greenatopia

I've always hated when people criticize our federal government by saying things are messed up in DC. Frankly, since the District doesn't have voting representation, it is everyone else's fault our government doesn't work well.  DC is the last place to blame for this.  So the next time you want to criticize Congress, mention them by name, don't get their temporary location involved.

Meanwhile, the city of Washington, DC, is quite beautiful.  Those of us who are citizens of the U.S. can feel pretty proud of the lovely city that grew from the swamp.  Sure it has problems, no place is perfect.  But look at how our capital building shines, even on an overcast day and with earthquake damage:





When you are a tourist in DC, you can really enjoy how pretty it is, but when you live here you get to really understand DC.  I remember when I first moved to DC, I reveled in how incredible it was that I worked just a couple of blocks from the White House.  At one point my bike ride home from work took me past Union Station and the Capital and if I wanted to extend the ride, I could bike around all the monuments on the mall.  I lived a couple of blocks from Congressional Cemetery (now a dog park) where John Phillip Sousa is buried; I played in a band that practiced just a few blocks from his home.  Just across the river from my house, a mere 15-minute bike ride, the great Frederick Douglas lived in a beautiful house on a small hill.  Near my first neighborhood is where all the great jazz artists played and when you walk down U Street you can almost hear them today. 

DC is far more than the standard monuments that everyone visits.  But the monuments are nice too.



For some reason I wasn't carrying my camera when we walked around the Tidal Basin, so you get Instagrams.

When I first moved to DC way back in the dark ages, I lived in the magical neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant.  Magical because it exists behind the National Zoo.  Some morning you wake up to the gibbons going crazy (I'd later learn that this was their wake up call -- and totally natural), or you'd go to bed to the lions roaring.  I quickly figured out I could live a life-long dream and work with apes by volunteering at the National Zoo.

No one remembers when my ape-thing started, but I've always been a non-human primate girl.  I mean look at this face and tell me you are not fascinated by what she might be thinking:


Yes, that is a dixie cup in her mouth -- orangutans love to chew on things.  In the wild they chew on leaves, vines, fruit pits and seeds; in captivity they chew on whatever we'll give them.  Local hotels donate their old sheets and the orangutans not only sleep under them (yes they do!), but tear them into little strips to chew.  They especially love to chew on cloth with food, to get the flavor in the sheet for long lasting enjoyment.

O.k. I'm getting slightly off topic... So of course, on my most recent trip to DC I had to go to the zoo, particularly because I was accompanied by my nephew.  Jayden doesn't share my love for apes, but I'm still working on that.

The orangutans entertained well -- they crossed the O-line every time we were under it (not directly under it, because I warned my family that peeing on people is super entertaining for the orangutans).

On this trip, we had to see everything, including the pandas.  Frankly I don't understand the love of pandas.  They just sit around.  They are just not as engaging as apes!  But I will give them some props, because on this trip they were eating bamboo and that is basically more movement than I've ever seen from them before.






But frankly, the lizards are more interesting...





And the turtles...







And even though he said he pandas are his favorite animal, Jayden seemed more excited about the animal statues, with which he always has to have several photos taken.







And we ended our trip to the incredible National Zoo by being scared by the yell of this peacock (I thought Jayden was going to fall into the little pond nearby when the peacock yelled the first time we were near it).

My family vacation this year was to DC.  Before I go any further, I apologize my DC friends that I didn't meet with, but our schedule was pretty full.  I hope to be back soon though, more on that later.

Before my family got there I took a quick trip with a couple of friends to the U.S. National Arboretum.  The Arboretum was established by Congress in 1927 with the mission "to serve the public need for scientific research, education, and gardens that conserve and showcase plants to enhance the environment."  It is a beautiful area in the middle of what can be called, a not-so-nice neighborhood of DC.  When I lived in DC I used to bike around here a lot -- it wasn't that far from my house and it offers some lovely photo opportunities.  My favorite photo spot is of the old Capital Columns.  Of course, I'm not unique in that; they are the most photographed feature of the Arboretum. The cherry blossoms bloomed early this year (meaning they missed their 100th Cherry Blossom Festival), but the azaleas were in their peak.