i travelled at night and tried to sleep on the plane. i changed flights in boston because it's cheaper to stop than to go direct. i arrive in dc at 9:45am local time. from the plane i was able to see the pentagon just before we landed. i really wasn't expecting that so i didn't have my camera ready, damn. the only way to take a picture of the pentagon is from the air so that you can see the trademark design. i walked from the plane to the terminal on terra firma and was able to see the washington monument in the distance. while waiting outside for my host to pick me up, i saw cherry blossoms. my trip to dc is now complete, i can go home now!

lunch in the capitol

i wasn't expecting others to be there to pick me up. my distant relative by marriage who is visiting from brazil was there with his host. we waited together for my host, went to her house, chit-chatted some small talk, and then walked over to have lunch at zaytinya. they serve turkish/middle eastern food there and it's small plates that you share. everyone felt obligated to order vegetarian because of me but they didn't have to do that--i felt a bit awkward. a couple dishes had yogurt on top so i didn't touch those. the ottoman pilaf was very yummy. their bread was good too. the olive oil and pomegranate dip was a little odd in taste but still good.

fbi headquarters

after eating we parted ways and i led my relative on a tour of dc. i wasn't expecting to depart like this so i didn't have any of the things i prepared with me (such as list of places to see and a map) but in preparing for the trip i already had the basics committed to memory. we headed towards the mall area or at least the washington monument and took it from there. we stopped everytime there was something interesting to take a picture of, mostly government buildings--of course, it's dc! we took a lot of pictures because it's the capitol of america, it's the first visit for both of us, and let's face it, with japanese blood running through both our veins it mandates that you take lots of pictures. i had been worried about taking pictures in front of certain places such as fbi headquarters and the white house because of reports of other dc visitors online who tried to use their tripod but were told by the guards to leave, etc. i took a quick shot of the fbi building and didn't see any guards or police. i didn't have a zoom lens and i think i looked like just another tourist. the more i took pictures throughout the day, the more comfortable i became, although i'm still puzzled as why my pictures are crooked. it's not crooked in the viewfinder... i think i must jerk my hands as i take the picture so that what i see when i aim is not the same position i'm holding the camera once i press down on the button.

the not so white washington monument

after awhile, all the government buildings start to look the same and you appreciate washington monument always in the background of things. it helps to have a marker to place yourself. i must admit though that i was disappointed by the washington monument--it was not as white as i thought it would be. i don't know why but i thought it would be much more white like the white house. instead, the stones are off-white to kind of a light beige and if you look closely, it's not uniform. in fact it looks like half is one color and the other half is another, as if they changed quarries or something in the middle of construction. there was a line to go inside the monument and i didn't even bother to see if we still had a chance because i knew we didn't. plus, now that i was there, i really didn't feel the need to see the view from the top. even the reviews i had read of others who have been up there really didn't make me want to go up there. all in all, we walked around and got to see much more than i thought we would for having such a late start. one part that i failed in preparations was to bring along mole skins to help pad my feet to prevent blisters. by the end of the day, i could feel a blister or two forming.

the one statue everyone knows in dc

there had been reports that it would rain while i was in town. in fact my relative, let's just call him my cousin from now on, wrote to me to ask what kind of weather it would be so he would know what kind of clothes to pack. i checked online and the forecast a week prior was that it would be cold with rain on one day and chances of rain on the others. i was not looking forward to walking around in the rain. i even brought with me a shower cap and some rubber bands so that i could put together a quick cover to protect my camera from water. the weather was much more friendly than the forecast and we are grateful!

battle of okinawa

i guess i should mention specifically what we saw. mostly it was war memorials because the part of dc that we walked is known for the war memorials. from the washington monument, we headed towards the lincoln memorial. to our backs was the us capitol over on capitol hill and behind it are the supreme court and library of congress. if you're not familiar with the layout of dc, i hope that gives you some indication of how things are positioned. it's very walkable but there's so many things to see, (especially museums), you'll need several days to do it justice. the first memorial you come across after leaving the washington monument is the world war 2 memorial. it's quite large. with the recent passing of my grandfather, i spent more time photographing and appreciating that memorial than i think i would have if he were still alive. half of the memorial is devoted to the european conflict and the other half devoted to the pacific conflict. since we're okinawan, we spent our time on the pacific conflict side and took pictures of where it notes the battle of okinawa. the whole memorial is flanked with pillars dedicated to the places the american troops came from, so each state and then some territories. due to a tour group blocking the way, i didn't take my picture in front of my state.

touching the vietnam wall

then we walked along the reflecting pool, which is too dirty to do much reflecting. we ended up at the lincoln memorial. the building is smaller than i thought it would be but the statue of lincoln is possibly bigger than i thought it would be. i knew it was big but to see it in person is another thing. the air is a bit stale in there though. possibly because of the sheer volume of visitors-it takes some maneuvering and patience to take your photo with the memorial. then we walked over to the korean war memorial on one side and then back to the other side for the vietnam wall. i didn't know much about the korean war or memorial but while walking amongst it, there was just something about it that i found moving and very appropriate. everything about it just seemed to fit. it's like it had the best features of all war memorials and put them together. there's statues of soldiers, a black wall with faces of soldiers peering back, a quote or two, statistics, a pool of water, and the cherries blossoming next to it. the vietnam wall is one of those places you've known about for so long that to be there, you just have to touch it and try to live some of the experience that it is known for. back when i was taking art classes in college, i learned about how the wall was created out of a contest and the controversy over the winning design, the one that is there today. what i never saw until recently when i was planning the trip was the statue close to the wall of 3 soldiers and i think it's another fitting memorial that fits with the area. at the wall were not as many tokens left behind like i have seen in pictures but there was one token in particular left that moved me in a way i had not been expecting. it was a hand like a sculpture and what was written on it was that the solder died for you so the least you could do was shake his hand, something to that effect. well, i couldn't shake his hand. i don't know anyone who died in vietnam and this person died before i was born but it was psychologically too much for me to handle i think. whoever made that, you definitely got your point across.

peace for okinawa

after the war memorials, i wanted to walk to the white house and then back to the house of my host. i knew which way to go in general however, i wasn't sure exactly the cross streets of the white house, meaning that i didn't know which street to turn on. after walking away from the war memorials in a straight path, i felt like we were heading to far and thought it best to turn right. we did so and passed by some buildings belonging to george washington university. i remembered seeing that on the map before and was surprised at how far west of the white house we were. in actuality, we weren't very far at all but in my planning i had done beforehand, i never planned a route to walk past the university so i felt very off track. we walk a couple blocks and next thing you know we're at the white house. i had contemplated making small signs to take with me regarding a desire for no military bases in okinawa, "go vegan", or possibly even something funny to pose with in front of the white house but upon contemplation, i didn't want the guards to get the wrong idea and tackle me. since i was wearing an okinawan t-shirt, i decided the typical japanese pose would be best.

bushy's in the helicopter on the left

after taking several pictures of the white house and the secret service police car, of which i don't think the police appreciated their photo being taken because they said something to my cousin and he didn't understand and i wasn't watching when it happened, we went over to the other side of the white house to see the more famous view of the building. the street was being blocked off though. there was a crowd of people. i asked them if they knew what was going on, if it's temporary or permanent. a lady told me someone is going to or leaving the white house so the road is being blocked for 10-15 minutes but the police blocking the road won't say who it is. hmm, is it worth the 10-15 minute wait to get a glimpse of the other side of the white house? yes, afterall we came all this way. we kept watching the cars but it turned out the guest arrived by helicopter. 3 helicopters flew overhead from the direction of the washington monument and only one landed on the white house grounds. i guess the other two helicopters were the bodyguards. after the helicopters left and the crowd was allowed to walk freely, i noticed there was a banner that said "1964" across the white house and a small group of people were left but starting to go back inside. i have no idea what happened in 1964 that there would be this gathering. whatever it was, it's over now.

[post-trip update: i found out what happened: "Mrs. Laura Bush and members of her Midland High School class of 1964 welcome President George W. Bush back to the White House Friday afternoon, March 28, 2008, following his trip to Freehold, N.J.". in fact, another flickr user took a picture of the commotion and captured the back side of me and my cousin taking pictures.]

rotunda containing the charters of freedom

after the white house, we headed back to the house of my host and passed the old post office. we saw that the line for the national archives was quite short. i've always wanted to see the declaration of independence in person due to a family myth that we're descendants of one of the signers. we're almost out of time for sightseeing as we have to attend a dinner but with the line so short i can't pass up this opportunity so we get in line. we're in the rotunda area and almost able to view the documents but it's so late that i call my host to ask if we should get out of line and leave or stick around a little bit longer. she tells us to to stay and so we were able to view the declaration of independence, the constitution, and bill of rights. although, i was very disappointed to see how faded the declaration of independence had become. i couldn't even see at all the signature of the person i had hoped to see in person. the copy of the the magna carta from 1297 on display is in much better condition than our declaration of independence. i hope that once it's completely faded the independence isn't revoked! ^_^ the lighting is very low to preserve the documents and i had a hell of a time trying to combat the lighting, the crowd, and the lack of time in order to take some photos. this will probably be my only chance so i kept trying to take photos but most of them are blurry.

a not so iconic shot of the pentagon

then we went to the dinner in virginia. it was a washington dc kenjinkai event. there were many people from all over the east coast time zone. there's not as large a concentration of okinawans in any one spot on this side of the country so it seems as though they all support each other and go out once in awhile to other states. there were a lot of people from kadena where my mom's from and i figure they all must've married military personnel. i struck up a conversation with a few people and even a distant relative. there were some people direct from okinawa as well as they are performing at tomorrow's event, the reason why my cousin came and thus in turn the reason why i'm here. one of the people i met is a liet. colonel in the army. whenever i hear of women in high ranks (anything with colonel in it on up), i'm always impressed.