Category: Washigton D.C.

MotorCoach Blog 36

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . with, as promised, blog two of Washington, D.C.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

The White House is undeniably the most visited house in the world. I waited along 15th Street NW as my passengers walked a few blocks to get a closer look at the Presidential residence. Across the street was the U.S. Department of Commerce. Down the street (seen here at the far end of my viewing glass) is the famous Willard Hotel. There, President Elect Lincoln was hidden for a time when an assassination plot was uncovered prior to his inauguration. And it was here that Julia Ward Howe, a guest of the hotel on November 18, 1861, awoke in the middle of the night to write the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Across the Potomac River from Alexandria, Virginia, just beyond the southern boundary of D.C. (Fort Washington, in Prince George’s county, MD), National Harbor offers a cornucopia of recreational options that make it a destination of increasing popularity.

In contrast to the historic feel and old order of Capitol Hill, the newly opened MGM National Harbor (December 2016) is 23 acres of ultra-modern. It turned out to be a good place for a few sunset selfies.

Leo, the MGM lion, thought it would be cool to pose for a pic atop my roof. I was willing to risk him caving it in for permission to use the pic of one of the most famous cats on the planet in my blog.

 

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

MOTORCADE NEWS: something that is common in D.C. and rare elsewhere is the sudden appearance of the presidential motorcade. As was the case in this situation, everything in the traffic world I live in stops. The presidential motorcade has a minimum of twelve vehicle, but can have as many as forty or fifty vehicles carrying one hundred people or more. It can reduce what is typically a thirty minute route to an eight or ten minute sprint. Amid vehicles carrying Secret Service agents, the press pool, a counter assault team, and various sophisgicated defense, surveillance, and communications units, are two identical limos, one of them transporting the President (well, there is always the possiblity the President is not actually in the motorcade at all).

NEWS OF GEORGES: Washington, D.C. is more than a sea of buildings housing museums, history, and government institutions. It is home to a variety of locations in which dining, shopping and recreation offerings are inexhaustible. Georgetown is one of them. Predating D.C. by fifty years, Georgetown was named not after George Washington, but in honor of King George II of Great Britain (alternatively, some hold that it was named for the two Georges who founded it: George Gordon and George Beall).

LOCATION NEWS: Predating Washington D.C. by four to five decades, Georgetown to the north (blue) and Alexandria to the south (purple) developed on opposite banks of the Potomac River.

Originally, the nation’s capital was laid out as one hundred square miles – by N/S and E/W orientation, a diamond shape – upon land donated by Virginia and Maryland for the federal district. The city of Washington D.C. (green) was founded in 1791, beginning its service as the nation’s capital.

In 1846, the land donated by Virginia was returned, leaving the current partial-square shape of the federal district, the Potomac River defining its western border.

NAVIGATION NEWS: Keeping things simple in the complex and congested is a key to navigating busy urban streets. The first thing to know about D.C. is that it is divided into four quadrants: SE, SW, NE, and NW. This is critically important related to street names (North Capitol St. NW or North Capitol St. NE?) and addresses.

Secondly, N/S and E/W bearings make all the difference. In DC, if the focus of the visit is sightseeing, the National Mall is where you want to be. It is contained within two primary E/W corridors (red): Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue. A main N/S artery to keep in mind is 7th St SE and SW (orange). If you wander from the mall and need to find a straight route back, 7th street is your ticket. If you wander really far from the Mall northward, however (say, north of New York Avenue), 7th becomes US 29 and Georgia Avenue.

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MotorCoach Blog 35

Posted on    by

I am a motorcoach…

. . . Two Seven Six, passing on to you some of my education on the wheres and whats of a great city: Washington DC. Navigating the unique layout of the streets of DC is a bonus education not so easily shared – but I will try. The mission is transport of participants in the annual march to save the lives of human babies. As great of a city as this is, I will not attempt to represent it in one blog. This will be part one of two DC editions.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

DC is one of those cities in which a view in any direction from just about any intersection is layered with sights of historic and current societal significance. Let me demonstrate. Do you recognize any fame in this location: the southeast corner of 6th and C Street SE? Of course not. You likely have never heard its mention. Let’s take a look.


The building in the foreground of our view eastward down C Street houses the United States Department of Education. Follow the top of that building, and about two-thirds of the way down we get a peek at none other than the fine lady, Freedom, topping the dome of the US Capitol. To her right is another dome, that belonging to the Thomas Jefferson Building, the oldest of the Library of Congress Buildings, completed in 1897 – a Renaissance Revival masterpiece! Just below it, in this view, is the home of the Department of Health and Human Services and The Voice of America.


Across the street from the US Department of Education, our position can be viewed through the FEMA Federal Center Plaza – FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) being an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for coordinating response efforts in national emergency situations.

Here I am traveling down 6th and approaching C Street SE from the north. Across the street to our right is the west end of that US Department of Education building. Behind me and down the street is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Among the many architectural toppings to be seen in the layered horizon beyond it are: the National Gallery of Art, the Federal trade Commission and Library (orange roof), and the US Navy Memorial Plaza.

   

Figuring you’d probably like more than that previous teaser view of the top of the US Capital, I drove around the block to give you a couple of other looks. The first includes a little of the purpose for our being in DC to begin with: the annual March for Life. The second is a view down S Capitol St. SE – a taste of getting around fashionably in DC.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

FREEDOM IN THE NEWS: I mentioned Freedom, the proud lady atop the Capitol Dome. Did you know she’s dressed in a toga-like robe? Well, she did come from Rome – created by American sculptor Thomas Crawford in his stuio in Rome. She is over 19 feet tall, is made of bronze but bears platinum protection (agaist lightning), and she stands on a ball, on which is written in Latin the national motto of the United States of America: E Pluribus Unum (Out of the many, one).

NEWS OF A STATELY STATEMENT: Architectural domes are there to make an impression. That is the nature of a domed capping. But the statement made by the domed completion of the US Capitol was directly linked to the time in which it was completed. The year was 1863, right in the midst of the Civil War. Normally all funds and focus at such a time are committed to the war effort. But President Lincoln wanted to send a message to everyone far and wide that this country was not in shambles – it was a strong and vital nation.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is located along Michigan Avenue in the NE quadrant of the nation’s capital and is one of the many national treasures to be visited in the city. At night its glowing beauty can be seen for miles.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Commerce defies every wind, outrides every tempest, and invades every zone.” ― George Bancroft (on the west façade of the Department of Commerce building).

“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.” – George Washington

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MotorCoach Blog 6

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I am a motorcoach:

Two Seven Four here, with a story from eastern edges of adventure. But first, a word of clarification is necessary about this business of being a motorcoach. You probably are aware that there are regulatory measures related to hours of control of a motorcoach. Well, in the case of this particular story, motorcoach Two Seven Four is a shared identity. The journey began in Belleville, IL, where I picked up 53 passengers headed for Washington DC and the 2016 Right to Life march. Remember Henry? (Yes, that Henry, none other than the instructor who trained me on what it is to be a motorcoach.) From Cambridge, Ohio (roughly 12 hrs from Belleville including meal stops) Henry took over and Two Seven Four continued on to DC. That’s how it works.

Now, on with our story: Our 53 defenders of the pre-born were delivered to their destination in uneventful fashion. But even as they disembarked in our nation’s capital, things were getting interesting . . .

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

News of Jonas: No one wants to hear that a storm with a name is headed their way. Heavy rain showers are not given names. Freezing temperatures do not inspire a name other than “winter.” A storm with a name is prediction of weather with broad destructive impact. A week before the Right to Life march on DC the forecast was for rain. Talk of snow began three or four days before the event (much preferable for marchers). Two days out there was concern about a pretty tough looking winter storm experts expected to grow in severity while moving south to north along the Eastern Seaboard. Jonas was coming.

News of an accelerated timetable: On January 21st, the day before the Right to Life rally, snowfall was anticipated to begin in the evening hours of the 22nd, soon after the conclusion of the march. But the morning of the march brought reports of earlier than expected arrival – 2:00, maybe even 1:00 in the afternoon – starting with light snow fall. Plans were made to move the Belleville group’s departure time from 7:00 to 4:00 to get out of the area ahead of the heavier precipitation.

News of gridlock: Not only did Jonas arrive early, but the blizzard also had a more inland reach than initially expected. Two Seven Four made it out of Washington DC in good time and was on the Western edge of the storm. Snowfall was heavy, but the highway was in drivable condition when progress stopped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A tractor-trailer rig had jackknifed on a hill up ahead. The accident shut down a 35 mile stretch of highway. While waiting, snow continued to accumulate, ultimately by the foot. Below freezing temperatures were accompanied by winds up to 40 miles per hour. It would be 26 hours before motorcoach Two Seven Four resumed movement.

News of heroes: Along with the many other buses, cars, and trucks, stranded on the highway, there were four other motorcoaches from our Mid-American family in that situation: 249, 259, 271, and 272. People from nearby cars were allowed on the motorcoaches to get warm, use the lavatories, and share some of the meager food supplies. Many of our passengers joined others in shoveling vehicles free so they could move out of the way of emergency help trying to get through. The local fire department delivered light snacks and water. The National Guard helped dig out snow-bound vehicles, delivered military MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), and removed concrete barriers so vehicles could get off the highway and be routed back eastward to the town of Bedford. The Red Cross in coordination with the city of Bedford secured meals and cots, and housing for all the stranded travelers at the Bedford middle and high schools and the Bedford United Methodist Church. Passengers aboard Two Seven Four cheerily endured the ordeal, glad for an opportunity to direct attention to defense of the unborn, whatever the cost or inconvenience.

News via the news Media:

WTAE News in Pittsburgh with a harrowing story about the accident that shut down the Turnpike.
http://m.wtae.com/news/strangers-band-together-form-human-chain-to-save-truck-driver-teetering-over-pa-turnpike-hillside/37657076

The Belleville News Democrat ran a report on the situation on the turnpike as it unfolded:
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article56257995.html

KMOV was part of the welcoming crowd at our group’s arrival back home in Belleville:
http://www.kmov.com/story/31040217/53-metro-east-students-stuck-on-pennsylvania-turnpike-due-to-blizzard#.VqRRFSguIaw.facebook

Selfies

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Day two on the turnpike

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Comfortable shelter in challenging circumstances.

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Being dug out by the National Guard

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Back on the road home

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Back home, post-saga: time for a bath!

Quote Of The Day samples

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”  – G K Chesterton

“Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere.”  – G K Chesterton

And here’s a first: I received a quote from the Belleville group at the end of the trip.
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.”   – G K Chesterton

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