Lost for words

I have never felt like this, for once I’m lost for words

I have never felt like this

Another hot day in DC. I’ve managed to time my visit on the hottest June days since records began in 1874. I’m up early as I want to get a ticket to see the permanent exhibition at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. They hand out free timed tickets at 10am each day on a first come, first served basis. Once they are gone for the day that’s it. I make it to the museum by 9:30am having walked down from where I am staying. There is already a big queue that I duly join the back of. Luckily it is in the shade as the heat is already getting to me.  At 10am the queue starts to move fairly quickly and I get a ticket that will let me in after 1pm. Not too bad. I decide to head back to The National Mall to check out some more of the sights until the afternoon.

Before I got to DC I knew that I wanted to go to the Smithsonian – what I didn’t know was that it is actually a collection of 19 museums and galleries. There is no way that I would have time to do them all in my few days in DC so I adopt a policy of picking a couple of specific exhibitions at some of the museums & galleries that pique my interest. I’m discovering travelling alone allows you to be selfish and do what you want to do. I’m also discovering it means I have to make all the decisions. I head to the Museum of American History. After a quick detour to see the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, I take a tour of the First Ladies exhibition, stopping to take a photo of Betty Ford.  The collection of memorabilia from the White House ladies makes for interesting viewing. The exhibition included a number of dresses from the debuts of some of the more recent First Ladies, arranged in pairs. Rather cruelly, the tiny white dress worn by Nancy Reagan shared a case with the rather more voluminous dress of Barbara Bush. They make them bigger in Texas apparently.

Afterwards I go to see the original star-spangled banner, the 200 year old stars and stripes flag that inspired the anthem. Again I am impressed by the sheer size of it. The flag is 30 by 34 feet, having originally been 30 by 42 feet (bits were cut off it as souvenirs, including one of the stars). It is now kept in a climate controlled chamber with very dim lighting, a setting that should generate a calm reflective atmosphere if American schoolchildren knew how to be quiet, which they don’t.

For once I’m lost for words

After lunch I head back to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. As you enter the exhibition you pick a small book from a big stack that contains the real life story of someone sent to the concentration camps. Over the course of the exhibition you read more about their story and ultimately find out their fate. It really helps put the entire exhibition in context.  I had prepared myself for the exhibition to be moving and thought provoking and it was. The way the exhibition was set out and the narrative made for a very good story. It was good to see that the full story was being told, there was no gloss or omitting details to make it more palatable. There was a small mention of the other people persecuted too, including homosexuals. It makes me realise that I’m fortunate to live in a country in a time when being gay is more accepted. Yes, there are still people who hate or preach that being gay is wrong and sadly I think that they will always exist. It will be interesting on my travels to see how the attitudes of the people in each country that I visit differ. There are a number of places that I am deliberately not going to as part of my trip as I wouldn’t feel comfortable going there.

At the end of the exhibition I learn that the person in my booklet, along with his entire family, died in the concentration camps. The whole experience really did get me thinking and is definitely worth doing if you visit DC. I spend the rest of the afternoon in quiet contemplation and wander up to the Capitol to get some photos of the immense buildings and then head to the Old Post Office, which has a tower that you can go up (free, very small queue) to get some great views of the city.

The evening sees me head out for dinner and drinks with Simon which gives us a good opportunity to chat about life in DC, Sondheim, the gay scene and, of course, the weather. We have a great Thai meal. Both of us order dishes that have a little chilli symbol next to them. The waitress warns us that they are spicy dishes. They aren’t. I’ve noticed that the spicy food in the US is not as spicy as back home. Perhaps I have been spoilt by being only a 20-minute train journey from Brick Lane and the curry houses that fill it? The food however was extremely tasty and after a couple of post dinner G&T’s I’m ready to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep ahead of DC pride the following day.

“I have never felt like this, for once I’m lost for words” 
Lyrics from Unexpected Song from the musical Song & Dance/Tell Me on a Sunday