Blogging DC
So, my secret agent sister and I met in DC over the weekend. I have so much to blog about, this post will likely ramble quite a bit. I've tried to head each topic so you can skip to what interests you.Flight Out: My flight from Madison to Detroit was remarkably uneventful. The plane was merely stopping in Detroit to pick up additional passengers, but they made me deplane anyway. Argh. At least they let me back on the plane first. So, I got to watch as all the other passengers boarded. I hate to admit it to you, but my radar picked up a strong suspicious signal. I watched two 20-something men, middle eastern in appearance, board the plane. They didn't speak to each other or anybody else. The one guy was reading a book on Islam. So, I watched him closely, poor guy. I was just being smart, I hope. Nothing happened.
In a strange series of coincidences, I was seated on the flight from Detroit to BWI between a nice man who had attended UW-Eau Claire and a young lady (currently living in Dallas) who is from Cassville, WI and likely knows my husband's family. (Small towns being what they are.) The three of us chatted like old pals and the flight flew by.
Spy Museum: On Saturday, my sister and I headed over to the International Spy Museum. We had a blast! We stayed for 5 hours and learned so much. I could have stayed another 2 hours! If you are going to be in DC, I highly recommend not missing this one. We went through the special exhibit, "The Enemy Within", and also through the regular exhibit. I particularly liked the information on the Revolutionary War and the Sisterhood of Spies. Zola's wasn't open yet, so we had a late lunch at the Brewery across the street. It was really good. From there, we went shopping in Georgetown (we had intentions of going to the Holocaust Museum, but alas, it was too late). Ladies, it appears that Purple is the new Pink. What a shame.
Monument Onslaught: On Sunday, we got up early and took the metro over to the capitol. We snapped pictures then walked down to the Washington Monument. It is currently under construction, so we couldn't get too close, but still...it was amazing! Then we hightailed it over to the new WWII memorial. It is breathtaking! It is powerful and moving and poetic. I saw people crying. My favorite part was the 4000 gold stars that represent those who gave their lives. Beneath the stars it reads, "Here we mark the price of freedom." From there, we went and took some pictures at the Jefferson Memorial, then back to the Lincoln. We wrapped up our tour by walking to the White House by way of the Vietnam Wall. Needless to say, all that walking really worked up an appetite. But that didn't stop us! No. We took the metro to Pentagon City and did the mall. Then we had lunch and shopped some more.
DC after Dark: Later that same evening, we made our way over to the Willard Hotel where we were supposed to pick up the bus to take us on the DC after Dark Tour. I had purchased the tickets online. I had actual tickets in hand that directed us to arrive at the Willard 15 minutes before the scheduled pick-up, which was listed as 7:05 pm. We arrived at 6:20 pm. So we waited on the bench next to the lit awning. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, no bus having arrived, I asked the doorman. He sent me to see the concierge, who told me "no problem." Only, 10 minutes later at 7:15 there was still no bus. So we called the tour company and they denied any knowledge of us. Some conversation ensued, but we were assured that they would send out a bus.
It seems that we were supposed to call and confirm that we needed a bus. I didn't see this important step on our tickets. Everything seemed clear cut to me. It told us where to be and when, and had a very long paragraph entitled "Important Information" that held dire warnings if you were not at the appropriate place at the appropriate time, or if you failed to bring your e-ticket. Well, it turns out that on page 2 they tell you to call and confirm 24-48 hours in advance of the tour. Gee. This seems like something that should be listed as item #1 under the "Important Information" section. I was more than a little peeved. I mean, we had a time, a destination, and a ticket. And we still need to call? List first things first, folks. The bus finally did arrive and it took us to...another bus.
This bus drove us around to all of the sights and the driver pointed out lots of buildings. He also chose to use our interest against us and proceeded to harp on and on about the plight of the homeless in Our Nation's Capitol, and what a disgrace it is. He pointed out all of the homeless hot spots. His agenda lessened my enjoyment considerably. He managed to point out the White House and gave it all of 4 seconds of his attention. Then he assured us, we were in for a real "treat". He proceeded to walk us through the FDR memorial and explain all of the symbolism in each room. I gather he is a HUGE fan of FDR...and Social Security. We spent 45 minutes at the FDR. We didn't spend that much time at the Lincoln and Jefferson combined!
Waiting on the bus for the next leg of our journey, my sister and I were trapped in the middle of a lengthy liberal tirade, party of three. Once again, our liberal-agenda'd tour guide chose to expound on Social Security reform. The two baby-boomers seated behind my sister and I joined into the Bush Bashing. "Bush is trying to destroy all that this country has built!" Shrieked one. "Privatization will bankrupt us!" Shrieked the other. My sister and I sat there...seething. These people continued to blame the President for the problems with Social Security. One member of this brain trust claimed that if he can't find time to keep track of his money market account, and took a real beating a year ago, we can't really expect other people to keep track of their retirement funds in a private account. He said that it was too difficult. My sister and I tried to distract each other from what we were being bombarded with so as to keep from going off. Here is what I would have said, had conditions been more neutral:
Look, you are a baby-boomer and it is your generation and the giant number of you that are becoming eligible for benefits that are taxing the system. You can't expect Social Security to be your saving grace. A responsible person would be investing and saving for the future, like the ant instead of the grasshopper. And, grasshopper, just because YOU can't keep track of your investments, does not mean that the rest of us are incapable of doing so. I track the value of my 401K daily, yes, DAILY, because I have absolutely no expectation that Social Security will be around when I get to be your age. As such, I am doing the responsible thing and providing for my own future. Forgive me, then, if I resent having to pay into a system that will never pay out. I resent that my children will likely pay into the system too, and will be the second generation to pay in and not benefit. Partial privatization is a good-faith thing to do. Social security makes next to no return on investment. It is little better than using your mattress. However, perhaps allowing some of us to take a part of our funds and invest them someplace with some growth-potential might go a long way toward shutting up those of us who are vocal about paying into a pyramid scheme. You are a selfish, selfish man. Yeah, yeah, "Bush lied, people died" I know. But maybe...just maybe, we all have to take a little responsibility for ourselves. The Democrats have been screaming about the need to fix Social Security for years. Bush comes up with a plan and all you have to say is "he's trying to destroy all that this country has built"? No, sir, that would be the agenda of the Terrorists. Those of us in gen-X and gen-Y would prefer you got off of your high horse and put the shoe on the other foot.
Needless to say, I said none of this. I just seethed. My sister and I agreed that this was the best path forward.
We finally escaped from the Liberal Tour. Thank heaven!
