Monday, August 30, 2010

Sightseeing at home

One of the great parts of having a houseguest is you see parts of your own home city that you otherwise rarely visit. This weekend I played tour guide to a friend and explored the best of what DC has to offer!
Brunch at POV overlooking the White House, formerly the Washington Hotel and a trip to the Newseum and the National Mall filled the day Sunday.
The Newseum has THE view of the Capitol building, which you can see above. However from the inside of the museum, with the Canadian Embassy in the foreground, the view is a bit......odd?
A bit of a contrast, the US Capitol building behind the Canadian flag: I thought it was funny!
Saturday was spent exploring Hillwood with the ever gracious Steven as guide (thanks again!). It was the perfect day for a walk around the gardens which always have something to surprise and delight, no matter the season. I have always loved the fountain in the parterre but never thought much of the pattern which runs along the base. Even on a (rare) cloudy day in DC, the water would sparkle as it hit the points of the pattern; ingenius detailing.
I didn't bring my camera with me, as evidenced by these pictures. I am a bit disappointed with the camera on the Droid Incredible (phone); The pictures are ok, but tend towards the blurry side. I have to remember to get out and explore the city even when I don't have the excuse of a guest in town. Hope you had a great weekend as well!

11 comments:

David Toms said...

All to often we foget our own city as a tourist destination which people come to see. we make it it a point each weekend to go for a walk of at least an hour or two along some route or in an area we have not been to for a while just to take it in

Mel said...

I heart Canadia! When we were there in May, I started singing "O, Canada" when I saw the embassy. Personally, I'd be fine with Maine seceding and becoming a Maritime province.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

David, thats a great idea! I need more of that!
Mel, nothing against Canada at all here, just thought the composition was funny!

Yuri-Alex Niso said...

I adore that fountain. Those long stretches of brick-like "M"s are to die for. Sounds (and looks) like you had a lovely time!

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

can not wait to get a tour of the best of DC when I return. the pics look fine-of course mine are always creatively blurry. pgt

Gramercy Home said...

Love D.C. I regret not doing more fun touristy things like this when I lived there. You just re-inspired me to go do something explorative this weekend in my own town. Thanks!

Aoife.Troxel said...

I feel weird taking photos in my own city becuase I am already a foreigner trying to localise. A house guest would help a lot.

Hollywood forever, Kevin said...

Thank you for taking me on the tour with you. It's wonderful. Please, take us outside more often, I felt like I was sightseeing, really.

The Down East Dilettante said...

Great tour. I'm a big fan of sightseeing, be it my own backyard or a distant country. Always something to see everywhere if someone is looking.

And shout out to Mel---with all the tea party nuttiness going on now, I'm ready for Maine to secede too----plus we'd finally be in the proper time zone.

pve design said...

New Yorkers are guilty of this too. Tourists and house guests always put us to shame or bring us out and about.
pve

No Sacrifice Bags said...

We Canadians; we're always trying to be noticed, eh? lol.
I like this photo. It captures the spirit of the friendship between our countries, in a very amusing, and typically Canadian way. It really resonates with our sense of humour!

DC is on my short list of places I must visit.

Cheers,
Donna