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Sedans Luxury Lounge
16599 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2008 at 3:33 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Greetings! Just back from a road trip/family vacation to Washingmachine, DC. TL was flawless, packed to the gills with the four of us and detritus, encountering several traffic jams and some local driving, drove 1124 miles and averaged 49mph and 27 mpg. I'm sure y'all have been, but if not, I most highly recommend a trip to our Nation's Capitol. If nothing else, it reminded/reinforced that the idea, conception, governmental model and ideals of this country are just so right. I'll leave the execution of our ideals throughout history to your discussion. Where is George Washington when we need him? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you... Toured the Capitol Building, sat in the House Gallery and was entertained by a Representative from the Great State of South Carolina. Thank you, Rep. Barrett for a fun, enlightening time. Watched a resolution presented and objected to regarding The Delta Queen. Kids were getting fidgety, so had to leave before all the yeas and nays were tallied, it was a close race. Fabulous tour guide, Albert Caswell the "unofficial Poet Laureate" of the Capitol. Also, rode to the top of the Washington Monument, toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing ("The buck starts here!") several Smithsonian Museums, showed the kids the White House. I had two very emotional moments, chilling, prideful, patriotic, depressing, scary...: First was at the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport. Go, do not miss this museum! One section of the museum was dominated by a large, familiar looking, shiny metal aircraft. As I drew closer, I noted the name: THE Enola Gay. Stopped me in my tracks, as a cold shudder engulfed my body. A show-stopper for me... The Second was the Vietnam Memorial. Crowded, beautiful, chilling, depressing, stunning, reverant. I would imagine any Baby-Boomer would have such feelings. I looked through the index for the name of my summer camp counselor who, if memory servers, received a draft number in the 30s that summer oh so long ago. To this day, I remember his name, the look on his face when he received his number. Much to my relief, his name was not on the wall. "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, we're finally on our own..." Also visited the WWII and Korean monuments which were also sobering, but Vietnam was, unfortunately, "my war." Stopped in front of the IRS building and booed rather loudly. Stayed in Landover, MD. Took the T, I mean Metro, into the city daily. A relatively clean, efficient subway system. One funny note: Each day the Metro would go by RFK stadium just before going underground. ONe day it appeared that there was a tractor-trailer school training future 18-wheel drivers in the parking lot of RFK. The next day, one of the very tall light towers was on the ground in that same parking lot, no sign of the tractor-trailer folks! Great vacation, so much to see and do. Almost all free, but you do need tickets for the Washington Monument tour, Capitol and Bureau of Engraving. All worth it. Go, even if you've gone before. |
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Replying to: laurasdada (Apr 28, 2008 1:14 pm) As for the Enola Gay, that airship saved many American and Japanese lives in the long run. That is the way I look at it. And yes, the Viet Nam Memorial is bleak and stunning. All those names. All those heroes....
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Replying to: houdini1 (Apr 28, 2008 1:50 pm) Sorry, just in a mood. I sincerely hope there is no "Planet of the Apes" ending in store for our tiny little planet...
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Replying to: houdini1 (Apr 28, 2008 1:50 pm) In an interview, one of the Enola Gay pilots said that he is often thanked by WWII vets, who "knew" that they wouldn't be coming back from Japan. He said the whole thing makes him a bit uncomfortable. Curiously, Bockscar has largely been forgotten. It's the Buzz Aldrin of nuclear bombers. |
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Replying to: laurasdada (Apr 28, 2008 3:33 pm) 
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Replying to: laurasdada (Apr 28, 2008 1:14 pm) |
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Replying to: laurasdada (Apr 28, 2008 1:14 pm) |
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Replying to: dewey (Apr 27, 2008 8:24 pm) '08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
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Replying to: louiswei (Apr 28, 2008 8:50 am) Unfortunately, here in the US, Lexus is anything but "different." '08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
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Replying to: laurasdada (Apr 28, 2008 1:14 pm) '08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet |
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