A Lesson in US History Part II

Thanks to my ever-improving eavesdropping skills, I bring you these fascinating facts of several sites I saw on my trip to DC over Memorial Day Weekend!

Lafayette Square:

Who would’ve thought that such a plain looking park would have so much history? Not I. This is the statue of President Andrew Jackson, lying at the center of the park, which as a whole was named after a French General. Apparently, this park was called the President’s Park, and was part of the White House, until Thomas Jefferson had a street (Pennsylvania Avenue) cut through it in the year 1804, and opened it to the public. The fascinating part, however, is that since then, this park at some point in time was used as so many things, including a race track, a graveyard, a slave market, an encampment, and even a zoo!

The White House:

President George Washington, the first US President, laid the cornerstone of the White House (then called the Executive Mansion) in 1792, just a few years before I was born ;). It was completed in 1800, and Washington actually never got to live there, because he passed away the year before. Here’s where the interesting part comes in though. Washington DC was occupied by British troops during the War of 1812, and the Mansion was burnt down in 1814. It was only when it was rebuilt that it was named the White House. It was rebuilt with ordinary (flammable) stone, and painted white to resemble the original color of the Mansion. The Capitol Building, however, which was completed in 1800 as well, is built with marble (aka the eternal stone), to symbolically imply that the Congress is more essential to the preservation of democracy than is the white house.

The Capitol Building:

Ah, the US Capitol Building, one of the sites I was most excited to see. This building, of course, houses the Congress and Senate, and understanding what happens in this building is key to understanding how the US government operates, and this is a goal I have set for myself. As soon as I get to the building though, I am ambushed by a large group of schoolchildren (some of them pictured above) asking me to take pictures of them. After taking about 15, I am saved by one of their teachers, who thanks me for humoring the kids and explains that this is a traditional trip most schools in the US organize for 8th graders, which I thought was very interesting. I go on to tell her that I just recently moved to the US from Jordan, and that gets her attention. After asking me several general questions about Jordan that I will not bore you with, she actually invites me to walk with the group, and listen to what their tour guide has prepared for them. I was able to avoid eavesdropping this time.
Anyway, here’s the good stuff. A woman at the top of the center of the building represents what is called the “Freedom Statue.” In Western traditions, apparently the female represents concepts of liberty, justice, and equality, while the male symbolizes areas such as law and order. What made me proud though, is that this tradition actually stems from Ancient Egypt! Over time, Greeks and Romans adopted these concepts. The statue of the woman also faces East, toward the sun, to symbolize freedom and enlightenment.

The Washington Monument:

The Washington Monument is a site one cannot avoid seeing from many areas in DC. Again, it looked very simple, but I knew that only meant that there was a lot of history behind it. This time, I picked the tour group I’d listen in on carefully, and chose to follow a group of nicely dressed Europeans avidly taking notes on everything their tour leader was saying. I definitely made the right decision. I swear the tour guide spent at least 20 minutes talking about the Monument, and for good reason as it turns out. This monument was completed in the year 1884, even though the decision made to construct it was made in the early 1830s, by the Washington Society, a private non-profit institution. Members of this organization decided that an obelisk would be best as an official monument to commemorate the first US President. Construction was continuously interrupted due to a lack of funding as well as the start of the Civil War. Again, I was pleased to find out that the Obelisk is also an Egyptian concept that captivated Western cultures. Originally, the Obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra. George Washington is said to have considered Ancient Egyptians one of the greatest civilizations. This is why the institution felt that an Obelisk would be the perfect way to commemorate Washington’s commitment to establishing a “New World Order,” that would preserve freedom, liberty, justice, and equality. To preserve this powerful symbol, nothing in the city of Washington can be higher than this monument, which is approximately 165 meters in height.

Those were some of the major fascinating highlights of my trip. I’ll just let you enjoy some of the other pictures I took now 🙂

“Stay a tourist, forever”

Recently, the weather has been hindering my sense of adventure. A couple of days ago, I vowed that at the first hint the weather was getting better, I’d make my way down to the city, and get something off my bucket list; I would visit the Empire State Building observatory. After carefully examining several weather forecast websites, I had my opportunity. I knew that the building was one of the most famous globally. While I waited for the first signs of sunlight, I did a little bit of research. I decided to purchase my ticket to the 86th floor online, and then upgrade to get to the 102nd floor observatory once I got there in order to avoid the huge crowds that I knew were already lining up. As soon as the sun reappeared, I made my way to the city with great anticipation.

I saw my destination. Words will not be sufficient to describe how tall the building was. I was already in love with the city, and I knew that seeing it from a very new angle would make me love it even more.

The lobby of the building was bustling. Tourists could be distinguished from others by their cameras, and almost every single person around me had one. I commended myself for purchasing my ticket ahead of time. I only had to endure a couple of lines: the one leading to the elevator, and the one leading to the actual observatory. Yet again I was surrounded by the melodic tunes of languages, some of which I couldn’t even identify! As I made my way closer to the last kiosk, I froze at the first glimpse of the view ahead of me. The man at the kiosk literally had to wave his hand in front of my face to bring me back to reality, because what I was seeing was out of this world (excuse the cheesiness.)

The man was laughing hysterically at my intrigue, and I laughed along. Once he pulled himself together, he turned to me and asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Jordan, but that I had moved to the States recently and was still in my tourist phase. Before finally letting me enjoy the full magnificence of the view, he smiled very sincerely and said,
“I’ve lived here my entire life. The city still surprises me every day. No matter what you do, stay a tourist, forever.”

Those words continued to resonate within me as I soaked up the panoramic views of the city I would now be calling home. I now understood what the man at the Kiosk was saying. Looking at the city from this height, one immediately realizes that it would take more than a lifetime to experience all it had to offer. A jolt of adventure came over me, and on the 102nd floor of one of the most magnificent buildings in the world, I made the decision to stay in my tourist bubble, and head to the US capital, Washington DC this weekend into Monday, which marks Memorial Day.

I will be spending the next few days doing several things. First, I am going to figure out exactly what Memorial Day commemorates. Following that process, I will be planning out my schedule in DC, and tentatively choose the monuments and museums I plan on visiting.  If you think there’s a monument, museum, or site that I should not miss in DC, please let me know! With weather permitting Inshallah, I will have amazing pictures and stories for you next week.

Enjoy your weekend 🙂