Apple Carnegie Library because the ground floor has been converted to an Apple Store—the basement level and second floor are also headquarters for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Anyway this was the central branch of the Washington, D.C. Public Library system from its dedication in 1903 until it became overcrowded and had to be moved in 1972.
Enter the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library! You know I love to check out major city central libraries, and this is that for D.C. Honestly it looks kind of disappointingly nondescript from the outside, in terms of architectural design. But! The interior is undeniably beautiful, and then there’s the best part: how many central libraries have you seen with an awesome rooftop terrace garden?
Bonus points for the extensive amount of Pride paraphernalia we saw all over this library! https://t.co/GM8KpPSjeb
