W A S H I N G T O N   D . C .   -   D A Y   # 4

Friday, October 29, 2004

After a bit of walking I spy my next sightseeing stop, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

This government institution is the home of America's most famous, historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Not only is the government interested in making these and many other documents available for public display, they are equally interested in preserving the documents through advanced science and technology.

Click here for more detail and pictures of my tour of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

My last sightseeing destination today, and for Washington, D.C. for that matter, will be Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. I'm running a tight schedule right now. It's 4pm and the museum closes at 5:30pm. Hmmm... Let's see, tens of thousands of artifacts, 1.5 hours to see them all, do you think I can do it?

Consisting of three floors of sightseeing fun, the National Museum of Natural History offers a plethora of exhibits, including: Dinosaurs, Ancient Seas, Fossil Mammals, Fossil Plants, Hall of Mammals, Ice Age, Pacific Cultures, Asian Cultures, African Cultures, Martian Cultures (aaah, just kidding), Western Cultures, Sikh Heritage, Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Insect Zoo, Bones, Reptiles, Birds of D.C., and Squid. So, you still think I can hit all the exhibits in the short amount of time I have?

Click here for more detail and pictures of my tour of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

After getting booted from the museum at 5:30pm, I make a call to my friend Lindsay to make arrangements for dinner. We decide to grab some Lebanese food in her neck of the woods. I hop on the train and meet her shortly thereafter. It's good to see her again. After a fun-filled dinner I walk her back to her apartment.

On the way we encounter some guy who's just about passed out, lying on the sidewalk. We try to help him, he claims he lives in the apartment complex just over the way. After we get him on his feet and help him to the front door, which is of course locked and he has no key, we leave him to his own devices.

After I drop off Lindsay, I take the train back to the van in College Park, MD, then drive back to Laurel, MD to my Walmart parking lot digs. It's 2am in the morning when I arrive, so I just hop into bed and retire for the night. My time spent in Washington, D.C. has proved to be a very interesting and educational experience. I hope to come back another day, when I have more time to take in the sights and sounds of America's wonderful and multifaceted Capitol.