Downtown Washington DC

I finally ventured downtown on my own, which of course turned out not to be a big deal as far as finding my way around was concerned. As long as I'm carrying a map and there are streets signs, I don't usually get lost.

I got off at Union Station and walked back towards the Mall and my objective for the day, the National Museum of American History, along E Street because that seemed like a sort of American thing to do: streets aren't named by letters in Australia. I was looking for roadside stands selling t-shirts, which I'd been told I might find at F and 12th Streets but didn't, but instead right outside the museum on Constitution Avenue (I think). 3 t-shirts for $10 seems like a pretty good deal to me, and I got some really pretty ones for all my immediate female relatives.

What most impressed me as I walked along these streets mainly lined with businesses/hotels/govt offices (not many shops in evidence) was the solidity of the buildings. They're not particularly tall - mostly around ten storeys I'd say - but boy are they massive. I think their plainness makes them look more solid too. The equivalent buildings in Perth are in quite a different architectural style, more ornate and with a lot more decorative brick and stone work.

The Museum of American History was very interesting, but after an hour and a half I was sated and exhausted. When I got home I looked through the information booklet I picked up at the information desk and realised just how much I'd missed. I think I'll have to go back at least once more. I found the layout very confusing, with spaces kind of opening out into each other, and even with a map in hand it took me ages to find my way to a bathroom. I kept walking past the same sections again from different angles.

When I emerged to have lunch, some kind of rally was going on in the National Mall, so I made a point of sitting close enough to it to listen while I was eating. It was some group called "Marriage Under Fire" with lots of ranting about how American society is under threat from people trying to redefine marriage. One speaker said trying to redefine marriage is like trying to redefine the law of gravity! (Because it's a law of nature set out by God just like the law of gravity is, don't you know).