Sunday - June 12, 2011

The Capital, I think the Senate is on hte left and the House of Representatives on the right but I could be wrong.



Brenda wanted to see the National Botanical Garden which was right beside the capital so we decided to go over there first thing in the morning. It was again going to be a hot day so we thought that it would be best to visit it in the early part of the day. We walked over and passed in front of the capital. The gardens both outside and inside the tropical area were just beautiful. Unfortunately, it got quite hot very quickly and Brenda wanted to get inside a building. We walked down Independence Avenue and decided to go into the National Museum of the American Indian (part of the Smithsonian) which also included displays on the Inuit and the Metis,and those from and Central America. It also included a display by West Coast carvers that I believe were from Canada. At first I equated America to just the US but in the context of the entire Americas, it should represent Natives from all areas.

I was a fascinating display and we could easily have spent another day looking around. Each display area was devoted to a specific tribe and they had a consulting group from the tribe detailing what the theme of the display should be and what message they wanted to impart to the visitors - history, the present and the future. However pictures were forbidden in the museum, so you will have to see it for yourselves.

We ate lunch in the museum and the food was the type of food that the Natives ate. There were several kiosks so you could find different things from the different areas of the Americas. Of course for those with more pedestrian tastes, you could get a sandwich or a burger. The food was delicious. Apparently, this restaurant was one of the most popular in the Smithsonian.

After the Museum, we jumped on the the Trolley again since the tickets we bought were good for two days and caught a ride back to the hotel. One thing we have learned, is the transportation system is very good in Washington between the subway, the buses and the Circulator Bus which travels a route around the central part of the City. Cost is $1 per trip. Another thing I learned is that most of the streets that have states names run from the center of the city through to the Capital Beltway which is IS 495 and goes around the City. Once you reach the Beltway, look for a street with a state name - Pennsylvania, New York etc and you will run into the Beltway. The City seems well laid out.