Newseum - Day 5

Sunday, June 11, 2017
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
This morning we had run out of muesli, so we decided to head out for breakfast. There was a little bakery, Buttercream on 9th we had seen, so that was our aim. Unfortunately, there were no spots available, we figured we would find something once we got to the city centre. Onto the subway, we even went the right way first time, and into the fray. There was another Pride March about to happen so there were rainbow clad people everywhere. But apparently DC is not into breakfast or cafes. We ended up in the Natural History Museum for coffee rock cakes (the closest to a breakfast item). Not great. And $20US!
Then Ken went off to the Art Gallery and I went to the Newseum. This is an amazing place, full of news stories and promoting the first amendment - the right to freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press and petition. There was an extremely moving exhibition on the 911 reports, part of the Berlin WAll, an FBI display about the terrorism fight, as well as reports on the civil rights issues, cartoon studies and much more.  Much of what was on display I knew something about, and it gave me a lot more detail . Of course, it was very American, but I really enjoyed my visit.
I had intended visiting the Eastern Markets on Capitol before meeting Ken, but had spent much longer in the Newseum that expected. The Pride March had ended; the crowds were now on the streets and lots of tents were set up. I was expecting a market, but it was more like O Day, with many different organisations doing their bit to promote equality.
I walked along the Mall in the heat in the direction of The Castle, the administrative building of the Smithsonian Institute. The gardens surrounding were beautiful, shaded and fragrant. The visitor centre is also in the castle so I went inside. Not a lot to discover, but the building is pretty cool.
I needed to rest now, the sun was hot! I relaxed by the lovely pond in the Art Gallery Sculpture Garden with many other people. A lot were cooling their feet in the water and enjoying a break from the madness of the crowds. The city was still full of marchers. The police presence was amazing; they lined the streets along the Mall in their cars and the Homeland Security had their mobile truck with satellite dishes.
Ken finished at the gallery, he had visited one wing and been to a lecture. He had had a good day and seen some great art.
We trained back home, dropped into Giant for fruit, yoghurt and muesli and came home and had breakfast! We were supposed to go to a jazz concert at the Kennedy Centre, but I had read the time wrong and we missed it! Bugger. Hopefully we will get their tomorrow night.
We decided to go to Bird on 11th for dinner, but it looked really quiet when we went past. It was a little early, so we found a pub, Veranda on P St. They were playing AC/DC and the ambiance was a bit rough, but the drinks were good and the staff were friendly. Back to Bird and we sat on the terrace upstairs. We enjoyed a delicious meal of fried chicken and some more great drinks.
Steps 18, 274
Kms walked 14.
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2025-02-09

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