Capital Escapades

We loved our time in Washington, D.C. Friends visiting, touring national treasures, caught in a downpour with no protection, cruising past Georgetown on a perfect afternoon, history, emotions. We will never forget this part of the Great Loop!

When I last blogged last Thursday, we were headed to D.C. The Potomac River is actually quite scenic during the final 30 miles into our capital. One of the sights is Mt Vernon, which we will stop to see later when we return downriver. George and Martha (and their 318 slaves) had a pretty nice view of the river, huh?

Another beautiful site along the way was Fort Washington, about 10 miles before we reached D.C. It was built in 1809 and looks like a castle in Europe. And, like a castle, it has a drawbridge to enter, over a moat. We didn't stop to tour it, but it sure looked impressive from the river!

We are nearing the Interstate 495 bridge! Just past it, on the left, is Alexandria, Virginia. We will see that on our return trip. On this day, we needed to get to our marina in D.C. to clean the boat and get ready for the Happy Hour party I'd been planning for over a year.

This is a picture of only PART of the huge marina where we stayed while in D.C. - the Gangplank Marina. We could see the top half of the Washington Monument, and we were pretty close to the Jefferson Memorial.

On the evening we arrived, we had our Happy Hour party I'd arranged a long time ago for my many friends in the area. (For my job with Nestle, I came to Washington, D.C. many many many times over the years.) I even told everyone a year ago I'd be having a party on the boat in June of 2011.

Well, it happened! Despite the rain. It poured just before people arrived, and then it started again when they left, but during, the weather cooperated. HOWEVER, I made a major mistake that I regret: I forgot to take pictures! Both Janet and I thought about it during, and figured we'd remember, but alas, everyone had left and then we realized we'd forgotten the camera. Darn!

Anyway, the gathering was fabulous!! We had eight friends drop by: Rick Cristol, Martin Hahn, Eric Hentges, Sue Borra, Bob Earl and his partner Steve, Regina Hildwine, and Dave Schmidt. Everyone knew everyone (which amazed Janet), and it was an evening to remember! The complexities of food industry issues never ceases.

The next morning, a Hawthorne, CA friend of Janet's, Jim Swaboda, came by for an incredible visit. They were childhood friends via their church, but later they also were buds at Univ Calif Santa Barbara. Jim arrived at 6:30 am with donuts, bagels, and fruit, and we talked until 10! Not just about frivolous stuff, but soulful "heavy" topics including religion, life tragedies, raising children, and life goals. I was so happy to meet Jim and be able to now call him a friend. He had to get home because that day he was moving from his long-time home into a condo, in nearby VA suburbs. Janet hadn't seen him since 1972 at UCSB.

Later on Friday, Janet and I took the subway to visit the International Food Information Council, which Nestle had belonged to, and for which I had been on the board of directors when it formed in 1985. This is a picture with staff members, Tony, Geraldine, and Andy. Dave Schmidt, the president, who had been at my boat party the night before, was in my next photo, which I posted already on Facebook.

Janet and I then toured the American History Museum. We returned on the Metro (subway) back to our waterfront station, and decided to get a few groceries at the Safeway right there. Problem was, when we emerged with our goodies, it was POURING rain. We had to walk about 15 minutes in the downpour and we looked like we'd worn our clothes in the shower by the time we got to the boat. Oh well, we dried out. At least we had fresh food and drink!

The next morning, Saturday, we took the Metro to the Newseum, a fabulous treasure of history and education of how the media evolved and has influenced our society and daily lives. Their special exhibits were full of emotion, on the 9/11 tragedy and how the media covered it; the Katrina coverage; war correspondents; and so many more remembrances.

This picture is from the Newseum's 6th-floor balcony. Of course, it's right on Pennsylvania Ave, which connects the Capitol with the White House.

Here's a picture of inside a Metro station. We took the Metro all over the place, since it's so clean and efficient and convenient. Interestingly, every station looked exactly the same from the inside. And, they are extremely popular with the locals, and therefore VERY crowded at commuting times each day.

On Sunday morning, we went to the National Archives on the mall and waited in a long line to get in when they opened at 10 am. See Janet sitting there on the left of the photo? It was so cool that there was a huge triathlon event going on right in front of us!

For about 45 minutes while we waited in the line, we got to watch hot-shot cyclists speeding down Constitution Ave in front of us, as well as runners on their final leg of the race. I wished I were out there with them! (...although my last triathlon was in 1982. But the cycling time trial was enticing!)

After our Archives tour, where we saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights documents, we returned to the marina to cast off. We cruised farther up the Potomac River to see more of the famous sites from the water, including this view of the Capitol.

As we approached the Arlington National Bridge, which crosses the river right into the Lincoln Memorial, two security helicopters were passing over. This was appropriate, given that during the entire three days we were docked in D.C., helicopters flew low over us on their surveillance missions. I kept teasing Janet that they were looking for her because of her Basque terrorist group activities with the ETA.

As we cruised north on the Potomac, we had to pass under five fairly low bridges in a row, the lowest being a railroad bridge we passed under with only two feet to spare. It looked like we were going to hit, but whew! I was ready to throw it into reverse if we weren't going to clear it.

We are just about to pass under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and there's the Lincoln Memorial.

We continued up until we passed Georgetown and all its hustle and bustle, under the Key (Francis Scott Key) Bridge, and into unspoiled beauty near the Three Sisters Islands. I was so surprised to see all the boats out just anchored up enjoying the scenery, since in all my years, I'd never seen ANY boats up there. I think since it was a Sunday, Father's Day, and a beautifully calm afternoon, we weren't the only ones who decided to go see the natural beauty of the river north of the metropolis of D.C. and Georgetown.

We finally turned around and headed downriver. This picture shows the relatively new Georgetown Waterfront complex of restaurants and shops with boats coming and going. The infamous Watergate Hotel is just to the right of this photo.

We continued back down the Potomac, back under all those bridges, and ended at Alexandria's Town Marina. This was last night. Janet took me out for Father's Day dinner to a cool Thai restaurant, and then we walked all over the place. The marina was right in the happenin' part of the waterfront, with street performers, crowds, and tour boats. You can see Breaking Away tied to the end of the dock in the background.

Today we toured a few hot spots in Alexandria, then cruised down to Mt Vernon for the afternoon. I decided to post a special blog for just today's fun. I meant to get to it tonight, but I'll post it tomorrow morning. We had a special adventure to see Mt Vernon. We did George proud!