Hello and a very Happy 2015 to you all! it is really really cold again here which is absolutely terrible in every way except the fact that it leaves me with nothing better to do than to write my blog! Recently I have been reading a lot of travel blogs online from all corners of the globe and have been inspired to try something a little similar myself, so here is my little travel blog for Washington DC.
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| Washington DC |
As I am now working for a large hotel chain, one of the biggest perks is the travel discounts - you can stay in practically any Marriott property for peanuts which is fabulous especially considering how expensive several American cities can be to stay in (Pittsburgh and Cincinnati you know who you are!). Since moving to America I have found myself really enjoying the local sports scene and so I figured what better way to spend a weekend than to travel down to Washington to see the Cavaliers (Clevelands basketball team) play away. The Cavaliers or 'Cavs' for short have become a basketball powerhouse this year thanks to the homecoming of a certain Lebron James, his return has instantly made Cleveland the best team in their division but has also had some rather unfortunate consequences such as a huge demand for tickets at massively inflated prices which I for one don't really want to pay. Hence my little trip to Washington!!
I was staying at the Renaissance hotel on Pennsylvania avenue, a street which has a rather famous resident, just a five minute walk down the road was the white house where President Obama himself lives!! I'm afraid I did not get to meet him as he was busy presenting his executive actions on immigration reform when I was in town but thank you Mr. President (I know you are a secret fan of my blog!) for standing up to your congress and trying to sort out the mess that America finds itself in by getting this country moving forward and in the right direction!
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| Some window cleaners having fun down Pennsylvania avenue |
Washington struck me as being a really nice place, huge tree lined boulevards and lots of greenery and parks to divert you attention from the never ending urban sprawl that is the modern day American city. In fact there are so many places and activities fighting for your attention that it is extremely difficult to decide what to do, this would explain my first day here, rushing around like a mad thing trying to see everything and failing. It was a nice sunny day so I walked down to the Mall to see the Franklin Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the 4th street bridge which were all pretty spectacular although this is a lot of monuments for one day. I also went to see the White house with which I was extremely disappointed, it really is pathetically small, I should imagine the average Texans house is bigger - surely the president deserves better?!
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| The rather pathetic White House |
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| Lots of security - there are now 3 fences to jump - a little extreme if you ask me and it rather spoils the view! |
Here are some nice pictures from my walk around!
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| The Jefferson Memorial |
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| The Washington monument |
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| A little squirrel |
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| What is wrong with this sentence? or is it simply Olde English? |
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| The Washington Monument |
I am particularly proud of the pictures below and I'm very grateful to this couple for standing still for so long, I don't think they moved for about half an hour! In fact if any of you are planning to go to Washington in the next few years you'll be able to take a picture of them for yourself!
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| A nice couple admiring the view for 2 minutes |
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| For 2 hours |
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| For 2 days |
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| For 2 years |
After my walk around I was extremely tired as you can imagine so after I had a little nap I decided I had had enough culture for one day so instead I had quite possibly the greatest time it is possible to have on your own - I ordered a huge Hawaiian pizza from the shop down the road, had it delivered to my room and feasted on it while watching some basketball on the television! yummy yummy yummy!
The next day was game day, this was also my last full day here so I had a lot I wanted to see and do with number one on my list being the Newseum - a museum dedicated entirely to the news and how it is reported around the world. They have a really interesting room dedicated to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York with a piece of the towers in the centre and newspaper front pages from around the country and the rest of the world on the walls surrounding it. A lot of museums in Washington DC are free but alas this is not the case at the Newseum ($20ish entrance fee) so I decided my money would be better not spent and decided to take advantage of the free Smithsonian museums instead. In hindsight this was not such a good idea as several months later I still have a hankering to see the Newseum and wish I had paid the entrance fee!
That does not mean that the Smithsonian museums are not magnificent in their own right, I particularly enjoyed the American History museum, which boasts as part of its collection an entire Chicago subway station, an exhibit from the New York 1964 Worlds fair, a train, countless automobiles and Dorothy's ruby slippers from the wizard of oz. here are some cool shots from the museum!
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| A mustang from the Worlds Fair |
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| An entire subway station |
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| A piece of the Berlin wall |
After the museums it was game time and time for me to witness a complete and utter shambles! Luckily Washington was a fun place because the game certainly wasn't, it turned out to be a dreary one sided affair with the Cavaliers being dominated from start to finish, just my luck! Before you worry too much however (I know you all care so much about basketball) I am pleased to report that the Cavaliers have finally stepped it up a gear and I am sure they can go on to win it all this year, Cleveland has not won a major championship of any sort since 1964 so it is most definitely time to change that! The city will explode when the duck is finally broken, and it'll be a great place to be :)
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| The Washington Wizards stadium |
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| The headline of the Washington post the next day |
So long, farewell and stay warm and I shall be in touch soon!!
