Mr Eklund

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2015 Washington DC Trip Day One

 

 

currently somewhere over the US…approximately one hour until connecting in Charlotte-

 

About 8:00 Saturday night I realized there were two items I forgot to take care of before starting our trip. One was to ************** which I sent the REMIND message to everyone about. The other was to reconfirm that the bus company would be picking us up at 2:30am and 3:45am. This was set up by our tour company but since this is pretty important I figured I better give them a call to double check. The first person I talk to says he doesn’t have us on his sheet, takes my information and someone will call us back as soon as possible. No panicking yet but certainly concerned. An hour later I called again. This time I am told they already have my information and someone will call me back as soon as possible. Gee, sounds familiar so I ask if she has any idea when that might be. The response, yup, you guessed it, someone will call me back as soon as possible. Still not panicking but concern level is rising. The nice lady calls me back a few minutes later to tell me that whoever she spoke to told me to call back after the office opens at 4:00am. OK, I’ll admit, the panic did flash for a second. Before she could hang up I pointed out the first bus is supposed to be dropping us off at the airport at 4:00am. Fortunately, the response this time was not someone will call you back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, whoever they woke up to verify we had buses coming was not very happy but at least they were mad at their own dispatcher’s office and not me. It seems everything was set up correctly except someone forgot to write it down on the dispatchers sheet. Ahhhhhhh, I can breath again.

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At the airport, we line up at the USAirways ticket counter and a very nice woman comes out to assist us. She recognizes me. It’s Phyllis! We used to be a secretary for USAirways when I worked them. (I worked for PSA which merged into Piedmont and USAir from 1985 until 1995.) Three of my former co-workers, Phyllis, Monica and Ricardo, checked us all in to our flight as reminisced about old mergers and new (since I left USAir has merged with America West and American Airlines). The merger with American is still in process which is why it took the computers forever to process our group. Finally it is time to go through security….where the process…is…even…..slower……..Thank goodness. The last of our group makes it through and arrives at the gate to find everyone else is already onboard. … “You can breath now Mr Eklund”. Thanks Mr Russo, I was beginning to wonder.

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We should be in Charlotte in about a half hour. I heard from the other group as they were on the bus to the airport. Sounds like everything went smooth for them so far. As Tigger would say.TTFN or Ta Ta For Now.

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Hi Again….11:03pm East Coast Time

Everyone checked into their rooms after a long day, most planning to watch the end of the Warriors game (currently in overtime, down by one). Both flights got in on time and out visit truly gets started. The 3:45am group had a chance to visit the Udvar-Hazy extension of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport. The students had a chance to check out a Space Shuttle, a Concorde, an SR-71, the Enola Gay, and at least 100 other classic aircraft. They could also go up inside a mock-control tower and watch the action out on the runways. 

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The other bus travelled through Bladensburg which gave Mr Eklund a chance to teach a lesson about the Bladensburg Races and the attack on Washington DC during the War of 1812. Hey, who said history has to be boring?/// Certainly not me!

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Next, both groups headed into DC for dinner. Tonight we were trying out a new restaurant, G Street Food. They had a nice Italian Buffet Laid out for us with spaghetti, meatballs, a tasty pasta dish, a very nice chicken parmesan, steamed broccoli, salad and cookies/brownies for dessert. This was an excellent addition. The food was very good, ample seating, excellent service and a friendly staff. Its a keeper. Definitely a keeper for future trips.

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Ohhhhh, I almost forgot…..the two best bus drivers ever picked us up today. Tony Lane who has been with us for years and we got James Hill back after missing him for a long time. Dude-Sweet is back. It iOS going to be a great ride. They are both so fun. At dinner we meet up with two of our favorite guides. Karen hops on the bus with James and Julie is on the bus with Tony. 

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After dinner we walk down to the White House. Walking through Layfaette Park we see some of the impressive statues located throughout the capitol. This park features tributes to the generals who helped us with the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. We then experience a number of people expressing their right to free speech. We couldn’t figure out what they were protesting but they were waving flags and singing some kind of chat. Unfortunately the looked quite silly with their dancing and chanting but that is what freedom is all about - the opportunity to support what you believe in via a public forum. A nice lesson for the kids. 

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We took lots of photos of the White House (and probably even more selfies). For a Sunday evening the place was pretty crowded. We didn’t see any of the presidential family but did get a chance to talk to some of the Secret Service agents on duty. I wonder though, are they really “secret” when they are wearing vests with “Secret Service” in bold letters across their chest?

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Next stop is the World War II Memorial. This is such a beautiful memorial with loads of symbolism. Everything you see symbolizes something. I urge you to check it out online. Now that they have seen it reading about it the students should be able to understand a whole lot more about what they have witnessed. Too bad we missed the anniversary of D-day by one day. Former Senator Bob Dole was at the Memorial meeting a greeting people. Karen was here and got a photo with the Senator and her father. Pretty darn cool.

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One last stop tonight was the recently unveiled Dr Martin Luther King Memorial. This beautiful sculpture looks like a chunk of stone taken from Stone Mountain with a huge carving of the man himself coming out of the front of the chunk. On two walls angling out towards each side of the monument is covered with famous quotes from MLK.

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After a very long day, everyone is checking into their rooms, the Warriors lost and I am going to try and get some sleep. Until tomorrow………     

2015 WASHINGTON DC Trip Day Two

 

Quote of the day…..”I’m going to eat Oreo’s in the shower!”…said by a student when we were doing bed checks! So funny!

 

A great day in DC today. Breakfast in the hotel then hop on the bus for a ride into the city. For a Monday morning traffic was not too bad. Thank goodness Tony and James know the best routes to take. We pick up Julie and Karen and it off to our first stop, the Korean War Memorial. This memorial features a number (16-18?) of full size bronze statues of soldiers on patrol through the rice paddies of Korea. In addition there a number of scenes etched into the walls depicting various people involved in the war. It really is quite an impressive site. The statutes do a great job of showing the stress in their faces. 

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Next it is over to the Lincoln Memorial. This site is just plain outright impressive. Mr Lincoln sitting on a chair overlooking the reflecting pool and the Washington monument in the distance. Part of two of his most famous speeches are etched into the marble on either side wall, the Gettysburg Address and his Inaugural Address. A lot of student were able to find the error, that has since been corrected, in the spelling of one of the words in the Inaugural Address. Some of the students checked out the exact spot where Dr Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech then everyone headed down to the reflecting pool. The students heard a lot of information regarding the monument and the symbolism of many of the parts. This is one of the things that makes ALL of the memorials interesting, the symbolism. there are all kinds of things to learn about the various symbols everywhere we go.

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Next it is over to the Vietnam Memorial. This is actually three memorials in one. First is the three soldiers standing guard over the wall. They were refurbishing this statue last year and they did a beautiful job. Three full size soldiers in full gear protecting themselves and their comrades. From here it is down to The Wall itself. We had a special moment this year. Mr Panikowski was able to find the names of the four men who were killed the night his father was badly wounded in combat. The four were in a tank that was trying to protect Mr Panikowski’s father when the were hit and killed by a rocket propelled grenade. His dad was badly wounded but credits the men who died with saving his life. Dad doesn’t talk much about that day but shared with Mr Panikowski specifically because of this trip. It was quite an emotional moment for all of us who were close enough to witness when the names were located. The third part of this memorial is a tribute to the nurses and the seven women who died in the war. This site is always an emotional event but even more so this year.

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Next we make our way onto Einstein’s lap. Really! Its an annual tradition so once again we all climbed on the statue of Albert Einstein for a few group photos. then back to the bus for an early lunch. We head over to Union Station. When it opened as a train station in 1908 it was the largest building in the country. Over the years it was allowed to get quite rundown but a renovation project that was begun in 1981 is almost complete and the place is almost back to its full beauty. Lunch is in the downstairs food court. Due to the remodel my favorite Greek restaurant is gone (darn, Mr Russo and I were looking forward to the Gyros) but there was still plenty of tasty choices to pick from for lunch. 

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After lunch it is a short walk to the Capitol. We have a treat prior to the tour. A former Kenilworth student who now works for Congressman Huffman came down to talk to the group. I am not sure who was more excited, her or the kids. She (Courtney) had some great advice for the kids about school and their futures. It was quite a nice question and answer exchange. I think some of the kids might be interested in following her path. We then saw the introductory film (which is great…unfortunately you cannot buy a copy of it or I would show it in class.) Then we had a guided tour through the building itself. The dome is currently being rebuilt so it is covered by scaffolding on the outside and tarped underneath the top on the inside but we could still see most of it. The students had a chance to see the portrait they all have in their pocket (on the back of the $2 bill) of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They also got to see both of the California Statues located in the building. One is of Ronald Reagan, the other is Father Junipero Serra. Rumer has it that when the Pope visits the US next year he is planning to make Father Serra a saint. We shall see.After the tour we had a chance to go inside the chambers of the House of Representatives. The House was not in session so we were able to stay quite a while discussing what we were seeing (and not seeing but was there) and again, all of the symbolism everywhere you looked. 

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From the Capitol we walked over to a new memorial, a tribute to the Disabled American Veterans. This was quite impressive. It features two large fountains. One is a large rectangular shaped reflecting pool that simply drained over the edges with the water just disappearing along the wall to someplace underneath. This pool lead to another pool, smaller and shaped like a star that overflowed on the sides as well but also featured something I have never seen before….burning water. What appears to be propane comes bubbling up near the center of this star and is on fire once out of the water. It literally looks like the water is on fire.

. Next its time for a little shopping and a walk by Ford’s Theater and Peterson House. Unfortunately we didn’t had a trip into the theater on this years schedule but we did walk over to take a look and to check out the new gift shop at Peterson House.. From here it is shopping at Joe’s International.He was a new store around the corner from his old one. It is quite a bit smaller but his prices are still good despite having to pay $30,000 per month for rent. 

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After shopping we walk ha;f a block down to the Spy Museum. I think the students really liked this stop. Lots to see and do here. Plenty of hands on exhibits and a look at spys throughout history. If you want to see a cool show about Russian Spys in the US during the 1980’s you need to check out the FX series, The Americans. They even had some merchandise from this show on sale in their gift shop. Oh, I almost forgot…while we were in line inside the Spy Museum waiting to go up in the elevator there was a big shriek. We all turned to look towards the windows to see the wind had started a blowin’ and the skys had simply opened the buckets. It was pouring!! An absolute downpour, yet the streets were dry by the time we came out of the museum a couple of hours later!

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Time to eat again. This time we are at a place called Sizziling Express. This is a buffet with a large selection of pretty darn good food for a buffet. The fruits and vegetables were especially fresh and tasty although they did seem to go through a lot of the deep dish pizza. After dinner we have two stops planned. The first is the Marine Memorial which is a huge stature of the famous photo of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. As we pulled up Karen asked if we wanted to get off the bus since it had started to sprinkle just a tiny bit. Between the time I said yes and the time the 4th or 5th person got off the bus the skies simply opened up. They scampered back on the bus and we decided to wait a couple minutes to see if the downpour would move on. Sure enough it did exactly that and almost everyone got off the bus. At this stop the buses make a loop around the memorial. I was still on the bus digging out my phone charger as we pulled around to the other side. As soon as we parked the skies opened up again. This time pretty much everyone was out by the memorial. By the time they made it back to the bus everybody was drenched. At least it was a warm rain. Our last stop of the day was supposed to be the Air Force Memorial but by the time we masse it around to this site the streets were completely flooded. The water was up over the curb so we just did a drive by for this site. It did look quite impressive in the rain. It features three stainless steel spires rising pinto the air. It is supposed to look like when the jets just take off together like the Thunderbirds..

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Time to call it a day. We drop off Karen and Julie to wade to the curb and head back to the hotel. Since its a little early we go downstairs to play a little trivia and toss out a few prizes. Overall a really good day but Time to get some sleep. Yak at cha tomorrow.

 

2015 Washington DC Trip Day Three - Tuesday June 9, 2015

 

Its interesting. Every year the same thing happens. The first day, one room “didn’t get the wake up call”. As the week progresses the number of rooms that “don’t” get the call goes up everyday. Knowing this, we always tell the students to set a back alarm on their cell phones, just in case. That makes five alarms in a single room and yet, we still have students straggling down to breakfast 10 minutes before departure time. I will remind them again this evening but if you happen to talk to your student please remind them to set their alarms.

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We have just left the hotel on our way to pick up Karen and Julie on the way to Mount Vernon. Traffic is a bit heavier today but the storm has moved on so it should be clear and very warm but humidity is supposed to be better. At Mount Vernon we will start the tour in the visitors center and museum. There is also supposed to be a special treat today, a French Frigate is supposed to be at the dock on a special visit. 

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Mount Vernon is quite busy today. Lots of people as well as some special events today. Some of us made it out to the Drum & Fife Corp playing on the green in front of the mansion. After that we could make our way down to the Tomb. This is where both George and Martha have been laid to rest. There is a wreath laying ceremony as well as a special ceremony where three American soldiers are awarded the Purple Heart. This is the medal bestowed upon American soldiers wounded in combat. It is an award that was created by George Washington himself. Quite an honor for those who were able to witness this event. Unfortunately the 4-D movie is not working today. Apparently during a showing yesterday one or more of the fog machines stuck open and filled the theatre with smoke. So much smoke that people couldn’t breath and the theater needed to be evacuated. Also, the frigate has not arrived either. It is on its way up the Potomac River but they had to lower some of its masts to make it under a bridge. Much to our good fortune the ship has made it close to us by the time we finish touring the house. And what an impressive house it is. The home has nine bedrooms. The Washington’s put those bedrooms to good use. In the year before he suddenly died, the Washington’s welcomed close to 700 overnight guests into their home. That’s a lot of visitors. Upon exiting the home we can see the French Frigats=es 

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Back on the bus, we had a visitor. One of our drivers (James) missed his son’s high school graduation yesterday because he was busy driving us around and couldn’t find an available relief driver. James may have missed the graduation but his does get to spend the day with his son today and rode with us back from Mount Vernon into DC. Our route took us through historic Alexandria which is where the Frigate will be docking this weekend. I learned something new today. When a family had a daughter that was single and available they would paint their front door periwinkle blue. No word on what color the paint would be once they found a suitable husband.

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We tried something new today. Since I have not been to happy with the restaurant choices we have had lately between Mount Vernon and DC, we decided to try something a little different. Everyone got a voucher good for a meal at the restaurant in either the American History Museum or the Natural History Museum. While the choices were a bit limited, everyone I talked to said the food tasted pretty good.I definitely think it is a better choice than the Old Country Buffet (UGH!) or Roy Rogers (Too crowded, i.e. 3 or 4 buses at a time in a restaurant the size of a McDonalds…not good!). Another nice benefit is the view. From the restaurant in the American History Museum we were able to watch some of the construction going on across the street at the new African American Museum that is scheduled to open next year. Speaking of construction, the three main museums most of us are going to today are all undergoing extensive remodeling at the moment. Seems like they just did this in the American and Air & Space but oh well, we will check out what we can. Most of us went straight to lunch before starting off to explore the museums. 

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For this afternoon the students (in their groups and with a chaperone) got to decide which museums they would go to and how long they would stay at each one. We started at the American History Museum. This is where you check out all kinds of American culture and history. On the first floor there was a pretty neat display about America in the 1960’s which had a nifty focus on the Beatles coming to America. We also had a chance to see the very flag that flew over Ft McHenry during the war of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Keyes to write the Star Bangled Banner which later became our National Anthem. 

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From here, most students went right next door to the Natural History Museum. There is a new dinosaur display being installed at the moment on the ground floor but in the meantime you can still check out loads of dinosaurs on floor number two. Also on two is the Hope Diamond as well as thousands of other rare gems and minerals. This place is a science lovers paradise. There is even a life butterfly pavilion where you can walk among these beautiful creatures as the flutter all around you. 

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After the the Natural History Museum the students face a number of choices. They can cross the Mall (which is completely torn up for an irrigation type project) to the Smithsonian Castle. This site has a little bit of every museum…a sampling if you will. They could venture through a couple different sculpture gardens, one of either side of the mall. They could ride the Merry-Go-Round. The could go into the Hirschbarn (?) which is shaped like a giant doughnut and featured an art exhibit from an angry, female Iranian photographer and filmmaker that was a bit strange to say the least. I went through this one and can’t say that I enjoyed the experience. I don’t think many, if any, of the students chose to visit this museum. The final museum is the Air & Space Museum. Here you could check out the original Wright Flyer. Yes, I know they crashed it but they repaired it and it has been completely restored and is on display here. You can also see the aircraft that Chuck Yeager was flying when he became the first human to fly faster than the speed of sound. There is also an aircraft withe an engine that went even faster, the command module from Apollo 11 complete with the scorched sides from its re-entry into our atmosphere. 

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Time to hook up with James and Tony again to go to dinner. This evening we are going to a real shopping Mall to take advantage of the food court selections. The students mobbed Chik-Fil-A. I wonder if they know there is a Chik-Fil-A in Santa Rosa? 

 

After dinner it time for one of my favorite memorials, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This is set up as a series of outdoor rooms each designed to reflect one of the periods of his life and presidency. Some of the scenes include a statue of a man listening to a fireside chat on the radio, a bread line with full size bronze statues, FDR with his dog, jumbled sandstone to reflect the war years, etc. Combined with some great quotes carved into the walls and this monument really tells a story.

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From here its a beautiful walk around the reflecting pool. Unfortunately the Cherry Blossoms are no longer in bloom but it is a beautiful walk to theThomas Jefferson Memorial. This is a large dome held up by columns containing an 18 foot tall bronze replica of our 1st Secretary of State, 2nd Vice-President and 3rd President Thomas Jefferson. One of our smartest leaders, he essentially wrote the Declaration of Independence and founded the University of Virginia. From the top of the steps there is a great view across the tidal basin where you can see the White House peeking through the trees. 

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Once last stop, back to the Air Force Memorial since it was to wet to exit the bus last night. These memorial is fairly new, featuring three stainless steel spires going into the air simulating the look of the Thunderbirds flying off into the sky. In addition to being a beautiful memorial all by itself this site also affords one of the best views of the city. Looking left to right you can see the National Cathedral, Watergate Towers, Lincoln Memorial, some of the Smithsonian Museums, the Capitol and the Washington Monument, all in one sweep. Just beautiful.

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After a long tiring but fun day its back to the hotel but not before our bus sang Happy Trails (just like we sang for Ms Dunnagan at the last rally) to Karen when we dropped her off. Tomorrow is just a few stops but they are all awesome bending with my personal favorite, the Twilight Tattoo. Nighty Night. 

 

2015 Washington DC Trip Day Four - Wednesday

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On our way to Arlington National Cemetery. Traffic is interesting. It seems to be either completely stopped or, a couple minutes late, completely wide open and nothing in between. We arrive at Arlington about the same time as every other tour bus in town. Fortunately, there are two parking spots left, just for us. We unload at the far end of the parking lot and make our way around the visitors center and head up the hill. The weather is great, warm but not to hot and low humidity. Karen and Julie stop a few places to explain things like the home on the hill used to belong to Robert E Lee. After he turned down President Lincoln’s request to lead the Union Army, Mr Lee packed up and left his home, never to return. During the war, the North began burring the dead in Mrs. Lee’s rose garden. By the time the war ended, thousands were buried in the yard.

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We stop at the Kennedy’s gravesides, all six of them. Jack, Jackie, Bobbie, Teddy as well as Jack and Jackie’s two infants that didn’t make it more than a couple days. Then we make our way over to the next most visited site in the entire cemetery, the grave site of Audie L Murphy. I taught a little lesson about this great man with both groups (and for the first time ever made it through without crying.) I urge you all to watch the movie To Hell And Back. This is Audie’s life story and he stars in it as himself. This movie is sure to inspire you. 

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From here we cross the street to witness the Changing of The Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The precision necessary to do this is absolutely amazing. The guards have so much self control they don’t even sweat. I think all of the students were impressed. We checked out the amphitheater as well as the memorials for The USS Maine, the two Space Shuttles that were lost, former heavyweight champ boxer Joe Louis and even Admiral Halsey. I was very proud of how the students were today. They we very respectful.

 

Lunch today is at Shops at National Place. This place can be an absolute zoo and today is no exception however we just beat the madness by a driving a few minutes before noon. It seemed like right after we got our food the place was completely packed mostly with other student tour groups. This year one of the choices for lunch is Five Guys! Yes! Beats the heck out of the Sweet and Sour Chicken that looks and tastes exactly like the Bourbon Chicken from yesterday. 

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After lunch we head over to the next respectful site of the day, the Holocaust Museum. We don’t go through the main museum because it is really intense, probably too intense for most of our students. They have an excellent exhibit designed especially for kids. It is called Daniel’s Story and it traces the story of a Jewish boy growing up in Germany from the Nazi’s rise to power all the way through the war.The perfect level of intensity for this age group and it lead to a great conversation on the bus as we drove through Georgetown. I was really impressed with how interested the students were with story behind the events depicted in the exhibit. Exactly what this trip is supposed to do…encourage them to think beyond the surface story and want to know more!!!! Simply awesome!

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After a drive up Embassy Row (it is amazing how many countries have embassies here) we arrive at the National Cathedral. What a beautiful site this is to behold. There is so much to see here I don’t even know where to start. There are many stained glass windows including one that has a piece of moon rock. Yes, a rock actually brought back from the moon has been imbedded into the window that depicts the planet. There are numerous gargoyles including one that looks like Darth Vader. By the way, Mr Radke bought one of the Darth Vader gargoyles to decorate his classroom. There were many, many statues, mostly carved out of limestone but some also gold plated. There are also many people buried /interred in the castle. I think I heard that over 100 people have crypts within the building. There are also two pulpits. One, a smaller one, for dignitaries, world leaders, presidents, and basically anyone who was not a member of the clergy would use this one. The members of the clergy use the larger, much more ornate pulpit. It was from this pulpit that Dr Martin Luther King delivered his last sermon right before he was assassinated. It was nice to see the student appreciating this massive cathedral.

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Next we travel back through Georgetown only now it is rush hour traffic and we need to eat before going to the Twilight Tattoo…………………

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I gotta get some sleep……..I will finish this on the drive to Gettysburg and post the rest as soon as I get it done as long as the Wifi is working.

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.2015 Washington DC Trip Four - continued

 

We made our way through Georgetown rush hour traffic quite well and stop for an quick, early dinner at the Pentagon City Mall. This mall has been under construction for as long as I can remember but there is a good size food court downstairs with a very good list of dining choices. Dinner is early because we want to get seats in the bleachers for the Twilight Tattoo and it has to be quick because traffic pushed back our arrival time quite a bit. No worries, everyone is done in time and off we go to the Tattoo.

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Finally, my favorite part of the trip…The Twilight Tattoo! This is an unforgettable evening of music, ceremony, theatre and dance as we watch a history of the US Army unfold in front of us. The Army singers got everybody up and dancing. The Army Drill team showed a little dazzle dazzle tossing rifles with bayonets attached. The drum and fife corps were quite impressive. The Army Blues band sounded great backing everything up. The Howitzers were nice and loud. and all through the show, soldiers came out dressed in the historic uniforms and inspired the crowd talking about their profession. It was truly inspiring! Afterwards we all had time to meet and greet the soldiers and tons of photos were taken. A few girls were in front of a group of soldiers when we noticed one of the gentlemen was wearing a Purple Heart. When we mentioned it this soldier was quite funny. He thrust his chest out with the medal saying he forgot he had to pose like this now so hiss medal would be front and center. Best of all, four different students came up to me and said some variation of “I didn’t think I was going to like this but that was AWESOME!” What a great way to end our stay in DC. On the way back to the hotel we bid farewell to Julie and Karen head pack to the hotel. It is an early night to give the students some time to pack and hopefully get a little extra sleep.

........... On the way to Gettysburg .......................  
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2015 Washington DC Trip  Day Five

 

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Before I start today’s notes, I wanted to give you a few links so you can check out more about the Twilight Tattoo. 

Homepage:  www.twilight.mdw.army.mil

Facebook: TwilightTattooMDW

Twitter/Instagram: @JFHQNCR_MDW

Flickr: mdw_events

#TLT2015 #TwilightTattoo

 

It is always challenging on mornings when we have to load bags on the bus but they did great this morning. Everyone was up and on time, bags were packed and rooms cleaned (well sort of) on time and we rolled out of the parking lot. Unfortunately the parking lot was the only place there was no traffic this morning. The route we were supposed to take wasn’t just backed up, it was stopped! OK, time for Plan B. We took another route which wasn’t moving very fast but at least it was moving. Eventually we got out of town and on the right highway but it definitely took a while. 

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The slow start put us a little behind schedule. We pulled up to the Gettysburg Visitors Center about two minutes before our appointment. The last of our group sat down as the introductory film was starting. We could not have cut it any closer. The film is a fantastic overview of the Battle of Gettysburg. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, it is comparable to a Hollywood movie. After the film we exit into the Cyclorama. Originally painted in 1884 and completely refurbished in 2003? 4? 5? well early 2000’s anyway. it is a beautiful depiction of the battle in the round that tapers seamlessly into a diorama in the foreground. Using lights, sounds, and music the painting appears to come alive as the narrator describes the battle at Pickett’s Charge. Quite impressive, especially when you realize nothing is actually moving.

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On to lunch at the Dobbin House. Once again they come through with simple but tasty food guaranteed to leave you satisfied. Cold cuts sandwiches with bread that just melts in your mouth. BBQ chicken cooked to perfection and and probably the moistest chocolate cake ever. We had another treat here as well. A parent who went on the trip with me 3 years ago and 6 years ago with each of her boys has moved out East and stopped by to visit with us. It was quite a nice treat to visit with Robin Marchionni. Turns out the Dobbin House not only has great food but they bring friends together as well. 

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After our tasty lunch its back over to the Gettysburg Visitors Center where we welcome two certified guides aboard who take us on guided tours of the Battlefield. As much as we try to teach about Little Round Top, Seminary Ridge, Cemetery Ridge and Pickett’s Charge it sure brings out a much different perspective when you see it for yourself in person. The guide stopped numerous times along the way to have us exit the bus and check out the sights including the huge Virginia Monument at Pickett’s Charge and a trip up to the top of one of the observation towers.As usual the guides we brought on were fantastic. Both of them were retired history teachers who have been doing this since retiring from the classroom. 

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After a quick shopping and bathroom break at the Visitors Center we are on our way to Philadelphia. We have already placed our orders for what type of Philly Cheesesteak we want: beef, chicken or veggie. This is another new place for us. The service is fantastic. They even came out to meet our bus on a busy city street to show us the easiest and safest way to get to their restaurant. The food is pretty good. Philly Cheesesteaks and Tasty Cakes. Yummmmm!. 

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Its still a little early so we make one last stop,…the Rocky Stairs. Nearly everyone on both buses get out and run up the steps. There was a whole lot of arm raising and fist pumping to go with the “Yo, Adrian!” which can be heard across the top of the stairs. There was a group of high schoolers at their prom taking pictures at the top so of course we had to photobomb them. What fun. All min all, it was a great day. Tomorrow we tour Philly and it is supposed to be very hot and very humid. I will most likely be writing my notes on the plane so I will post tomorrows notes as soon as I can. TTFN

 

2015 Washington DC Trip Day Six - Philadelphia

 

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It is currently 7:25pm and we are on our flight headed for home. It was quite a busy day. It was also an amazingly hot and humid day. The temperature was in the mid-to high nineties as was the humidity. It was a scorcher but we had a great day anyway. We started by celebrating Payton’s birthday at breakfast. A little cake and ice cream (astronaut ice cream) with a candle, a song, a gift and a card.Nice way to start your birthday away from home. After breakfast we checked everyone out of their rooms and boarded the busses. Check out days are always hectic but things went pretty well. I guess all my squawking about how hard it was to get out of their parking lot last time paid off because the buses were able to flip a quick turn and we were on our way. 

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Today we were on a walking tour of Old Philadelphia. We split into three different groups and set off on three different adventures. I am going to recount what the group I was with did today. All of the groups did similar things but each group had a unique experience. 

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We started with a look at the Liberty Bell. There was quite a long line to go through security to get in but our guide, Shelia, did a great job of teaching us about the bell, what it symbolized, when it was used, why did it crack and how did they try to fix it.

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Next we went to the print shop ( a replica of Ben Franklin’s print shop of old, to see how printing used to be done. From the setting of the type (most of the students had never seen this before and had no idea how much work was involved) to the inking of the now set type (really, do they have to spend that much time and effort to ink the type for each print? That would take forever!) to the presoaking of the paper (they have to get the paper wet the night before so it is the perfect dampness for printing in the morning…oh and by the way, the paper is not really paper, it is made with very fine cloth.) then they had to take the finished print and hang it over a railing near the ceiling to dry overnight before they can sell or distribute it the next day. What a process and to become a printer, first you had to be an apprentice which basically meant you had to be an indentured servant for up to twelve years to a Master Craftsman. Pretty intense commitment. 

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Outside the printshop we saw the location for Benjamin Franklin’s Privy. Privy is just a fancy word for “necessary” or “outhouse”. You can tell exactly where these are located and whose they were because they are marked by big concrete circles in the ground (oh…and they were labelled) covering the contents. How funny! The print shop empties into Mr Franklin’s yard where we can see “ghost” structures of the buildings that were there (basically the frame outline of the building.) ?There is also a little museum. We didn’t go in but I think I will check that out next trip. 

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Continuing our adventure we head through security again to enter the Independence Hall area which has a number of buildings and presentations for us to visit. We start with an introduction to what we are going to see when we actually go into the hall. The funny thing is, the ranger giving this talk is the same ranger who just taught us about the print shop. He was great. Very funny and had the audience laughing and engaged the whole time. Next we move into Independence Hall itself. The hall is basically in two sections. To the right was the courthouse. One of the girls from our group was put on trial and had to stand (literally) for the entire trial. The jury was contemplating a guilty verdict but ultimately she was found not guilty and set free. Boy did she ever look relieved. After watching the court proceeding we crossed the hall to the actual room where our founding fathers decided to break free from Great Britain. This is the room where they approved the Declaration of Independence. It is also where they wrote the Constitution. You could almost see James Madison, Roger Sherman, John Adams, George Washington, and the rest of these fine gentleman presenting their views on the formation of a new government. From here we enter the building where Congress met once the new government was put in place. On the ground floor we took the seats previously occupied by the members of the House of Representatives. Then we made our way upstairs where we see the room where the Senate would meet. The next building held quite an impressive site, original copies of the Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Just like going to the National Archives without waiting in line in the sun for an hour! Yippee!

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Lunch today was at a restaurant tat the entrance to a mall. Oh my, was this place ever a zoo! It was packed to the gills. You could barely walk through the place. Each of us had a choice between a Buffet or Philly Cheesesteak. Lots of people chose the buffet. I hear it was very tasty however I went for the Philly Cheesesteak. There was a lot of discussion about this later. What was better, today’s cheesesteak or last night’ nights. Here is the consensus. Todays’ cheesesteak had bread that was nice and fresh and they gave a choice to add the traditional peppers and onions but the they were pretty skimpy on the cheese and the meat from the restaurant last night tasted quite a bit better. The service was FAR better last night as were the facilities but we were able to do some souvenir shopping after lunch today. What did you think about where we ate lunch today? let me know if I should keep this stop or go someplace else next time.

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After lunch and shopping we head down road to Christ Church.. This is the church that almost all the founding fathers attended and it is still in full operation today. In fact, they have a wedding scheduled there for tomorrow where they will be lighting all the candles in the huge chandelier located in the center of the building. This is the same chandelier that was all lit up when the daughter of John Adams got married in this church back before the Revolutionary war. There are plaques located throughout the pews indicating who used to sit there. We know the seating arrangements because the attendees had to pay s fee, sort of like a seat license today, in order to have a seat in this church. People like Ben Franklin, George Washington and the other wealthy people sat down front while people like Betsy Ross had obstructed views from behind the pillars which were much cheaper seats. 

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Now it is time for a treat, just a couple short blocks from Christ Church is Shane’s Confectionary. Picture a candy store at the turn of the century full of delightful chocolates as well as pennie candies and you will have somme idea what this store looks like. You can even watch them make their own candy as well as ice cream for their other store, Franklin’s Fountain, located just a few steps away. Franklin’s Fountain is true to its roots complete with old fashioned soda counters and decor. Both of those stores were absolute delights. Just about everyone picked up some treats and just hoped they would not be completely melted before we made it back to the air conditioned bus. (Did I mention it was hot today?). Mr Russo was really excited when he discovered they had chocolate covered bacon. I wonder if any of it is going to make it home to his wife.

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Back on the tour we head over to Elsbeth (?) Alley which is one of the narrowest street in the country. Most of Philadelphia was set up with nice, wide streets but not this place. The street is maybe twenty feet wide and the houses are only 18 feet wide. In fact, some of the houses are called half-houses because they are only nine feet wide. In fact, you could by one of these tinny places for yourself. One was for sale for a mere $400,000 of course this one had no yard and you could only access it from an even tinier alley that branches of from Elsbeth Alley. Like most of Philly, all the house on this street are made of brick and most have been standing there for a couple hundred years. 

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As we turn to head back in the direction of our buses we pass by the house of Betsy Ross. You probably know that she made our first flag but did you know that she was breaking the law to do so? She was committing treason and could be hanged if she was caught. Did you know that she outlived all four of her husbands? They kept dying and she just kept marrying again…four times. Did you know that she was just renting her house? Yup, just a renter and yet she is now buried in a crypt located in her front yard. 

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A little further down the road we go inside a Quaker Meeting House. This religion calls its churches meetinghouses. They have a bit of a different than most of us are used to seeing in church. In a Quaker Meetinghouse there is no religious leader preaching from a pulpit. Instead anyone can get up and speak their minds, even women. For the most part they focus on quiet self reflection 

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Continuing along our way we pass the gravesite of Benjamin Franklin. His crypt is located just inside the iron bars at the outer corner of a cemetery. As we walk by we do what everyone else seems to be doing, tossing coins onto his crypt. Then the guide tells us this is done for two reasons. One is to symbolically pay for the first drink we will be sharing with Mr Franklin someday in heaven. The other is to help the church pay for the upkeep of the cemetery,

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Finally after a very long day of sightseeing in the scorching heat we make it back to the busses. We say farewell to our Philadelphia guides Sheila, Virginia and Bill and load up for the short tripto the airport. It is sad to be leaving our friend the drivers Tony and James but it is time to head for home. Check in goes fairly smooth and Our flight anyway left the gate relatively on time. 

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Thanks again for joining me on this fantastic journey. I hope you had a wonderful time and learned a lot about your country. Thanks to your donations I was able to present tips and thank you notes to Karen and Julie (our DC Guides), Rich and John(?) our Gettysburg guides, Sheila, Virginia and Bill our Philadelphia guides as well as our drivers Tony and James. They all did a great job of taking care of us along our journey. Please remember to upload your photos to the Group Video site so that can produce a fantastic DVD of our trip. I will let you know when the photos and DVD’s arrive and arrange a time to meet you at Kenilworth to pass them out. 

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Enjoy your summer, best of luck in high school and please let anyone you know who is about to enter the eighth grade about our trip. I would love for them to have the experiences that we just shared. Thanks again for a wonderful week.

Mr Eklund