The DC adventure: part 2

It is hard to imagine that we are already half way through January, and though things just got started here we only have 3 months left in Washington DC. This week I started my internship, became more aware of the transportation system here, and saw some amazing things with my beautiful wife!

While waiting at the Metro stops, it is hard for me to not think of scenes from The Matrix or Batman Begins because really I feel like I am right in the middle of it all. Call it a wacky imagination, maturation in progress, or simply creative thinking but that is my world. Though the Metro is more expensive, I like how quickly you can get on and off. I take the bus to work each morning, and there is much more stop-and-go. But when something costs only a dollar - every time, there really isn't much of a decision making process required.

We toured the capital this week. The massive stone structure is something that is hard fro me to tear my eyes away from. The magnificence of the thing, as well as the sheer size of it are hard to convey. I can understand why Lincoln ordered the work to not stop during the Civil War so as to inspire the people and fill them with hope. Unfortunately there are no leaves at this time - so my photos seem a bit foreboding.

Going inside the capital was fascinating, though we saw much less than what we were hoping for. I thought it was neat there was a statue of Brigham Young amongst the other great Americans of history, and it was neat to see the staircase that every president walks up before giving the inaugural address.

We also had a really good lunch at Union Station. "Chop't" is a place like Bajio, Coldstone, or Panda Express, where you pick and choose things and they sort of prepare it right in front of you. What makes it different is it is all salads. I had a really good Santa Fe salad with a tasty zing to it, and Kassie had a spinach artichoke one. To put it simply, this was a much healthier meal than our dessert the other night: fried oreo chocolate sundaes!

Union Station is right near where I work. Walking so quickly every day to and from my office I have little time to take pictures. But on this day there was time. Maybe too much time. Luckily I married someone that is willing to be patient while I snap pictures and count ground squirrels running around.

Union Station is under lots of construction right now, like almost every other building, because of the earthquake damage from a while back. However it is still really neat there.

The building I work in is a beautiful structure with some rather large trees inside the atrium area. You can see Union Station in the reflection.

This week I have learned quite a bit about the Judiciary system. My respect and appreciation has grown for the framers of the Constitution and my desire to be more aware of issues has increased. The people we have interacted with here are wonderful, sincere, and filled with humor. Though the buildings are large, they are not as big and stunning as the mountains. That is one thing I think could spruce up DC!

We were also able to stop by the Supreme Court building and amazingly a fellow that was taking pictures with his wife had a wide angle lens, and he volunteered to take a picture of us using said lens. We were very appreciative.

Another great part of this week was seeing the Library of Congress.

Going into that historical building was quite amazing. The volunteer tour guide was very enthusiastic, the architecture and art work were stunning, and even after I lost my glove I found it in there later! Truly this is a good place.

Note: I am not embarrassed or angry in this picture - the redness is pure natural.

Maybe when you look at this picture you experience something like we did. The detail is so amazing, there is something interesting to look at in every direction. The colors and brilliance of it all must have been stunning when it opened back in the day.

I don't know if you have heard, but some people think I have a strong resemblance to Jefferson. We both like jackets, carry solemn gazes, have a strong love of books, and have tons of thick hair!

We finished our touring day yesterday by seeing the great documents of our country's formation in the National Archives. Unfortunately three large buses of kids arrived right before we did. The good news is they were from Georgia and insisted that we cut in front of all of them. This kind act saved us loads of time, energy, and gave me very good feelings towards the state of Georgia.

On our walk back to the Metro station we past what seemed to be the mecca of the once bustling US Post Office. There wer many buildings, but this one seemed to Kassie and I to be the most epic.

What a wonderful week it was. We are enjoying the time here very much and miss UT and CO too. If you want to look at a few additional photos check it out here. Until next week - tah tah for now.