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THE CAPITAL & BALTIMORE MARYLAND
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Washington, D.C. & Baltimore, Maryland 

	As always, D.C. is a special treat.  We were really looking forward to this trip because for once we had a camera.  Unbelievably, over the course of each of us being there 5 to 10 times, and both of us even living there at some point, we pretty much had never taken a picture.  G-d Bless digital, oh yeah, and America too!

	Our first night was spent with Erin and Brandon Justice, and their adorable young’ns, Connor (who loves Thomas the Tank Engine and all things related) and Isabella (who loves to eat), approximately ages 4 and 2 respectively.  They have a beautiful home in Laurel, MD, which is about 30 minutes from Baltimore in one direction and DC in another. After a great home cooked meal, we got a much needed good night of sleep before a 7am wake up to take a White House tour, courtesy of Jay Wheelock and his friend Lisa from OMB (otherwise known as the Office of Management and Budget).

	The White House tour was considerably better than the one Mike had taken when he was 12 (the one where he was thrown out for taking photos).  The years of maturity definitely added a new found respect for the details, and a healthy respect for the no photography rule.  Tours are tough to get these days, but if you have the chance we highly recommend it.  It’s hard to shake the feeling that you are standing in the center of the world, and it is very humbling.  The timing was also good in that we got to see the recently unveiled portraits of President and Hillary Clinton.  Hillary’s was excellent.  Bill’s was really good as well, but seemed too modern.  It lacked a certain dignity which most of the other portraits had.  For example, President Bush’s (41) made him look like a legendary historical figure, and President Ford looked like an old three piece, pin stripe suited captain of industry, complete with pipe in hand . . . very cool, and also very 70’s, and very Gerald Ford.  We personally thought he should have been wearing the plaid blazer and powder blue slacks, and we mean that in a good way.  Reagan’s also had a bit of the plastic look of Clinton’s.  Of course, Lincoln’s and JFK’s famous portraits are even more inspiring in person than they are in books or on TV.  On a final inspiring note, Martin Luther King’s portrait has been added in the East Wing. 

	The one negative about the tour however was seeing the state of disrepair the White House is in.  It’s not that the place is falling down or anything, but it is not maintained as you would expect.  Many of the walls are marked or cracked, and the windows and moldings have layers upon layers of old paint on them.  Apparently maintenance funding is continually being cut.  Obviously budgets are tight but it seems that a few thousand dollars more a year should be spent to shine the old joint.  Maybe they could trim the flower budget, which apparently has an on site shop and 4 full time employees!  Or, maybe they could start a foundation to keep it in the tip top shape it deserves.  Maybe John Kerry will spend some of his own big bucks when he moves in this January.

	Following our White House tour, we met up with Mike’s Grandma and Grandpa and Cousin Landon who were in town for the USC v. Virginia Tech game that weekend . . . Fight On!  Grandpa had already had a full morning of monuments, but Grandma and Landon accompanied us to the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Monument, a metro ride to Union Station, and a walk up to the Capitol.  It was a beautiful day, and it always seems like everything is more special in this town in an election year.

	We continued the evening with cocktails and dinner at the Capitol Grill, a must stop for all political hacks and policy wonks.  We were met by KC Schefski, Mike’s old law school buddy, and his girlfriend Illana.  Mike had looked up KC earlier in the day, after a 4 year hiatus, by walking into the EPA and asking the security guards to check to see if KC still worked there.  Happily he does.  At least somebody is trying to keep the wheels on the wagon in that place.  

	After a Lagavulin night cap, and good sleep at Jay’s in Georgetown, we headed to his office at the CBO (a.k.a. the Congressional Budget Office), and then headed down the Mall to the Washington Monument.  For the first time, we all went to the top via the elevator, where we had some spectacular views of the entire city.  We even got to watch Marine One make a South Lawn landing at the White House.  Talk about good timing.  Next we met up with Erin and headed to the recently dedicated WWII memorial, which is tremendously moving, and also beautifully done.  Located at the end of the reflecting pool, between the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, it is both appropriately grand, and inconspicuous in relation to the other monuments. We finished the day’s tours with the FDR memorial, which was even more inspirational than the first time we visited, a walk around the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial, and then a walk around Eastern Market, just east of the Capitol.  The day ended with dinner at W’s favorite Mexican restaurant in Adams Morgan, we’re blanking on the name, but it was good, and then dessert in Du Pont Circle.

	Saturday was on of the most sacred days of the year (at least in Mike’s humble opinion) . . . the first game of the college football season.  The whole family was heading to FedEx Field in Virginia that night for the game.  We kicked off the day, at about 2pm, with breakfast in Georgetown and then some shopping and pre-pre-game cocktails on Wisconsin Ave.  Jay scored a ticket from Kirsten’s husband Kieth (thanks Kieth), who another die hard USC football fan, so he joined us at the game, which was the perfect combination of a sold out game, at a great pro stadium, and a 24-13 SC win.  Yeah, it would have been nice to have spanked Virginia Tech worse, but hey, a win is a win.

	That night we headed back to Erin and Brandon’s.  The next day was a short trip to Baltimore and Fort Mc Henry.  Ft. McHenry is where Francis Scott Key penned the words to the Star Spangled Banner during a British naval assault during the War of 1812.  He was a captive on a British vessel in the harbor, and was forced to watch the British bomb the heck out of Fort McHenry.  Notwithstanding the bombing, the American soldiers managed to defeat the British, preserving the fledging democracy.  We finished the trip with another home cooked meal at the Justices’, joined by Erin’s parents, a few of their close friends, the cute little kiddies, and Jay Wheelock.  It’s always tough to leave DC, but we did the next day.
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