Tour Time!

I got back Sunday from a tour of Washington, D.C., and NYC with a group of students from LA. We had a really nice tour, but very interesting. We had to send a kid home in the middle of the tour for attempting to shoplift in Walmart! There were a few other mishaps, but everyone had a great time. It was a flexible group, so all is well.

I was surprised at how light the crowds were in DC and NYC. At Arlington National Cemetery, I could get some decent shots of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The soldier marching marches 21 steps, waits 21 seconds and then does it again. This is in honor of the 21-gun salute.


The Changing of the Guard includes inspecting the gun and the guard's uniform.





In NYC you may have heard about the city closing down parts of Broadway to make it more pedestrian friendly. Now they have lawn chairs in the middle of the streets to lounge about.

Here's me and some of my closest friends ... By the way, the weather was crazy! We about had heat strokes in D.C. and then it was cool in New York. That's spring for you!


I couldn't make it home the same day my tour ended, so I spent an extra night in NYC. I then had a lengthy layover in DC, so I went to take a closer look at some of the museums.

The magnolia trees were in bloom in DC as well, and I think they're absolutely gorgeous.

Happy Travels!

April Tour

I failed to blog about my tour in April that was with my most favorite school group. I had the same school last year, and these girls were fantastic. They did there home country of England proud. Our tour started in NYC, then DC, where the cherry blossoms were in bloom and gorgeous and ended with a drive up to NYC and a stop in Philly.

The teachers and me acting like fools in front of the White House. Obama is waving from the top floor, second window from the right.

I really liked this photo. I took it from the Lee Mansion, which is in the Arlington National Cemetery. You can see the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the distance.

Surviving Inauguration

Well, I survived! It wasn't a complete nightmare, but there were moments. Roads were closed, only one bridge allowed us to get into DC from Virginia... Think about all the traffic going into the city and 10,000 other buses visiting the capitol. We got lost in the ghetto one evening. It never dawned on my driver to check out a map for the next venue while the group wasn't on the bus. I had to be the navigator in a city I don't know that well. I had transfer issues for a set of three passengers to and from the airport. Mile long waits at Reagan International on the way home - Seriously, I felt sorry for those flying US Airways. The line for that particular airline spanned the entire airport, plus out the door. Incredible.

That being said, the inauguration itself was incredible! As soon as we stepped out of the bus we got swept up in a wave of people that were walking in four lanes of traffic toward the National Mall. The atmosphere was electric with excitement. People kept moving, but there wasn't pushing or shoving. We got to the Mall itself around 8 a.m. and we settled near a jumbo tron at 12th St. - approx one mile from the Capitol. I had wiggle room about the size of a newspaper. The worst part was standing for five hours. Thankfully I had little warmers to put in my gloves and boots. Otherwise, I don't know if I could have stood it. One of my middle school students began to cry because she was so cold and her chaperon took her into one of the Smithsonian's.

All in all, it was an experience of a lifetime. Would I do it again? Possibly. Would I do it with a group of 40? Doubtful. Enjoy the small video of my surroundings.

Inaugural Ball

No, I don't get to go to THE Inaugural Ball, but I do get to go to AN Inaugural Ball thrown by the Smithsonian Student Travel folks. It should be a lot of fun. The kids from all the tours come together at points around the city to eat, dance and mingle.

Keeping with my fun facts, the tradition of the Ball was started after the Inauguration of James Madison. First Lady Dolley Madison hosted the gala at Long's Hotel with 400 tickets being sold at $4. Quite a price for 1809!

From then on, the Inaugural ball quickly turned into an anticipated highlight of Washington society. However, Harding requested that the Inaugural committee do away with the elaborate ball and parade in 1921 to help set an example of thrift and simplicity. (Something that I think should be done today ...) Subsequent Inaugurations followed this trend, with charity balls becoming the fashion for the Inaugurations of Coolidge, Hoover and FDR. Harry Truman broke the tradition in 1949 and got the official ball back on its feet.

Pray for me ...

Keeping with the Fun Inaugural Facts!

Ronald Reagan's 1985 public Inauguration took place inside the Capitol Rotunda due to freezing weather. This was the coldest Inauguration day on record with a noon temperature of 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pray that we have a nice, warm 50 to 60 degree day on January 20, 2009! Actually, pray for unseasonably warm weather January 17-21. That's all I'm asking.

Prepping

It's been a long while since I've posted. My apologies to my three loyal readers.

I haven't had too much going on, but right now I'm knee deep in studying up for my trip to D.C. I've been refreshing my memory on all the sights of the city, but I still am not certain of what my itinerary will be for the tour. I should have a better idea later this week once I receive my packet of information ... hopefully.

In the spirit of the upcoming inauguration, I thought I would share a few fun facts over the next few days.

Fun Firsts - Media and its inaugural role ...

1. 1845 - James K. Polk's inauguration was the first covered by telegraph and the first featured in a newspaper illustration

2. 1935 - Calvin Coolidge's ceremony was first to be broadcast nationally by radio

3. 1949 - Harry S. Truman had the first televised ceremony

4. 1997 - Bill Clinton was the first ceremony broadcast live on the Internet

Stay tuned for more fun facts! (I know you're full of anticipation!)

British Invasion

I'm back from my EF Smithsonian Tour, and it went smashingly! I had 24 British 17-year-olds and three teachers from a private girls school. It was so much fun! The girls really enjoyed the cities, and they were so very respectful. They knew a lot about American history already, and they were piecing it all together during the trip. They're a special group that I won't soon forget. I failed to take many pictures, and my one group photo didn't take ... Enjoy the photos I did manage to snap.

P.S. You'll be delighted to know that I was able to finally use my Civil War rap that I've been carrying around in my head since 5th grade as part of my tour. Now all I have to do is tour somewhere in Montana so I can use my Colonel Custer rap ...

"Top of the Rock" - I went to the top of Rockefeller Center the day I came in since I didn't have to pick up the girls until the following day. Pictures include Central Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Empire State Building.

Chrysler Building from Grand Central Station

Macy's Annual Flower Show - The displays were amazing! The entire outfit is plant life.

George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate. If you haven't been to Mt. Vernon in a while, you should make a point of going. They have a great new museum which answers any and every question you may have about the time period and Washington's hand in the development of America.

Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

U.S. Capitol