Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Round The World 2015
Focus on Georgetown
It was 'back to work' for Bruce today. He grabbed some early-morning sustenance from the lounge in time for an 0800 start, while I went through my usual morning routine and then had a more leisurely breakfast in the lounge. The weather looked beautiful from indoors, with clear blue skies in all directions. The forecast, however, was for a daytime high of just 5C. Add in a brisk northwesterly wind and the effective high was due to be around freezing point ... brrr!
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| Crystal City metro |
My outline plan for today was to visit the historic neighbourhood of Georgetown, in northwest Washington. In view of the predicted weather conditions, however, I thought it prudent to make a tactical adjustment. I decided to abandon my original plan to take the metro to Rosslyn and walk across the Key Bridge to my target area. Instead, I rode the Yellow and Red lines to Tenleytown, where I had a quick Starbucks - yes, I was half-frozen already! - before making the fifteen-minute walk downhill to Washington National Cathedral. This way, I would not only avoid a lengthy walk across an exposed bridge; I would also get to see the National Cathedral for the first time and (here's the clever bit!) hopefully get to spend some quality time indoors, away from the bitter cold.
And what an absolutely magnificent sight this glorious building made, in the bright and sunny conditions of a crisp November morning. Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the nation's capital envisaged a "great church for national purposes", but the aspiration was not realised during the original construction of Washington DC. The dream resurfaced towards the close of the nineteenth century and the foundation stone was laid in 1907, but the National Cathedral was not completed until 1990. Given that it was a late addition to the cityscape, it is perhaps not surprising that it lies well outside the central area. While this stunning Neo-Gothic structure is not the tallest building in the city, its commanding location on Mount St Alban nevertheless makes it the highest.
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After taking a good look around the outside, I made my way into the relative warmth and comfort of the interior. I discovered that this cathedral is actually the seat of two bishops: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, and the local diocesan bishop for Washington DC. Highlights of the interior included the west rose window, the soaring vaulted ceiling above the nave, the flags and emblems of all fifty states, the intricately carved pulpit (made of stone from Canterbury Cathedral), a number of side chapels, the choir stalls, and of course the high altar and its superb reredos. I hadn't been entirely sure what to expect from a cathedral of such relatively recent construction, but in the event I was deeply impressed by the building's timeless design and sheer beauty, and by the sense of stature and gravitas that it seemed to bring to its intended role.
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After having a light lunch in the cathedral café, I set off past the neighbouring, small St Alban's parish church and headed downhill into Georgetown. In due course I veered off to the right (i.e. the west) in order to take in the campus of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States. It was instantly clear that some of the buildings on this historic campus were both striking and attractive. I could easily see that many others were also of potential interest, but unfortunately my visit coincided with a period when a great deal of maintenance work was being undertaken, which did not make sightseeing particularly easy. Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to return at some future time, when all the work has been completed.
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| ABOVE: Walking downhill from the National Cathedral to Georgetown | |||||
| BELOW: Georgetown University, founded by the Jesuit order | |||||
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I then walked eastwards, mostly along M Street, eventually arriving at the National Geographic Museum. This venture is, of course, an offshoot of the highly respected magazine of the same name. There were two displays at the time of my visit: a photographic exhibit on endangered species and a multimedia exhibit on archaeological interpretation, the latter featuring the popular Indiana Jones movies.
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| ABOVE: Walking eastwards from Georgetown in chilly November sunshine | |||||
| BELOW: The National Geographic Museum on 17th Street NW | |||||
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With
my revised objectives for the day now completed, I made my way to
nearby Farragut West metro station and took a Blue Line train direct
to Crystal City. Later, Bruce and I had cocktails in Bell20,
followed by dinner at the local branch of Chipotle Mexican Grill.