Last full day - tour of Washington DC

Since this is my last day, this post is a little lengthy so bear with me. 

I slept in this morning (no check out time because I'm staying two days!  Hoo hoooo!)   I got an all day pass so I could get on and off the metro at will.,  My first stop was the Pentagon Station.  When I emerged from the underground station,  I asked the first guy in uniform where the Pentagon was,  Well, evidently, I was standing right in front of it.  (goofy tourist!!).  You need a background check which takes three weeks to go on the tour and I probably wouldn't pass so I was relegated to walk about a half a mile to the back of the building where the 911 memorial was.  You were only allowed to take photographs at the Pentagon Memorial.  A Pentagon Police Officer explained the memorial.  Each of these features represent someone who died,  If it faces the building, they died in the airplane that crashed.  If it faces the other way, they were in the Pentagon,   The direction of the feature exactly represents the flight pattern of the plane.  They start in chronological order representing their date of birth. The water feature below it never freezes due to an underground treatment.  It was really quite amazing.   

I then walked to Arlington Cemetery (another mile and a half)  I ended up on the back side of the cemetery.  I could have walked another 2 miles to get to the front entrance but wanted to get to the mall to see the white house.  I did take some pictures from the backside.  I also whipped out my audio recorder for good measure.  There was actually a sign that said "No Audio Devices".  I guess they've been reading my blog and knew I was coming.  I didn't really believe that the sign pertained to me...and I was not officially in the cemetery...so I could do what I wanted....right?  Here are my pictures from behind the wrought iron fence

Doesn't really look like "Arlington Cemetery" from the back, does it



This probably looks more like it,  I walked up the hill a bit more to get this shot

 Then I took the Metro to the Washington DC Mall.  Now I assumed I would get off the metro and see JC Penny's,  Kohls and Ross...you know....well known, comfort mall stores. But nooooo.  All these mythological looking buildings.  Zeus could totally live there.  Here are a couple of examples.  There were dozens of these buildings:

For the rest of the afternoon, I literally walked about 6 miles in order to see absolutely everything.  It was addicting,  I couldn't seem to see enough.  My feet were killing me but I didn't care.  Here are my favorite pictures of my afternoon,  My absolutely best day yet. 

I had a "Metro" schedule that flew thru the fence onto the White House Lawn.  I tried to grab it through the wrought iron fence but a laser beam zapped me and Obama yelled through a megaphone..."GET OFF MY LAWN YOU SILLY TOURIST...FROM CALIFORNIA....WITH GLASSES...REPUBLICAN BUMPER STICKER ON YOUR SHIRT......LEAVING TOMORROW".   then I woke up.



 

Angry protesters.  So what's all the fuss about?  See next photo




Obama should be scared.,.,...very scared



Blair House.  This is the President's guest houses for visiting dignitaries.  It has free cable and hair dryers

Journalist hangout just in case the Prez does something "newsworthy"

I forget the name of this building.  One block from the White House.    It's being remodeled to add granite counter tops and stainless steel and a cost of one billion dollars

Library inside the Daughter's of the American Revolution (DAR) Building.  I went in there to announce that I was, indeed, an honored member of their club but alas, they could not find my ancestor's name in their computer system.  Well, what do they expect....the war ended in, like, 1776. Duh...no computers,   Oh wait,.,,maybe it wasn't the DAR, maybe it was the BAR!

Intere

World War II Memorial.  This is so insensitive but check out my perfect timing on the fountain. What are the chances? 





They were "remodeling" the pool so it was drained and ugly not like it looked like in Forest Gump

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam Wall

Big pointy memorial

First day of Cherry Blossoms

there

I then hopped over to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and spent the rest of my afternoon.  Here are some of my favorite exhibits

Barbie, GI Joe and some other '50's stuff

First commercial computer

First Personal Computer

Believe it or not, this is Mary Lincoln's inaugural dress.  Look at that tiny waist.  It did, howver, make her butt look big

Ruby Slippers from Wizard of Oz

Well, that's it I'm afraid.  My plane leaves tomorrow.  I put about 3000 miles on my rental car.  Thank you so much for going with me on this trip.  If I think of anything I forgot to tell you, I'll do another post.   Love you all

My night at the Jean Bonnet Tavern and Inn

POST THREE OF THREE TODAY:    Ooh..Ahh...I just loved this place.  I did get an "unusual" picture of an orb.  Some people believe that orbs are just dust particles or bugs.  That's understandable if you are using a digital flash.  I used a full spectrum camera which takes pictures with Ultraviolet Rays and Infared.  (and a flash).  Here are two pictures taken one after the other.  See the large orb above the bed. 




Now you see it





Now you don't

 Also, when I reviewed my audio the next morning I picked up a man's voice and I believe he said "kids".    It was 1:00 in the morning and the only people in Inn were myself upstairs and the Manager in a room downstairs.  I didn't hear this at the time.  I can't seem to upload it to my blog.  Perhaps the Manager hid a microphone in my room and at 1:00 in the morning he really said.  "Get the hell out of my hotel.  Your credit card didn't work" and it just sounded like "kids"

 Now I'm going to show you a picture that was taken at the Inn two weeks ago.  I'd love your opinion.  Look at the chair to the right.   If you realize that this Inn was built in the mid 1700's, maybe it's not such a stretch to believe in paranormal activity in this place.  PS, I ate my dinner right next to this dude.  yea...you know...just stuffed it down may face so fast I didn't taste a thing!  Hope he didn't see me.



Well, I left this morning and had an uneventful drive to Alexandria Virginia where I am staying at a hideous Day's Inn.  It's what you might call shabby shiek.  The TV doesn't work, I couldn't get the cork out of my wine bottle (then realized it was twist top) and I can't sleep on my bed because I'm trying to reorganize my "stuff",  Here is visual confirmation of my dillema

Tomorrow I will tour DC and then catch my plane back to LA on Wednesday evening.  I'll add DC photos tomorrow

 










Wrap up of my Cleveland/Pittsburg/Pennsylvania day

POST TWO OF THREE TODAY:  After I left Cleveland, I took a non-toll road heading to Benton Pennsylvania.  I came to a sign that said "Kent State University" next exit.  Driving through the city of Kent, I was amazed at just how quaint and simple this college town was.  For anyone in my age group, we remember what happened back in May 1970 when the National Guard shot and killed 4 students and injured 9 for protesting.    Hard to believe it could have happened there, 






Next to where it happened

I then continued on the Pittsburgh PA.  Again, I was curious about what it looked like in deepest darkest downtown.   I was amazed at the traffic on a Sunday afternoon,  It was crazy.  Because it looked just like "every big city USA", I decided to get the hell out of dodge as soon as possible,  It was almost as bad as Chicago traffic on a Friday afternoon.  Took me almost an hour and a half to get 10 miles out of town,  Traffic was stopped on the freeway most of the time.  Here are some pictures anyway just to prove I went there (like this is a contest or something)

they all kinda start to look alike eventually

This is pretty nice however

Now it's on the way to my next haunted location:  Bedford Pennsylvania

Getting closer to DC

POST ONE OF THREE FOR TODAY:  Well, I left freezing Sandusky Ohio en route to Bedford, Pennsylvania where I located an old Inn built in 1768 said to be haunted.  Also, George Washington stayed there.   I no longer have any shame.  I just call and say "Are you haunted?  Oh...you're not...."click".   or..."cause, if it's haunted,  I'll stay and I'd like your most haunted room".,  I get very different responses.  A few times I could actually see them sniff and roll their eyes through the phone.  This lady said "Absolutely - we'll put you in room 1".  I love her....she gets me.  So I started out on the 300+ mile trek.  Had an interesting time getting there,  first, I stopped in Cleveland to see what it looked like.  I did my "turn off the GPS and see what happens" routine.  I didn't know it was right on Lake Erie.  Here are some pics:  (Have to get on the road.  I will stop in a few hours and do another post)

 



Downtown Cleveland on a Sunday  (They are all starting to look the same)

 



Rock and Roll Hall of Fame right on Lake Erie




Another cool old building downtown



Arrived in Sandusky Ohio

POST THREE OF THREE TODAY.    Sandusky Ohio:  What a totally cool city.  We are on Lake Erie and they have several indoor water slides and an amusement park.  It's 27 degrees outside and this place is hopping.  It's off season and very busy.  I can't imagine what it's like in the summer.  The cute, young, guy at the counter liked my face and as a result, gave me a huge discount on my hotel room (this is what I will believe for the rest of my life).  I drove from Saint Joseph Michigan to Battlecreek, then to Toledo Ohio, then to my present location,.  I actually paid my first turnpike toll today,  I've been avoiding them like the plague but the alternative would have taken me much longer and stop lights for several miles.  For 40 miles, it only cost me $2.50.  

I had an interesting experience today,   Four years ago, I got addicted to this website called "oldhomes.com",  It featured several older historic homes for sale all over the US.  There was one home in particular that I couldn't get out of my mind.  I even made an 8 x 11" copy and hung it up in my cubicle at work.  I told everyone that this was my dream home.  The only problem was that it was in Coldwater, Michigan and the sales price was $500,000 so it was an impossible dream home.  About once a month, I go to that website and look at the new listings.  The sales price of this home continued to drop.  When I looked at it a month ago, it was down to $297,000.  Well....as it turned out, I was passing through Coldwater and decided to stop and have a look see.  You can not believe the homes in this town.  Amazing! Awesome!  Here is a picture of my dream home which I parked in front of and stared at lovingly for 15 minutes, and some other homes:


My Dream Home



Other amazing homes in the neighborhood

Inter

Pretty homes across the street

another beautiful home down the street

Huge home now an historic landmark

Next stop Sandusky Ohio

POST TWO OF THREE TODAY   Just booked a reservation at the Sleep Inn in Sandusky.  According to a deep internet search, it is totally haunted.  Hopefully the spooks aren't on a Florida vacation when I arrive which has been the case thus far. 

My Itinerary for today

Today I will leave beautiful Saint Joseph Michigan and head over to Port Clinton Ohio via Battlecreek Michigan.  I've read about Battlecreek since a child as that is where all of the stuff we order on the back of a cereal box comes from.  Anyone that knows me knows that my life's work is "sending away" for stuff.  I believe that it boils down to daily visits from the UPS guy in shorts; and I get cool stuff. 

I forgot to tell you on my Chicago post, I had two hotels picked out to stay in Chicago:  the Congress Plaza and the Hotel Massacre.  Yes,,,,that's right,,,Hotel Massacre.  I called the Congress Plaza and it was only $109 per night.  I was thrilled until they told me parking was $30 a day.  Thanks but no thanks,   With much anticipation, I called the Massacre Hotel only to find that they were out of business.  What a surprise and, frankly, a deep disappointment.  Also, I listened intently to my audio recordings from the Lemp Mansion yesterday,  In four hours of audio, I only found one little noise that I couldn't explain.  I did, however, hear four hours of snoring as I was asleep most of this recording.  If you listen to snoring on "windows Media Player", they will interpret music/sounds with really cool hallucinogenic colorful visualizations.  This is what my snoring looks like on Windows Media Player:

Chicago to Saint Joseph Michigan

I hit the jackpot relative to lodging tonight.  I found this little town on Lake Michigan called Saint Joseph in Michigan.  The Silver Beach Hotel right on Lake Michigan.  It had a heated pool and hot tub which was good because it was 34 degrees outside. There was a cool motorcycle gang in the bar and and a spattering of serial killers which I engaged in lovely conversation.   I gave all of them my phone number (just kidding).  I couldn't find a haunted hotel today so I checked in here.  However, as luck would have it, the guy at the desk said this hotel is haunted so I'm going to drag out my ghost hunting stuff and go to work.  Here are some pictures from my balcony.  I'll take more tomorrow in the day time during my walk on the beach.



View from my balcony




View from my balcony (boring, aren't I)



Day 10 Saint Joseph Michigan

POST ONE OF TWO:  What an interesting day.  I left the generic comfort of the Ramada Inn in Campaign Illinois and thought what a hoot it would be to travel to Chicago, turn off my GPS and get lost downtown.  Probably wasn't one of my more intelligent decisions.  I've never been honked at, yelled at and given the finger more in one hour than today,  The other drivers were mad at me because I wouldn't run pedestrians down,  Seriously.  I actually witnessed a bike rider run right into the side of a truck turning right.  (he was OK)  I actually flipped someone off.  It felt wonderful.  Made my whole damn day.  After I got my fill of huge buildings and rude, rude people, I turned my GPS back on.  Because of all of the construction and detours, it almost dumped me into Lake Michigan.  I decided to turn it off again and find my own way out.   Here are some pics:

First glimpse of /Chicago,.  Took this picture while driving,  I survived to show you this

More freeway shots

Driving on Lakeshore Avenue,  Lake Michigan on the right

Cool houses right across the street from Lake Michigan