Thursday: Washington, DC: Day 2

Another enlightening and sweltering day in our nation's capital. Saw some good stuff, although long lines ate up a lot of time. In no particular order: Ford's Theater and the Petersen House, where Abraham Lincoln was shot and where he died. I just like these sites where we can still see where history turned. And both sites have small but very well-designed museums covering Lincoln as President, the events leading to his assassination, the hunt for Booth, and the trial of his co-conspirators. Very good job, National Park Service. Speaking of which, I bought my National Park Passport today. Also, I went to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. For this, I was slightly underwhelmed. The rotunda is very awe-inspiring but for some reason seeing the actual parchment did not move me. Maybe the difference is that seeing the actual derringer that Booth used to kill Lincoln connects back to a singular moment, while the foundational documents are just one instantiation of much bigger ideas. Still, there was a moment when those rich white dudes had to stick their necks out and sign something telling the King of England to kindly piss off, but I didn't connect to it. Maybe it's just because the crowd was cranky forvwaiting 45 minutes and the lights are so low and the ink so faded that you can't read the damn things. I also stopped at the Old Post Office tower (DC doesn't have much of a skyline to appreciate), the Museum of Crime and Punishment (amusing but sensationalized and not worth twenty bucks), the U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center (small and worth looking around for twenty minutes), and the National Building Museum (unexpectedly awesome; it is in a huge old federal building and has some really thoughtfully curated exhibits, particularly one about the development of houses and homes throughout American history; don't miss it.) Dinner was a lobster roll; I have never had one, but I want more. Tomorrow, more museums and some monuments for variety.