District of Columbia

For a complete photo album, please visit my Flickr page at http://tr.im/washingtondc. Wee Loon’s take can be read here.

Seal of the President of the United States (by Wee Loon Ong)

Wee Loon and I spent two full days in the nation’s capital. As we promenaded the city under the generally pleasant summer weather (when compared to Chapel Hill, NC of course), we attempted to cover as many places as possible on our itinerary.

Hilton Hotel in the Dupont Circle neighborhood (Wee Loon Ong)

I managed to get a pretty decent deal — three nights at Hilton Hotel situated in Dupont Circle, a vibrant local neighborhood with chic shops and fancy restaurants.

Starbucks at Dupont Circle (by Wee Loon Ong)

This is one of my favorite Starbucks cafés in the U.S., which is situated right at the roundabout in Dupont Circle. The green-house like design provides a nice view of busting traffic outside. I had been there during my first trip four years ago with Steve, and I had continued to get my coffee every morning before Wee Loon and I hopped on the subway at a nearby station.

National Archives (by Wee Loon Ong)

Even though this is my third visit to Washington DC, I have to say that this trip is by far the most educational, as far as I am concerned. We kicked off our first day with National Archives where the three important documents are preserved — the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and U.S. Constitution. We were greeted with a long queue; nonetheless the line was worth queueing for the Rotunda access.

The Rotunda in the National Archives (by Wee Loon Ong)

Visitors are seen to be busy perusing important archives of the nation. The Rotunda is where those three important documents are exhibited in the National Archives.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (by Wee Loon Ong)

We stopped by (at the entrance of) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building for a photo shot. The building is conveniently located diagonally across the street (Pennsylvania Avenue) from the National Archives.

Outside of the Library of Congress (by Wee Loon Ong)

We marched (hmm… actually we took the subway) to the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. The architecture within the building was impressive. My lack of jargon in art/architecture impedes my attempt to describe it to you. Through a guided tour, we visited a viewing deck where we were able to get a bird view of the main reference area of the library, called the Main Reading Room. Plaster female figures can be seen supported on gigantic marble columns that surround the room. They feature eight civilized notions, namely religion, commerce, history, art, philosophy, poetry, law, and science.

Library of Congress (by Wee Loon Ong)

We made a short stop at the Supreme Court before we concluded our first day. On the second day, we toured the U.S. Capitol. They have the strictest security clearance for visitors! A lot of items were not allowed, in particular aerosols. I had to leave my sun screen and disinfectant spray at the hotel as a result.

U.S. Capitol (by Wee Loon Ong)

Apart from the annoying security clearance, the guided tour in the U.S. Capitol was very educational. I learned a great deal about the history of the United States, as well as its government. There were so much aspects of the House of Representative and the Senate of which I was unaware. Trivia were shared by the tour guide from time to time as we walked around the majestic building. Wee Loon and I had the opportunity to see the auditorium where the House of Representative debates take place.

The dome in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol (by Wee Loon Ong)

Of course we did not miss the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

The White House (by Wee Loon Ong)

The weather was unbearably hot when we were about to leave the White House for the memorials. We ended up calling it a day earlier instead. A mediocre Italian dinner at a seemingly fancy Italian restaurant marked the end of our trip, as well as our petit reunion after five years of not seeing each other.