Having seen the memorials on the mall I decided to try to take some pictures of the White House. I had been able to see it the previous morning while between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
I wandered down to the White House and indeed got some nice pictures. I was a bit surprised at how close tourists were allowed to get. After the white house I went back to the Natural History Museum.
Again, that place is huge. I got to look more in depth at the exhibits I thought were interesting, but did not have the time to the previous day: ancient life, aquatic life, rocks and minerals, and much more.
The rocks and minerals area was very cool and if I had seen it as a kid I would've been in heaven (I loved rocks and such as a kid). If you go there DO NOT miss the crystal exhibits! It is absolutely awesome! I got a lot of ideas for short stories by wandering those halls.
I took the opportunity of being at the museum to learn a bit more about a culture. I decided to watch a movie about Arabia. It was interesting, but not very in depth. Also, the 3-D glasses made my head and face hurt. After the film I wandered about a bit more and decided to get some food.
I was on the way back to my favorite haunt (the Eastern side of Pennsylvania Ave) when I noticed a lot of cops and several people standing on the sidewalks. Come to find out a motorcade was about to start and we had to remain where we were for it. Some of the other people there said it was President Obama. I couldn't tell, but maybe it was.
After that 45 minute hold up I rushed off in search of food. I chose to get pizza. We the Pizza is a nice pizza joint with such interesting pizzas as buffalo chicken and greek pizza. I went for the buffalo chicken and sausage and peppers. Both were great. I had a beer there, a Fireside nut brown ale. I wasn't too fond of it. It tasted really awful, almost like it was skunked. The after taste was the worst. On the up side the slices were big and filling.
I then ended up at the Capitol Lounge, a pub very close to We the Pizza. It has a nice locals feel to it. I had a few pints in anticipation of St. Patty's day and started wandering again.
I made it to the American Portraits museum, but ended up having to go back to my friend's place for our St. Paddy's Day fun.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Washington DC: Day 3
I noticed something while riding the train into DC this morning: people have different train manners here than in Japan. I'm used to riding a train where people don't sit next to you and where most people don't talk on their cell phones while on the train (though sometimes people do). I was pretty surprised when people sat down next to me without a problem and just sat. In Japan, that would have been rare. People there don't like sitting next to people they don't know, especially foreigners. I would make space for people and more often than not I would be ignored. It's funny. But here, people have no problem whatsoever to sitting down next to total strangers.
Another thing that shocked me was the lady sitting behind me was talking loudly on her phone. I wasn't used to this and thought it to be rather rude. Funny how you become accustomed to something.
A somewhat funny thing I noticed on the trains here are the handicapped sitting areas. They are benches near the door, but are blocked by vertical hand rails in the middle of walk way. I honestly think this is a major design flaw. There is no way a person in a wheel chair can get into that "handicapped" section. In Japan the area in the front of the train car is large and wheel chairs can get in easily. I think DC needs to reevaluate their subway car designs.
Again I arrived into town around 8:30 and had to thus kill time before the museum open. I walked around the Mall and wandered over to the Washington memorial. There was a line to get tickets so I hopped in. I met a nice elderly couple whom I chatted with until I got the tickets. The tickets are free, but they are timed, so you need to get there early so you can plan your day around your tickets. Mine were for 2:30.
Still having quite a bit of time on my hands, I decided to head over to the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial is also free and does not require any tickets. I did notice, however, that there were a lot more tourists out this morning. This didn't affect me much, but definitely detracted to the serenity of the previous morning.
The walk to Lincoln's Memorial would have been nicer if the reflection pool was open. There were large fences surrounding the pool which was completely drained with several construction vehicles in it. Apparently they are renovating it so as to add to the beauty and to keep it in good repair. I was disappointed though.
After looking through the Lincoln Memorial I went to the Vietnam War Memorial. That is something I wanted to see for a long time. I was hoping for a quiet viewing, but unfortunately there were scores of tourists there and most of them were noisy. A few were talking quietly and respectively to a veteran. Others (the majority) were loud, rude, and making a joke of the whole memorial. Some were even stepping on areas they were not supposed to. The parents of these idiots were even contributing to this behavior, encouraging even. It really screwed up my time there.
The Korean War Memorial was better. It was quiet and somber. I really felt that the memorial caught the essence of the War. The looks on the statues' faces reflected fear, anxiety, confusion and apprehension. It was a very sobering place.
After my jaunt around the memorials the museums were open so I headed over. Today was the American History Museum. This place was also huge. The centerpiece of this museum is the original star spangled banner. They also have pop culture artifacts such as Archie Bunker's chair and Kermit the Frog and many many others. It was so awesome. I wandered the halls for 3 hours and didn't see a quarter of the stuff there.
I needed food. My ticket for the Washington Memorial was for 2:30. I was not going to spend a small fortune at the food court (I'm not sure if there was one or not, but I assumed there was) so I went on the hunt for food. There were plenty of food carts lining the streets, but they were also highly overpriced. I ended up at the Ronald Regan International Center where on the basement floor is a food court. Think of a typical mall food court and you'll have the food court at the center. The only thing is that you have to go through a metal detector to get in.
I hurried through a lunch of Chinese and then went back to the Washington Memorial. It was actually pretty cool. When you look out the top windows you can also see pictures of Washington as it was long ago. It was very interesting to see the changes. Another highlight of the memorial is the elevator ride back to the bottom. While going down, you can see several of the stones sent by states and other countries. There are many different kinds of stones ranging from coral to jade. It was pretty neat, I just wish you could walk down the steps and leisurely look at the stones. But oh well.
Still having a little bit of time on my hands I went off to the Natural History Museum. Again, tons of stuff. They have so much. I can't believe how much they have, but they do. I didn't get to do much because I had to go to meet my friend, but it was neat. I actually got a little lost. That's how big the place is, I got lost.
Another thing that shocked me was the lady sitting behind me was talking loudly on her phone. I wasn't used to this and thought it to be rather rude. Funny how you become accustomed to something.
A somewhat funny thing I noticed on the trains here are the handicapped sitting areas. They are benches near the door, but are blocked by vertical hand rails in the middle of walk way. I honestly think this is a major design flaw. There is no way a person in a wheel chair can get into that "handicapped" section. In Japan the area in the front of the train car is large and wheel chairs can get in easily. I think DC needs to reevaluate their subway car designs.
Again I arrived into town around 8:30 and had to thus kill time before the museum open. I walked around the Mall and wandered over to the Washington memorial. There was a line to get tickets so I hopped in. I met a nice elderly couple whom I chatted with until I got the tickets. The tickets are free, but they are timed, so you need to get there early so you can plan your day around your tickets. Mine were for 2:30.
Still having quite a bit of time on my hands, I decided to head over to the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial is also free and does not require any tickets. I did notice, however, that there were a lot more tourists out this morning. This didn't affect me much, but definitely detracted to the serenity of the previous morning.
The walk to Lincoln's Memorial would have been nicer if the reflection pool was open. There were large fences surrounding the pool which was completely drained with several construction vehicles in it. Apparently they are renovating it so as to add to the beauty and to keep it in good repair. I was disappointed though.
After looking through the Lincoln Memorial I went to the Vietnam War Memorial. That is something I wanted to see for a long time. I was hoping for a quiet viewing, but unfortunately there were scores of tourists there and most of them were noisy. A few were talking quietly and respectively to a veteran. Others (the majority) were loud, rude, and making a joke of the whole memorial. Some were even stepping on areas they were not supposed to. The parents of these idiots were even contributing to this behavior, encouraging even. It really screwed up my time there.
The Korean War Memorial was better. It was quiet and somber. I really felt that the memorial caught the essence of the War. The looks on the statues' faces reflected fear, anxiety, confusion and apprehension. It was a very sobering place.
After my jaunt around the memorials the museums were open so I headed over. Today was the American History Museum. This place was also huge. The centerpiece of this museum is the original star spangled banner. They also have pop culture artifacts such as Archie Bunker's chair and Kermit the Frog and many many others. It was so awesome. I wandered the halls for 3 hours and didn't see a quarter of the stuff there.
I needed food. My ticket for the Washington Memorial was for 2:30. I was not going to spend a small fortune at the food court (I'm not sure if there was one or not, but I assumed there was) so I went on the hunt for food. There were plenty of food carts lining the streets, but they were also highly overpriced. I ended up at the Ronald Regan International Center where on the basement floor is a food court. Think of a typical mall food court and you'll have the food court at the center. The only thing is that you have to go through a metal detector to get in.
I hurried through a lunch of Chinese and then went back to the Washington Memorial. It was actually pretty cool. When you look out the top windows you can also see pictures of Washington as it was long ago. It was very interesting to see the changes. Another highlight of the memorial is the elevator ride back to the bottom. While going down, you can see several of the stones sent by states and other countries. There are many different kinds of stones ranging from coral to jade. It was pretty neat, I just wish you could walk down the steps and leisurely look at the stones. But oh well.
Still having a little bit of time on my hands I went off to the Natural History Museum. Again, tons of stuff. They have so much. I can't believe how much they have, but they do. I didn't get to do much because I had to go to meet my friend, but it was neat. I actually got a little lost. That's how big the place is, I got lost.
Washington DC: Day 2
My friend was kind enough to let me ride with him into Fairfax (the closest place to get onto a train). My friend had to go to work by 8 am so I was in DC by 8:30. It was amazingly quiet. There were not many people out and it was just a nice peaceful morning.
I started out by wandering over to the Smithsonian Castle. The castle is actually just the visitor center. There's an introduction video that tells about the museum and what highlights are where. It's definitely a good place to start seeing the museum.
Something I did not realize was that the Smithsonian opens at 10 am. However, the castle opens at 8:30. Since I was there so early I walked around the capitol building and took pictures. It was a very nice morning.
My first museum of the day was the Museum of the American Indian. It was really interesting and informative. The only problem was that it was huge! I wandered the halls and saw the little movie on the third floor and continued to wander. I was there for about 3 hours and maybe saw half of the place. Honestly, I don't think I saw half.
Next on the agenda was lunch. By this time I was starving. I went to check out the cafeteria at the American Indian Museum. It was way overpriced. They were wanting upwards of 15 bucks for an entree. I had to decline. Besides I wanted to get some food from a local place.
Like most animals I decided to return to proven hunting grounds. I went back to the area of Pennsylvania Ave where I ate the previous night. I continued past Good Stuff and went to where the restaurants phased away. I was torn between pizza or burritos. As I was debating I noticed a pub. I like local pubs. I've always had good luck with them, so I decided to go for it.
The Hawk 'n' Dove is a nice and friendly bar. I liked it and will go back when I have the chance to visit DC again. I walked in and was greeted by the bartender. I sat at the bar and asked the bartender what he recommended. I ended up getting a Bell's Two Hearted Ale. It's a hoppy beer and though I don't usually dig hoppy beers, I had three. Lunch consisted of an open faced turkey sandwich. It was good. I definitely needed the fuel to continue on my touring.
After lunch and the beer I headed over to the National Air and Space Museum. This place was huge. I saw the highlights: the Wright Flyer, the Apollo Command Module, and lots of other attractions. They have so much information on flight it's crazy. If you want to see everything, you need at least two or three days to do it. Another highlight was the planetarium. For 9 bucks I got to see their show on black holes. It was interesting, but in my opinion a bit high for what it was.
It was a really good day and a nice introduction to Washington DC. The following day was even more fun.
I started out by wandering over to the Smithsonian Castle. The castle is actually just the visitor center. There's an introduction video that tells about the museum and what highlights are where. It's definitely a good place to start seeing the museum.
Something I did not realize was that the Smithsonian opens at 10 am. However, the castle opens at 8:30. Since I was there so early I walked around the capitol building and took pictures. It was a very nice morning.
My first museum of the day was the Museum of the American Indian. It was really interesting and informative. The only problem was that it was huge! I wandered the halls and saw the little movie on the third floor and continued to wander. I was there for about 3 hours and maybe saw half of the place. Honestly, I don't think I saw half.
Next on the agenda was lunch. By this time I was starving. I went to check out the cafeteria at the American Indian Museum. It was way overpriced. They were wanting upwards of 15 bucks for an entree. I had to decline. Besides I wanted to get some food from a local place.
Like most animals I decided to return to proven hunting grounds. I went back to the area of Pennsylvania Ave where I ate the previous night. I continued past Good Stuff and went to where the restaurants phased away. I was torn between pizza or burritos. As I was debating I noticed a pub. I like local pubs. I've always had good luck with them, so I decided to go for it.
The Hawk 'n' Dove is a nice and friendly bar. I liked it and will go back when I have the chance to visit DC again. I walked in and was greeted by the bartender. I sat at the bar and asked the bartender what he recommended. I ended up getting a Bell's Two Hearted Ale. It's a hoppy beer and though I don't usually dig hoppy beers, I had three. Lunch consisted of an open faced turkey sandwich. It was good. I definitely needed the fuel to continue on my touring.
After lunch and the beer I headed over to the National Air and Space Museum. This place was huge. I saw the highlights: the Wright Flyer, the Apollo Command Module, and lots of other attractions. They have so much information on flight it's crazy. If you want to see everything, you need at least two or three days to do it. Another highlight was the planetarium. For 9 bucks I got to see their show on black holes. It was interesting, but in my opinion a bit high for what it was.
It was a really good day and a nice introduction to Washington DC. The following day was even more fun.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Washington DC: Day 1
So Monday started off as any other day. I had breakfast with my mom and grandmother. But after a little while I was off to the airport.
I was a bit shocked at that Delta now makes you pay $25 to check a bag in. I think that's complete bullshit. I almost never fly within the US, so I never knew about this fee. The airlines need to cool it on the nickel and diming crap. I feel that they are shooting themselves in the foot and just screwing travelers over.
So I flew from Nashville to Cincinnati and on to Baltimore. Delta in its infinite wisdom decided to give me 0 minutes to get from plane A to plane B. Fortunately Delta is also extremely punctual so I was able to make it no problem.
Baltimore airport (BWI) is a nice airport and the support staff are extremely friendly and helpful. I asked the information desk worker for directions and not only did he respond quickly, he was nice about it. It was a great introduction to this area.
To get from BWI to DC you need to take the B17 bus from exit 17 to the Greenbelt station. From Greenbelt you can easily get into the city. The overall trip was about an hour or so.
I met up with my friend Andrew at L'Enfant Plaza. We headed over to Good Stuff, a local burger restaurant. This place is awesome! The food although expensive is freaking great! I paid about $18 for a bacon burger, fries and a beer. Expensive, but you get what you paid for. Everything is fresh there. The french fries were probably the best thing. Basil and a couple other spices were sprinkled on the fries giving them a unique flavor.
Good Stuff is located on Pennsylvania Avenue SE. It is on the opposite end from the White House (behind Capitol Hill). If you're in DC, you should definitely check this place out.
I was a bit shocked at that Delta now makes you pay $25 to check a bag in. I think that's complete bullshit. I almost never fly within the US, so I never knew about this fee. The airlines need to cool it on the nickel and diming crap. I feel that they are shooting themselves in the foot and just screwing travelers over.
So I flew from Nashville to Cincinnati and on to Baltimore. Delta in its infinite wisdom decided to give me 0 minutes to get from plane A to plane B. Fortunately Delta is also extremely punctual so I was able to make it no problem.
Baltimore airport (BWI) is a nice airport and the support staff are extremely friendly and helpful. I asked the information desk worker for directions and not only did he respond quickly, he was nice about it. It was a great introduction to this area.
To get from BWI to DC you need to take the B17 bus from exit 17 to the Greenbelt station. From Greenbelt you can easily get into the city. The overall trip was about an hour or so.
I met up with my friend Andrew at L'Enfant Plaza. We headed over to Good Stuff, a local burger restaurant. This place is awesome! The food although expensive is freaking great! I paid about $18 for a bacon burger, fries and a beer. Expensive, but you get what you paid for. Everything is fresh there. The french fries were probably the best thing. Basil and a couple other spices were sprinkled on the fries giving them a unique flavor.
Good Stuff is located on Pennsylvania Avenue SE. It is on the opposite end from the White House (behind Capitol Hill). If you're in DC, you should definitely check this place out.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Shoes
One of the things I want to do in this blog is to give advice on travel accessories. So often I hear people say that a trip was ruined due to having bad shoes or a coat that did not insulate as well as they thought. Since I have quite a bit of experience in traveling I thought that my input may be valuable. So for this first "Travel accessories" article I have chosen shoes.
Shoes are perhaps the first and most important item a traveler has. I've had some rotten shoes on a trip or two. Or I've had the wrong shoe for what I was doing. A prime example of this is when I climbed Mt. Fuji back in 04. I went up and back down while wearing Dr. Marten's low cut street shoes. They were well worn in so I didn't have to contend with blisters, but I had no traction and the sole gave me little protection from the millions of sharp, tiny stones littering the path of the mountain. I was not a very happy camper. Another time I went on a hike and got drenched in a heavy, 5 hour rain. My feet were not happy.
The most important thing is comfort. If you're shoes give you trouble normally, traveling with them won't be any more pleasant. Actually it'll be worse since you'll be walking around more and being more active than usual. The bad thing is that comfort usually comes with a price. I have found that the more expensive the shoe, the better they feel on my foot. I now have a pair of Ecco loafers. They are great, some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever had. I walk in them. I work in them. I can do just about anything with them. They ran me about $150, but it was worth it. My other pair of shoes that I use often are my hiking boots. I use Vasque. Again they were expensive, but damn they are comfortable. These are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. Hands down they are worth every penny of the $200 I dropped on them. I can walk miles and miles in them without feeling much in the way of discomfort.
Quality is another major factor in traveling shoes. Again this is related to price. If a shoe is cheap it will most likely fall apart on you mid trip. That would suck. I very nearly had that happen to me. Actually it did. I was in Japan last year and I wore a pair of sandals. These things had been all over with me. They were great. But time and use won out and they fell apart one afternoon, a week before I went to the Philippines. Now the quality of those sandals (Rainbow sandals) was not bad. Actually they were quite good and sturdy, but you must make sure your equipment is in a usable condition before traveling. If you have a pair of shoes with a questionable soft spot in the sole, you should probably buy a new pair.
You also have to think about how you're going to use your shoes. Are you going to be just walking around a city? Are you going hiking? You need to bring the right shoe for the right occasion. That's one reason why I buy hiking boots so often. They are pretty versatile and can be used for just about any occasion. My Vasques are such that I can walk around any city and be fine or go climbing around hills and forests.
The last thing I'm going to write about is waterproofing. Waterproofing can save an entire trip. For example, Japan is pretty raining during the summer months. Your shoes can get pretty soaked pretty easily. Having a waterproofed set of boots can definitely make a trip during the Japanese summer better.
Basically what I'm saying is "go for the hiking boot". It has all you need and will get you around feeling like you're walking on clouds. You just have to dish out the cash.
Shoes are perhaps the first and most important item a traveler has. I've had some rotten shoes on a trip or two. Or I've had the wrong shoe for what I was doing. A prime example of this is when I climbed Mt. Fuji back in 04. I went up and back down while wearing Dr. Marten's low cut street shoes. They were well worn in so I didn't have to contend with blisters, but I had no traction and the sole gave me little protection from the millions of sharp, tiny stones littering the path of the mountain. I was not a very happy camper. Another time I went on a hike and got drenched in a heavy, 5 hour rain. My feet were not happy.
The most important thing is comfort. If you're shoes give you trouble normally, traveling with them won't be any more pleasant. Actually it'll be worse since you'll be walking around more and being more active than usual. The bad thing is that comfort usually comes with a price. I have found that the more expensive the shoe, the better they feel on my foot. I now have a pair of Ecco loafers. They are great, some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever had. I walk in them. I work in them. I can do just about anything with them. They ran me about $150, but it was worth it. My other pair of shoes that I use often are my hiking boots. I use Vasque. Again they were expensive, but damn they are comfortable. These are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. Hands down they are worth every penny of the $200 I dropped on them. I can walk miles and miles in them without feeling much in the way of discomfort.
Quality is another major factor in traveling shoes. Again this is related to price. If a shoe is cheap it will most likely fall apart on you mid trip. That would suck. I very nearly had that happen to me. Actually it did. I was in Japan last year and I wore a pair of sandals. These things had been all over with me. They were great. But time and use won out and they fell apart one afternoon, a week before I went to the Philippines. Now the quality of those sandals (Rainbow sandals) was not bad. Actually they were quite good and sturdy, but you must make sure your equipment is in a usable condition before traveling. If you have a pair of shoes with a questionable soft spot in the sole, you should probably buy a new pair.
You also have to think about how you're going to use your shoes. Are you going to be just walking around a city? Are you going hiking? You need to bring the right shoe for the right occasion. That's one reason why I buy hiking boots so often. They are pretty versatile and can be used for just about any occasion. My Vasques are such that I can walk around any city and be fine or go climbing around hills and forests.
The last thing I'm going to write about is waterproofing. Waterproofing can save an entire trip. For example, Japan is pretty raining during the summer months. Your shoes can get pretty soaked pretty easily. Having a waterproofed set of boots can definitely make a trip during the Japanese summer better.
Basically what I'm saying is "go for the hiking boot". It has all you need and will get you around feeling like you're walking on clouds. You just have to dish out the cash.
11 March, 2011 Japan
The craziness in Japan just isn't stopping. So far all of my friends are okay. Thankfully.
Something I saw on facebook that I thought was a good idea was to encourage people to help each other out. Foreigners and travelers are going to be really affected by the disaster, so please help them out. Others who may have lost homes or may be stuck somewhere, help them out too. Everyone has to pull together to make sure everyone makes it through in one piece.
Good luck everyone! I wish I was there to help!
Something I saw on facebook that I thought was a good idea was to encourage people to help each other out. Foreigners and travelers are going to be really affected by the disaster, so please help them out. Others who may have lost homes or may be stuck somewhere, help them out too. Everyone has to pull together to make sure everyone makes it through in one piece.
Good luck everyone! I wish I was there to help!
Japan earthquake and tsunami
I guess everyone's heard about the events of today. It sucks that it happened and I feel for the victims. I hope the Sendai area recovers quickly and those travelers who are stranded can get home safely and soon.
I have been fortunate to have never been in a disaster like this.
Good luck everyone! I hope everyone the best.
I have been fortunate to have never been in a disaster like this.
Good luck everyone! I hope everyone the best.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Going to Washington DC
Well spring break is nearly on us and as such I'm traveling. I was considering doing some hiking in Tennessee or visiting East Tennessee (a place I haven't stopped in for over a decade) or going to Oklahoma or something like that. Originally I was going to drive, but as a lark I started looking at plane tickets on kayak.com. I found several tickets to places all over the States for as cheap as $230. I looked at Washington because I have a buddy who lives near there and I've been meaning to go and see him for some time now. I checked with him and everything matched up so I'll be hanging out with him and seeing the many sights of our capital city.
Expect more on my Washington trip soon.
Expect more on my Washington trip soon.
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