U.S. Capitol Tour

Posted on November 27, 2009 by djnpub

capitol rotunda dome

The day after Thanksgiving I took a scheduled tour of the Capitol building. I had thought that since it was a holiday for me, but not a Federal holiday I would miss the crowds. Wrong. Apparently it was one of their busier days.

The morning started off bad; I dropped my camera onto the hard floor of the elevator. It was acting a little funny, which was more than a little disturbing. Fortunately, it all seems to be working OK now.

The tour itself was quite good (thanks largely to the tour guide). However, it didn’t actually cover that much. We went from the visitors center area, to the “crypt” that holds a number of statues and supporting pillars for the central rotunda, to the rotunda, to a room off the rotunda that was the original house chamber, but now has more statues and paintings. There is lots of history and beautiful artwork there, but I didn’t feel like I could really take the time to look at it in much detail. They keep the groups all together, and don’t let you go exploring around on your own.

Definitely worth seeing. I also learned of the dome tour, which you must request through your congressman or senator, that I will try and get on. That goes up to the top of the dome above the rotunda.

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Regina Spektor at the DAR

Posted on September 30, 2009 by djnpub

Regina Spektor at the DAR Constitution HallSoooooo good! Tonight I saw Regina Spektor at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington. She was excellent. Her voice is so clear, powerful, and at the same time sweet and playful. She’s one of those performers who can really do it live; sing on key, and play the music well.

She appeared first with a backup band consisting of violin, cello, and drums while she played piano and sang. Later she did a bunch of songs solo, playing piano, electric piano, guitar, and just singing a capella. It was all great. The main set lasted 70 minutes, and I’d never heard a large number of the songs, but they were all very good. She came back for an encore and did a bunch of songs that I knew from her albums. She ended up with a funny country-like song. All total her set lasted an hour and 35 minutes. This was definitely worth seeing.

The only two downsides were 1) the opening band was pretty mediocre (luckily I brought ear plugs to preserve my ear drums for Regina), and 2) the audience that was doing a lot of yelling stuff out. Since it’s probably been 15 years since I’ve been to a concert (Eric Clapton), maybe this is par for the course these days. But this was all negligible next to the great performance. I’d definitely see her live again!

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The Taming of the Shrew

Posted on September 11, 2009 by djnpub

Tonight I saw my second Shakespeare Theatre Company production, The Taming of the Shrew. It was this year’s “Free for All” show, which is presented to the public free on a first-come-first-served basis. If I had gotten my act together in time, my season ticket would have enabled me to reserve four free tickets, however all it cost me was two hours standing in line; but I guess it was worth experiencing what has become a bit of a DC tradition. Prior to the show there was a live music duo (guitar and sax) by Pablo and Gabo.

Just like King Lear this had high production values (read flashy sets and effects). Taming of the Shrew is one of my faves. This production chose a more slapstick humor approach; the funny bits were funny, but to me the overall effect is weakened. That is, with Petruchio just a goofball, the “taming” of Katherina just seems sadistic, and her speech at the end is just uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the evening. How can you go wrong with live Shakespeare for free?

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Clock Tower

Posted on August 30, 2009 by djnpub

Clock Tower

The Clock Tower in the Old Post Office building was reputed to have one of the best views in downtown DC. It’s only three blocks away, so it was time to check it out. Great view! The clock tower has an observation deck on the 12th floor with unobstructed views on four sides, you can look down to the capital, overlook the mall, see the monuments, and see the National Cathedral in the distance. This is now on my list of must-see places. I’ll definitely be going back.

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Navy Band

Posted on August 25, 2009 by djnpub

Tonight I stopped by and listened to some live music by my apartment. The United States Navy Band played weekly throughout the summer at the Navy memorial. This was the last show of the summer series, and it was the first one I caught. This was the Commodores, basically a medium sized jazz band, with a very good singer. They were good, but this kind of jazz isn’t really my thing.

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Monuments Tour

Posted on August 17, 2009 by djnpub

Jefferson Memorial

I finally got a space of free time, so I thought I’d take a tour around the monuments near the national mall. I did about a three hour walk and went by the Washington Monument, around the tidal basin, to the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, past the south end of the White House. All very impressive, but I needed a good rest when I got back home.

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King Lear

Posted on July 20, 2009 by djnpub

After getting settled in DC, l was thrilled to discover there is a vibrant Shakespeare production company. This helped make up for the fact that when I left California I had to miss out on my season tickets to the California Shakespeare Festival. I made sure to get tickets for the last play of the season that I’d seen advertised on the streets. This was King Lear starring Stacy Keach.

After 20+ years of attending the CSF, I’ve seen lots of Shakespeare. I’ve seen King Lear two or three times live, and the most recent Ian McKellan version on TV. The Shakespeare Theatre Company production was excellent. The production values were clearly higher than a typical CSF production. A lot of money went into the set decoration and scenery, and the acting was top notch. I had a seat right in the middle, just a few rows back from the front. It was a great afternoon, and I’m looking forward to the next season.

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Moving Day

Posted on July 8, 2009 by djnpub

The day has finally come when I must leave the luxurious life at the Ritz-Carlton and move into my apartment. I came to town with two suit cases and a camera bag, all under my arms. Somehow it’s taking me multiple trips to move stuff over. I’ve acquired a bunch of basic stuff, and have to buy more. That’s what comes from living in a house for 20 years. Now I have to re-buy all the basic necessities all over.

I’d didn’t realize quite how nice the view was when I locked down this place. I’m on the top floor, on the corner, and my windows look out to the south and east. From my bedroom I can see the Washington monument, the Smithsonian castle, the Department of Energy, the National Archives, the Department of Justice, and lots of other stuff — and I’m right on top of a Shakespeare theater. It looks like it is going to be a fun year.

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Washington Adventures

Posted on July 5, 2009 by djnpub
Shakespeare Plays 13
Other Plays 18
Concerts 1
Pop Music Shows 3
Major Public Events 3
Museum Visits 12
Sports Events 2
Photographs Taken 3000+
Nice Restaurants uncountable

Here is a list of sites I’ve seen, and events I’ve attended, while on assignment on the East coast:

National Portrait Gallery 06/13/09
National Air and Space Museum 06/21/09
Independence Day Parade and Fireworks 07/04/09
King Lear 07/18/09
Jefferson, FDR, Korean War Veterans, Lincoln, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials 08/08/09
Old Post Office 08/30/09
National Postal Museum 09/06/09
The Taming of the Shrew 09/11/09
The National Archives 09/18/09
Regina Spektor in Concert 09/30/09
The Alchemist 10/29/09
U.S. Capitol, U.S. Supreme Court, Library of Congress 11/07/09
U.S. Capitol Tour 11/27/09
Much Ado About Nothing 11/29/09
As You Like It 12/17/09
Fermi Award presentation at the National Academy of Sciences 01/12/10
National Symphony Orchestra rehearsal performance at the Kennedy Center 01/14/10
Smithsonian American History Museum 02/28/10
Richard II 03/04/10
Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy 03/06/10
Henry V 03/25/10
The Liar 04/29/10
Julia Nunes at DC9 05/06/10
Hamlet 05/13/10
Mrs. Warren’s Profession 07/01/10
Avenue Q 07/22/10
One Man Lord of the Rings 08/01/10
Twelfth Night 09/02/10
Arlington National Cemetery 09/05/10
In the Next Room or the vibrator play 09/09/10
All’s Well That Ends Well 09/30/10
Kennedy Center Tour 10/08/10
National Memorials With Rita 10/09/10
Arlington National Cemetery Revisited 10/11/10
White House Tour 10/12/10
Washington Monument 10/13/10
Henry VIII 11/04/10
House of Gold 11/24/10
A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics 12/29/10
Candide 12/30/10
Cymbeline 02/10/11
The Comedy of Errors 02/24/11
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art 02/25/11
Oedipus el Rey 03/02/11
Caps Game 03/13/11
An Ideal Husband 03/31/11
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs 04/06/11
Servathon 2011 04/16/11
U.S. Botanic Gardens 04/17/11
Embassy Row and the National Cathedral 04/30/11
Old Town, Alexandria 05/21/11
Cyrano 05/26/11
New York City 05/27/11
How to Succeed in Business 05/27/11
Jerusalem 05/28/11
National Museum of National History 06/17/11
Nats Game 06/21/11
Bootycandy 06/22/11
The Merchant of Venice 06/23/11
Newseum 06/25/11
National Memorials at Night 06/29/11
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Independence Day in DC

Posted on July 5, 2009 by djnpub

After my first official week in Washington, I got to experience one of the big events held here every year. The 4th of July Independence Day celebration in downtown DC. In the morning there was a parade. I don’t suppose it was substantially different than 4th of July parades held everywhere except that I was standing across from the Smithsonian. Lots of bands from all over the U.S. Then I went back in the evening for the big fireworks celebration on the National Mall. There was a concert by the Capitol (which I skipped as there seem to be too many people down at that end, and I wasn’t sure I’d be as free to take pictures later). I planted myself roughly in the middle of the mall, across from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I got there around 6:30 and there were already zillions of people. There were bands playing, so the time passed reasonably quickly. The fireworks show went off a bit after 9:00 and lasted 20 minutes (seemed brief). Then a zillion people poured out of the mall massing on the Metro stations. I took my time leaving, and went to a station a few stops north of the mall, so I was able to get right on and got home with no problems. A neat DC thing to do on the 4th.

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