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.

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.

(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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