1-22-2011 U-H Air&Space with Mike McElwee

Our buddy (nephew) Mike McElwee came back for another visit! We went out to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum on Saturday. Mike had never seen it while this was our third visit - it is such a big place that even the third time had new finds. We watched an IMAX on a new Boeing airplane being made. Then split up to wander. We found an early helicopter prototype made by a person with the same last name as our neighbors in Albuquerque. I wonder ... And we saw the gondola from the balloon flight across the Atlantic made by the two fellows from Albuquerque, Anderson and Abruzzo.

1-16-2011 Rock Creek Park visit

Rock Creek Park was on our list to see so we drove into DC and drove through the Park. We went to the visitor's center, saw the exhibits on flora and then took a walk through the woods, along Rock Creek. Very wintry, but it was a pleasant day. A good outing for a Sunday.

1-15-2011 Renwick, St. Matt's, Strathmore

We had a date at 8pm at the Strathmore for a show that featured the Boston Symphony playing in front of a artsy movie. The movie was Sci-Fi themed and the music was composed for the film. They also played Star Wars selections. It was a really good show. We had never been to the Strathmore before. Other than the time on the Metro it took, it is very easy to get to and a large well designed venue. Very comfortable.

 

Before going out we went downtown in the afternoon to visit the Renwick gallery, another bucket list item we had not yet seen. Lots of unique art there and the building is pretty neat also. There was a big display of wood bowl carvings - and some things that did not really resemble bowls, but all gorgeous. Also there was a display of art from the Japanese that had been imprisoned in the camps all across the US during WWII. We found that there was one near Santa Fe! The grandfather clock that looks like it wrapped in cloth is actually all wood - even close up it looks like a cloth wrapped on the clock!

We went to dinner at a Greek place by DuPont Circle - Zorba's Cafe. Great food - good place.

After the Renwick we went to Mass at St. Matthews. We had been here before but it is such an awesome Church. Pictured is the testament to John Kennedy engraved into the floor where his casket was placed during the Funeral Mass.

 

1-9-2011 Brunch at Sharkeys, Ellicut City

We drove up to Columbia Md today to have brunch with Brian and Deb Sharkey and kids Grace and Chris. It only took about an hour to get there. We had a good visit and a great brunch. We left at about 3pm and drove 10 min to Ellicott City, a old town full of specialty shops, antique stores, restaurants and so on. The architecture was different than what we were used to now, having quite a few big stone buildings in town. This is due to a quarry being right there. The claim to fame of the town is that it was the start of the B&O railroad, the first railroad in America, in the 1830s. The RR started out as a horse drawn system but in a few years steam locomotives were being used. Visited the museum, took these pictures. It was very very cold and windy so we walked around just a bit and visited a toy store - what else for grandparents?

12-29-10 New York City

A day trip to NYC! Wow. We left Union Station at 5:30 am - that required getting up at 4:30. The train was late getting in but it was still early when we got there, 9:00 or so. NY had gotten at least 20 inches of snow just days before so when we emerged from Penn Station, we saw the city digging out. We walked everywhere and got dunked in freezing pools of melt at several curbs. We walked to Macy's to see the Christmas windows (the point of this trip was Christmas decorations) and then down 5th avenue. We had tickets for the 11am Rockettes show in Radio City Music Hall. I was much more impressed than I expected to be. What an extravaganza. They did 10 or so numbers and the staging and costumes were very impressive. The stage is huge, so big that camels and donkeys were included in the Nativity Set.

After the show, we visited Rockefeller Square to see the big tree, the skating rink, the angels and take it all in. The crowds were not as bad as I had heard about. Next was St. Patrick's, close by. Then off walking we went - the sun came out and it got up to maybe the high 30s. Lunch in a Chinese restaurant. We waked through Central Park for awhile and then headed back, to see Rockefeller Square at dark.

The city looks much more festive at night but the cars and people came out in droves. Solid gridlock in the streets - they aren't that wide to begin with and with all the space taken by piles of snow, it was really a nightmare. We were on the train back home by 7pm and got home at about 10:30.

12-27-10 A break for luxury

Sue had been sad that she could not soak in a tub, like the one we have at home. So, for Christmas, she got a night at the L'Orien Hotel in Alexandria, in the Soaking Tub Suite. A huge bathroom, a deep clawfoot tub, she was a happy camper. It was really cold walking down there at noon - and a little strange, us with our backpacks checking into this luxury hotel. We missed going to the Greek restaurant we wanted to try, but Bertucci's is always good. A nice time.

12-18-10 Yo Ho Ho DC Christmas

Though it be cold, we ventured out to see the Christmas sights in DC. The first stop was the Biological Gardens by the Capitol. Lots of poinsettias and trees decorated for Christmas. We walked over to the congressional tree. We found out last year we liked this much better than the White House tree - "of the people" and all that. This year was Wyoming's turn to decorate. While we were at that end of the Mall, we visited the National Art Gallery Rotunda to see the decorations and found a choir singing carols. Nice touch. We headed then for the Smithsonian Old Castle, stopping at the ice rink in the Sculpture Gardens first.

Included here are pictures of the White House tree we went down to see on the 31st. And our own humble decorations in our place in Alexandria - Sue makes a little go a long ways.