Thursday, June 25, 2009
Our daughter had to work so she gave us a key to her condo and we slept in. We then walked down to the Eastern Market Metro Station and took the Metro to downtown DC and walked over to the National Portrait Gallery. This is a very large building that takes up an entire block and has a large glass covered court yard in the middle. The building has three floors of gallery's and you see them by walking in a rectangle pattern around the central courtyard. My main purpose in wanting to go, was to see the exhibit of original Abraham Lincoln photos; but, I found so much more.I was planning on spending just an hour or so but we ended up spending at least 5 hours.The building itself is very interesting. It was originally the Patent Office. It was used for Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Ball in 1864. A few years ago it was completely redone and the glass covered courtyard was added. I saw original portraits of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. There are portraits of the major generals of the Civil War. The Lincoln exhibit was very interesting. They also have most of the official portraits of all of the Presidents of the United States. We had a nice lunch in the courtyard and spent time and money in the bookstore and the gift shop.
After we left the gallery we walked by Ford's Theater where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and took a tour of the home across the street where the President was taken to be treated. He lived through the night and died in that house the next morning.
"Now he belongs to the ages” a phrase uttered by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton upon Lincoln’s death
We then took the Metro to the Capitol where our daughter picked us up and took us to dinner at a nice Pizza place on Barracks Row.
Barracks row is an area on Capital Hill where the US Marine Corps Commandant lives and where the Marine Band members live. Across the street are some nice restaurants and shops.While at the restaurant our daughter received a blackberry email that Michael Jackson had died. By the time we left the restaurant the folks on the street ware "a buzz" with the news. In the days to come the street vendors in Washington DC and in New York City had all kinds of Jackson memorabilia for sale. I can't say I understood the outpouring of grief. I was more grief stricken when I heard Billy Mayes had died later in our trip. I really enjoyed his sales pitches on TV.I have not liked Michael Jackson's music since he left The Jackson 5.
