WASHINGTON, D.C. 2006 - Jim Colyer

Michael and I are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. for summer, 2006. We will get plane tickets from expedia.com and fly into Ronald National Airport (DCA) from Nashville (BNA). Reagan is the closest airport to the National Mall. It is 10 miles from it. There is a Shuttlebus for transportation. There is also Metrorail (yellow and blue lines). We will find a hotel for 2 nights. I can book it from the Internet or we can find it after we get there. We want 3 long days. We will hit the high spots. We will seek out financial institutions since Michael is a business major working in a bank. We will limit art galleries and hardcore museums. The experience will be similar to what I did in 1977. There will also be differences, and I will allow for them. I want to help Michael get a basic understanding of the federal government. The are 3 branches. 1) Executive - president - The White House is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Have tours have resumed since 9/11? Go to White House website. Get orientation at the White House Visitor Center. The executive branch puts laws into action. 2) Legislative - The Legislative branch makes laws - Congress - The Senate & House of Representatives - Capitol Building - Get to the Capitol Building early. Tours are 9am-4:30pm, Monday-Saturday. There are 640 spots, 40 persons per tour. Tickets are free. Let Michael touch the white circle Karen and I touched. See the fresco of George Washington painted in the Capitol rotunda. 3) Judicial - The judicial branch interprets the law - Federal courts - There are 9 judges on the Supreme Court. George Bush just added two, John Roberts and Sam Alito - See the Capitol and the Supreme Court together. Interplay between the 3 branches creates checks and balances within the government. For example, the president appoints justices to the Supreme Court, but the Senate must confirm them. The justices interpret the Constitution, making sure no legislation contradicts it. Bush says he wants judges who will not "legislate from the bench." Monuments and Memorials 1) Washington Monument - 555 feet - The law says nothing can be built higher. That is why there are no skyscrapers in D.C. 2) Lincoln Memorial - Civil War 1861-65 - Gettysburg Address on wall. 3) Jefferson Memorial - Rounded structure by the Tidal Basin. Patomac River - Declaration of Independence on the walls - Jefferson's bronze statue. 4) Word War 2 Memorial - 1941-45 - Japan and Germany Smithsonian Institute - Museums and art galleries strung out along the Mall. 1) Air & Space Museum - Touch moon rock. Apollo program. 2) Museum of American History - See exhibit about the American presidency. 3) Museum of Natural History - Dinosaur Hall - T. Rex, Triceratops, Stegasaurus National Archives - Constitution - Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson - Bill of Rights There are 3 parts ot the Constitution: the Preamble (introduction), 7 Articles and 27 Amendments. The first 10 Amendments are called the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote them. 3 structures form a cross across the National Mall: the Capitol Building, Washington Monument & Lincoln Memorial are vertical; the White House, Washington Monument & Jefferson Memorial are horizontal. Departments 1) Treasury Department - Alexander Hamilton the first Secretary of the Treasury - $10 bill - John Snow is Secretary of the Treasury. The Treasury Department sits next to the White House. Link them. 1a) Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)- Where the paper money and stamps are printed. 14th & C Streets SW. Tickets required. Ticket booth opens at 8am, tickets gone by 9am. See the BEP and Jefferson Memorial together. 2) Department of the Interior - Contains the National Park Service, oversees National Parks. Gale Norton is the first woman Secretary of the Interior, a believer in conservation. 3) Department of Enegry - Samuel Bodman is the Secretary of Energy. 1) Federal Reserve Building - Michael needs to see this since he is in banking. I will get information about how it is set up and how it works. Is the Fed a private institution? When it is over, we will make our way back to Reagan Airport. Karen will pick us up in Nashville like she did before. This trip is for Michael.
Contact: jim@jimcolyer.com