Summer Vacation

[STL-Scott]

Ok, so we made our flight last night, we changed time zones, and we only had about a 7 minute cab ride to our hotel. It's pretty swanky. We can walk to some of the most historic places in our country, and there are musuems and statues commemorating dead people everywhere. Security is tight, most people are in a rush and not that friendly...and the weather is still pretty hot. It is a major city.

Any guesses where we went?

I'd upload a photo but I can't do that directly from my phone to this site. If someone wants to do that for me send me an email and I will try to send you a photo from my phone.

I'd log into the wi-fi here, but at $7/day, I'll pass.

[Matthew 10:16]

Am I right?

[STL-Scott]

ding ding ding....

You are correct sir!

[Purple Venom]

Ummm, that's no where near Minnesota :rolleyes:

[carpe kid]

So, I guess he won the bad flight contest:eek::eek:

Or maybe it was just a really lousy landing

[Matthew 10:16]

win a milk shake???????? yummy make it a coconut creme pie shake from sonic.

[PaulProe]

Scott,
If you're looking for a side trip while exploring the Mall, from the Jefferson Memorial, walk under the highway bridges over to Water Street, just the other side of the bridge.

This is where all the seafood vendors are and there are about a dozen excellent restaurants, all lined up there. Within 1/2 mile of the Memorial. Most of them have seating right on the waterfront. Great place for viewing the sunset.

I can smell and taste it now.

Paul

[STL-Scott]

Scott,
If you're looking for a side trip while exploring the Mall, from the Jefferson Memorial, walk under the highway bridges over to Water Street, just the other side of the bridge.

This is where all the seafood vendors are and there are about a dozen excellent restaurants, all lined up there. Within 1/2 mile of the Memorial. Most of them have seating right on the waterfront. Great place for viewing the sunset.

I can smell and taste it now.

Paul

Paul,

We are staying at the Mandarin Oriental which is between the Jefferson Memorial and the Mall, and tonight we walked right past the very place you are describing. Unforunantly my wife and I both dislike seafood, so for us the smell is not a good thing. Shall I send a couple of pounds of fresh atlantic crab legs your way? Might not be so fresh once it gets there, though.

If I can find a free wi-fi connection I will upload some photos to this post...been taking a bunch with the digital camera.

Tim,
We or should I say Michelle found a great last minute getaway package so we came here instead of driving to Minnesota. Neither of us have ever been to DC before. Whats nice is all of the Smithsonian museums are free to get into! The food is expensive though.

Tomorrow I am going somewhere every pilot dreams of (well besides EAA Oshkosh)...the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. They also have a new facility out in Virginia that we are going to try to make before we leave...they have a SR-71 and one of the retired Space Shuttles on display inside of this monsterous hanger.

Scott

[PaulProe]

Scott,
I have a friend that lives on Pennsylvania Avenue. Should I ask G.W. if he would mind showing you some of the sites around town?

Go to the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue and start to climb over the wrought iron fence. His employees will come out and "greet" you

Paul

[STL-Scott]

Scott,
I have a friend that lives on Pennsylvania Avenue. Should I ask G.W. if he would mind showing you some of the sites around town?

Go to the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue and start to climb over the wrought iron fence. His employees will come out and "greet" you

Paul

Ha, ha, ha!

We went by that place as well yesterday. They had some really friendly looking guys with big things attached to their belts, and some nicely trained K9's at their side.

Congress is out of session and 'W' is probably not in town...

Taking a break from my feet at the Air & Space mus. right now. Just saw the Wright Bros. exhibit. Cool.

The big exhibit is out at the Boeing hanger in Chantilly, VA at Dulles Airport. Got directions for taking the bus, will see if Michelle and Liam want to make the trek.

Later...

[PaulProe]

I did research on a scale sailplane I was working on out there. It is amazing, the things they have waiting to be restored or worked on.

Like you said, if you are into aircraft, it is like a big candy store. You should see some of the stuff they have back in the archives. I was looking for some technical stuff and they brought out ORIGINAL copies of owners manuals and tech brochures and allowed me to copy them.

If you are still looking for things to do, make sure to do the Arlington Cemetery tour. The tomb of the unknowns and Kennedy's site will really humble you.

Paul

[Matthew 10:16]

Scott,I have a friend that lives on Pennsylvania Avenue. Should I ask G.W. if he would mind showing you some of the sites around town?Go to the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue and start to climb over the wrought iron fence. His employees will come out and "greet" youPaulU crack me up! :D:D:D:D

[STL-Scott]

Well tomorrow we plan to do some more sobering tours.

National Holocaust Memorial
Vietnam Wall
Tomb of the unknown and Arlington National

Should be good.

[PaulProe]

Haven't visited the Holocaust museum. My daughter says it is awesome.

Arlington and the Tomb is very impressive. as weird as it sounds, we got to see one of the guards drop his rifle during the exchange. Bet he got a chewing out. The precision is just amazing. I timed his steps repeatedly. 21 seconds EXACT, every time Don't know how they do it.

Vietnam wall was a little overwhelming. I'm from that generation. It brought back a few too many memories. But wouldn't have missed it either.

Opposite the Vietnam wall is the Korea monument. The sculpture work is just amazing. at the end of the reflecting pond is the WWII monument and the Washington Memorial. You might not be able to get up the monument but you can at least walk around it. As you do, look over towards the White House. Very spectacular view.

White House turn Capital Building turn Jefferson Memorial turn Lincoln Memorial turn The view is overwhelming.

You're feet will be tired. Hope you can talk Liam into giving you a piggy back ride.

Paul

all of this is making me want to go back. The town is a tourists paradise.

[Purple Venom]

May be a nosey question Paul, but did you serve?

[STL-Scott]

Okay, just had a chance to download/upload our photos from last week. For your viewing enjoyment, here is a snap shot tour of Washington DC.

Our hotel (ooh, ahhh - 5 stars):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0489.jpg

The seafood strip along Water Street Paul remembers so fondly:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0550.jpg

The Metro:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0629.jpg

Some of Dave's cousins at the National Zoo:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0640.jpg

Really they do get better than this...

[STL-Scott]

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0520.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0518.jpg

The 'Castle' (orig. Smithsonian Museum built in the 1800's):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0559.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0522.jpg

[STL-Scott]

Someone/somebody famous has lived here:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0529.jpg

Jefferson Memorial:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0549.jpg

Lincoln Memorial:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0545.jpg

Part of the WWII monument, with that sharp pointed memorial for our 1st Pres (background):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0541.jpg

[STL-Scott]

Another one of the WWII Memorial:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0540.jpg

Here are a few more for Dave

Dept. of Justice (DOJ):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0504.jpg

FBI Headquarters:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0503.jpg

Marine One in flight:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0639.jpg

[STL-Scott]

And some family shots.

Liam on the Mall with the Washington Monument in the background:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0600.jpg

Liam posing in front of a 30's era racing plane:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0612.jpg

Me and Liam in front of the Capital:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0627.jpg

"Houston, we have a problem..." Liam in front of an Apollo re-entry module:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0642.jpg

[STL-Scott]

Michelle and Liam in the Smithsonian Garden:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0554.jpg

A really cool HD V-Rod I saw parked on the street...like the flat black/gloss black stripes...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0562.jpg

THE Hope Diamond...not really that impressive...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0517.jpg

US Holocaust Memorial - A sobering place, but great architecture though...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0607.jpg

[STL-Scott]

The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. Next time I will make it out to Dulles in Chantilly, VA to see their larger exhibit at the Steven Udvar-Hazy Museum/Hangers.

Here are some shots of my favorite planes in the one on the Mall.

The Wright Flyer:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0577.jpg

The Spirit of St. Louis:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0582.jpg

Spaceship One (First Privately funded and built recoverable spaceship to sucessfully take off and land from a runway)...it won the X-Prize in 2005 (built and designed by Scaled Composites - Burt Rutan, yadda, yadda, yadda:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0565.jpg

And Voyager, another one of his creations that his brother Dick Rutan co-piloted non-stop, un-refueled around the world:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0568.jpg

[STL-Scott]

Some great planes from WWII

It's either a Messerschmit or a Folke-Wolfe (German) over a P-51D (my favorite plane of WWII):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0594.jpg

Is this the future of our airforce? Unmanned remote piloted stealth aircraft????
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/STL-Scott/Washington%20DC%202008/PICT0587.jpg

Well...thanks for viewing along!

[Purple Venom]

Cool pics! If you like planes and the history of same, go to Wright Patterson in Dayton, OH
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/ Went there with a Scout group a couple years ago, and could have stayed another day or two.

[rednour1]

Scott,

Funny you should mention the unmanned aircraft. I friend who flys Warthogs in the Airforce that took an extra 2 years in Korea just to keep flying. It seems that most pilots who are getting re-assigned are getting put on drones. That doesn't help acumulate flight hours! I found it quite interesting.