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Donna.. We have to talk further about getting together.
Tricia, we were just there a couple of weeks ago and had the best weather for walking. I can recommend from the negative, which is a crude way to help, but here goes. The Freer Museum (Freer/Sackler) has much Asian art with a large grouping of Whistler landscapes. Because i'm not very interested in either, i wasn't fond of it. However, if you like Asian art, there is a wealth of it there--ceramics, paintings, calligraphy and on.Because they were exhibiting Senior Projects, we found the Corcoran disappointing, particularly since it is a museum one pays to visit. (Horrors!) Having written that, there was a Maya Lin (designer of the Vietnam Memorial Wall) exhibit of "landscape" sculptures which caught my imagination. http://www.corcoran.org/mayalin/
I visited the new Visitor's Center at the Capital, which is now an excellent spot to wait as your touring time approaches. It's spacious, cool and has exhibits about the American Process, as relating to the Senate & House. Our tax dollars (& over-expenditures) at work.
At the recently re-opened Museum of American History there was a wonderful exhibit about the African American community in D.C., as seen through the eyes of the Scurlock Studio. http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/exh... There are both portraits of renowned African Americans, as well as candid shots of the community and much in-between, such as yearbooks. They covered the gamut. For me, i felt i had a taste of the future National Museum of African American History and Culture-- http://nmaahc.si.edu/
And there is the coolest light show in DC at the National Gallery of Art. There is a tunnel which connects the East with the West wing. They've created the light show there, to be viewed as you move along the moving sidewalks, which is trippy, or as you walk along. I had to make a film clip of it, of course.
deborah
PS. We stayed in Rockville because DH was sort of working. Ok, he was volunteer working but they paid his way and there was no way he was going there without me. We didn't eat in the City, so i'm no help there.
Traveler wrote: "Donna.. We have to talk further about getting together."Absolutely, Tricia! I hope we can work it out. I'll send you an e-mail.
Donna
Deborah.. Thanks so much. Glad you mentioned the Corcoran b/c my neighbor wanted us to put it on the list. Now we can skip it since our trip is limited.I DO want to see the National Gallery of Art and will definitely check out that light show. Cool.
Thanks so much; you've helped narrow some stuff down.
:-)
PS.. ALIAS.. THANKS for the Travel folder. I appreciate it. Love it.
You're welcome. Thank you for the good idea !
Leaving in the morning. See you guys around the 21st.HAVE A GREAT WEEK.
Did we know Traveler was traveling to D.C. this week? Did she really expect ME to remember the announcement from ALMOST SIX WEEKS ago? Surely you jest!Enjoy, Traveler!
deborah
Ladies, I spoke to Tricia last night, and if all goes according to plan, DH & I will meet her and Kevin for supper on Sunday. I can't wait!!! The hardest part will be picking the restaurant.:o)Donna in Southern Maryland
Donna, on another thread i mentioned we want details. Enjoy yourselves! deborah
Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Ladies, I spoke to Tricia last night, and if all goes according to plan, DH & I will meet her and Kevin for supper on Sunday. I can't wait!!! The hardest part will be picking the restaurant."How exciting, Donna!
Jan O'Envious
JanOMalleycat wrote: "Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Ladies, I spoke to Tricia last night, and if all goes according to plan, DH & I will meet her and Kevin for supper on Sunday. I can't wait!!! The hardest part wil..."I am truly envious. And yes in DC the hardest part will be deciding which restaurant. Have fun.
Barbara
Take pictures Donna, and then share, ok?Kate
Hello Ladies!DH & I made the trek over to Arlington, VA where Tricia & Kevin are staying (thanks to the GPS!)(about 30 or 35 miles for us) I had spent several hours trying to find reviews for a good restaurant - something casual, not too pricey, but good. I finally found a place only 6 miles away in Falls Church, Va called Claire and Don's Beach Shack. It got great reviews, and I'm happy to say we all enjoyed the food, but especially enjoyed each other's company!
Tricia is as vivacious, sweet, kind, funny and as crazy as you would expect. Meeting an old friend face to face for the first time was wonderful! She has a beautiful smile and manner about her. Kevin is a real doll! He's sweet and funny and goodlooking and obviously adores Tricia.
We did so much swapping of stories and laughing, it's a wonder we had time to eat, but we all enjoyed our Seafood meals.
They are here for a few more days. I had mentioned that something I've always wanted to do was to go into town and take the "DC Duck" Tour. It's one of those vehicles that can drive on land, and then turns into a boat for a trip down the river. They enthusiastically invited me to come back up to town and go with them on the Duck. I have given up driving in traffic, so I'm trying to twist DH's arm to take a mental health day off tomorrow and take us back so we can do the tour with Tricia and Kevin -- so keep your fingers crossed. I seldom ask for something like that, so I think we have a good chance. :o)
One thing we both said was that it would be so cool if one day we could get all our regulars together in one place to meet and enjoy each other's company. I hereby promise if I ever win the Lottery, I'm sending you all a plane ticket! :o)
A very happy :o)
Donna in Southern Maryland
Hey Donna -- I am holding you to that so watch out if I ever hear you have won the lottery.Barbara
Donna, I am so glad that you and Tricia were able to meet!! I love hearing about friends meeting like that :)
Donna, it's so wonderful to hear about you and Tricia and your better halves all meeting together. I'm glad you had such a good time and will certainly keep my fingers crossed that your DH will take off a day so you can do the Duck Tour.Jan O'Cat
I've met a few online friends and, so far, it has always been great! It's nice to hear that you had such a lovely visit with Tricia, Donna. Now, I hope you get to go on the Duck tour, because I'd like to hear about that.Kate
Donna, thank you for sharing your fun with Tricia & your respective partners. What a pleasure! deborah
Guess what girls? We got to ride on the DC Duck!DH took a "Hooky Day." The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Very unusual for a July in DC. Bright blue sky, low humidity, and a great breeze. We met Tricia and Kevin & drove to Union Station. We had a while before our tour, so we grabbed a bite to eat and shared more stories and laughs.
Then off on the tour. It was wonderful! We had the best time! The guide was very good, we had a nice trip around DC and down the Potomac. We have not taken time off to do something fun like this in several years; I just savored every minute as we went along. I swear when we got back, my face was sore from all the smiling! :o)
I can't thank Tricia and Kevin enough for inviting us to come along. It's something I've always wanted to do, and would probably never done on our own. The 4 of us had a terrific time chatting and laughing and just enjoying each other's company. I'm sorry if I'm 'gushing,' but I'm having a hard time expressing how wonderful the visit and the day was!
I was all tuckered out when we got home, so I settled down for a much needed nap. :o) I will enjoy the memories for a long time, and we hope we can get together with them at some time again in the future.
A very HAPPY
Donna in Southern Maryland :o)
That sounds so grand. Wish I could have joined in.Barbara
Donna, this all sounds like so much fun. Did you take pictures?Kate
Donna, what a delightful day! I've often wondered about those duck tours. Thanks for sharing!deborah
Oh, Donna, it sounds wonderful. I'm so glad you got to go and especially with our Tricia! I'm so glad you got to do something you've always wanted to do!Jan O'Cat
Hi girls, yes, we both took some pictures. All I have to do is get over the procrastination to get them loaded and posted. :o)Wish you could have all been with us. What a Field Trip that would have been !
Donna in Southern Maryland
Donna, It sounds like a great time, I can't wait to see the pictures. Tricia and I have been trying to meet (in CA and Atlanta) for years!Debbie of GA
Hi Everyone... It is great to be back. Our trip was wonderful but the BEST part was meeting Donna & Paul.When you meet Donna you know you have a friend for life. She gave me a big hug and I just instantly felt comfortable with her and her darling husband. She was nicer than I ever imagined and I could picture myself sitting at her house and talking for hours on end if we lived closer.
We had such a great time at dinner that I hoped she would come back into DC to spend more time with us. When I got the call that Paul would play hooky I was thrilled.
Once Donna mentioned the Ducks Kevin couldn't stop talking about going on them. I so appreciated D&P coming back in to spend time with us. Donna knew all the answers to the questions on our tour and Kevin was so proud when he answered the one about Nathan Hale's quote. lol lol
I've always felt the love that Donna and her husband have for each other online but it just shines when you are with them. There is nothing more special than a couple that have been together this long and the love just shows through. Paul is precious. I think he and Kevin could get along with just about anyone they met.
After the tour we sat at Union Station and shared a lot about ourselves. Here I was telling Donna stuff that I've never told people I've known for years. She is just that wonderful. We've had some common experiences in life and it was so neat to share them.
I hope one day we can spend more time together.
Luv ya Donna and hugs to Paul!!!!
Deborah... I think it was you who told me to visit the Old Tower Post Office? Well we went and loved it. The view was awesome. I love going to high places in cities where I can look out over everything and this is the perfect place to go.
I would definitely recommend this stop.
We also went to the National Art Gallery and walked through the tunnel with the lights. Which was also a suggestion from these boards. We went on to see the Impressionist art and saw Da Vinci's only painting in the Western Hemisphere. So that was cool.
As mentioned we rode the ducks and loved it. They kept us in the Potomoc for a good length of time and as Donna said the weather was perfect that day. It was so enjoyable.
We made it to the spy museum; Indian Smithsonian; Iwo Jima Memorial; Mount Vernon; etc...
After spending WEDS at Mt. Vernon we drove to Busch Gardens. We rode many, many rides including many roller coasters. Saw 3 shows; Kinitex; Emerald Beat (Ireland); Oktoberfest (Germany). Saturday night we had VIP seats at the Commodores concert.
Sunday we drove down to Yorktown and then home.
A good trip!!!
What a fun vacation, Traveler! And your description of Donna is wonderful--as personable as she is on line. Neat.I'm glad you liked the Old Tower Post Office. It gave me a good perspective of the city and the surrounding area. Why i don't get that at the Washington monument is beyond me. Maybe because there are no office buildings below?
Was the architecture of the "Museum of the American Indian" something? There are supposedly no corners in it because some native tribes believe bad spirits dwell in corners. (I admit to wondering if even the office rooms have no corners.) It's striking & my favorite new place. (I'm still fond of the older buildings with their glass, woodwork & layouts, though.)
Thanks for sharing, Traveler!
deborah
On the Duck Tour the guide explained the reason for the shape of the Indian museum. That would be a good question about the offices.We were there for hours. I told bf that if we had a test at the end I'd fail b/c all the different tribes became hard to separate. But the Indian basic beliefs are so interesting and hard to argue with...
It was cool that they had photo's of people from the tribes of today.
After we left there we went to the Archives so bf could see the Constitution. It's such a shame that it is so faded. Can't beleive at one time they displayed it by a window!! duh....
AWW Tricia, Right back at 'cha! It's hard to explain the instant connection I felt with T & K. I guess old friends we met for the very first time!? I'm blushing at the compliments and enjoying them at the same time. Paul said the same thing -- that he wishes we lived closer! What the heck Tricia -- if I convinced him to play hooky that day -- and we are STILL talking about it, and Paul is still blowing his "Quacker!" -- we may plan a trip to SC one of these days!
I just feel so fortunate to have made the friends here that I've made, and to have had the opportunity to meet and spend some time with TRicia and her Fella!
Donna in Southern Maryland
Still a very happy girl :o)
Tricia, it's so good to have you back and hear that you had a wonderful trip. I'm envious that you got to meet Donna and her dh!Jan O'Cat
Not only did I enjoy hearing about your trip and the fun that you had together, but you have reminded me or tempted me (not sure) that it is probably time for me to make a return trip to D.C.Barbara
Bobbie57 wrote: "Not only did I enjoy hearing about your trip and the fun that you had together, but you have reminded me or tempted me (not sure) that it is probably time for me to make a return trip to D.C.Ba..."
Oh! Wonderful Barbara! Another excuse to take another ride on the Duck! :o)
Donna In Southern Maryland
Donna.. We would love to show you around S.C. I know you would love every minute of it and soak up all the history. I only live a mile from the State capitol...we could go visit Sanford now that's he's so well known... lol lol
Wow, T, what a lovely description of Donna. I think that comes through in her posts too. All four of you seem like great people.Got any pictures to share?
Kate
I am definitly going to Philips Collection this time. It's on the list. BF wants to see more of the Smithsonians.
And we have to go back by all the monuments and take pics with him since he accidently erased all the pics from our New Years trip. (yep, really)...lol
We are looking at different tours, etc. There is a brunch cruise down the Potomac; Segway tours; trolleys; bike rides; etc. We have to decide which to do. I'd like to do the Brunch Cruise. And we originaly talked about the Segways but they aren't allowed on the Mall. Hmmmmm
Ok, ladies. Give me some suggestions. We'll be spending the weekend doing what my relativs want to do ...then we have Mon/Tues to do what we want to do.
OH, add Arlington Cemetary to the list.