The FDR Memorial, the Museum of Natural History, the Holocaust Museum, the American Indian Museum, the Gallery of 20th-Century Art, the Bureau of Engraving, the National Archives, the U.S. Capitol, the White House and a touring company of Second City, our favorite comedy/improv group.
That’s a partial list of the things Jenny and I didn’t see on our vacation to Washington, D.C. — The District, for those of us with the inside info — a little over a week ago, even though we seemed to be constantly on the move.
Want further evidence of how much there is to do in our nation’s capital? I hope you’re sitting down.
Jenny didn’t have a chance to shop until we hit Reynoldsburg, Ohio, on the drive home. So much for that economic stimulus we were supposed to provide.
But we met a lot of incredibly diverse, friendly people and ate a lot of always good, occasionally exotic food — you know us — all because we wanted to share our enjoyment with you. We’re unselfish that way. So here goes:
• En route — One of the toughest parts of the two-day drive out was getting railroaded in Terre Haute (go figure) 10 minutes into our trip.
Had supper at Zanesville, Ohio, where we learned that “casual dining” can mean different things to different people (having filet mignon as a special isn’t very casual in my book) and that most of the trip follows U.S. 40. That’s not necessarily a good thing in Wheeling, W.Va., where the National Road went from highway to street and back several times before we found our hotel for the night.
Some of my new favorite towns are Washington, Pa., home of the Wild Things (the ballpark is right alongside I-70); Cumberland, Md. (western Maryland, by the way, is another place that doesn’t get enough credit for being gorgeous); and Leesburg, Va., which is such a historic community that instead of a building permit, contractors are issued a “Certificate of Appropriateness.”
Unfortunately we enjoyed the quaintness of Leesburg because we missed a turn (I blame our computerized directions) and were lost for about 90 minutes on what should have been the last 10 miles of the trip. Don’t tell the kids about this.
But we arrived safely, I was able to persuade Jenny to have some Indian food for supper (and she liked it! Taj Mahal, here we come) and we met a nice man from Nepal (he was our waiter) and some lovely Hispanic women who let us use their discount card to save some grocery money. Found some great sodas from the Caribbean, flavors including banana, tamarind, pineapple (but alas, no Jupina), guava, apple and something called Golden Kola which turned out to be cream soda.
• First day — We figured out the subway system pretty quickly (anybody headed to The District in the near future might want our SmartTrip cards that still have a couple of bucks on them), and it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to emerge from underground at the Smithsonian stop on the Orange Line to bright sunshine with the Capitol in front of you, the Department of Agriculture to your right, the Museum of Natural History to your left and the Washington Monument behind you.
Plenty of lump-in-the-throat moments as we saw the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Museum of American History. The downside was that our enthusiasm failed to take into account the amount of walking involved (at least 5 miles, I’m figuring) and it was hot, although at least there was a breeze. We went to the museum strictly for the air conditioning, although while there we saw the original Old Glory and an exhibit on the First Ladies, among other things.
I’ve heard Mary Todd Lincoln had some mental problems, which I think may have stemmed from being cinched into her inaugural gown (18-inch waist, max). Also impressed by the flapper dress worn at inauguration by Grace Coolidge (hopefully scandalous), and Lucy Hayes looked like nobody to mess with.
• Couple of gripes — I’m still curious about a couple of things: why you can turn left at an intersection and be on one street, or turn right and be on the same one but with a different name, or why the Herndon folks use the same name for more than one street. There were at least two Centreville Roads, for example, although the Centreville exit put you on neither one of them.
And did you know you can’t trust the internet? Our second-day dinner was planned with the help of the Washingtonian’s Cheap Eats list, yet we found ourselves in the Ralph Lauren Building (our first clue) in a stark silver and white room (our second clue) having sea bass and roasted zucchini (the final proof these weren’t cheap eats). But that was just the prelude to …
• The Nationals — First in war, first in peace and last in the American League is what folks used to say about the original Washington Senators, and the switch to the National League is the only difference in the city’s current major league (or almost) team.
My old friends Ed and Linda McKee share a season-ticket package and had two seats available for a makeup game with the Cardinals, so we were able to use those tickets since nobody wants to watch St. Louis (Actually that’s a lie. Nobody in the subway had Nationals gear, but every third person was wearing something Cardinal-related; pretty sure mine was the only Cubs hat).
Enjoyed the game for three innings and the visit (and Carrie McKee’s wedding pictures) even more, and then the rains came. We took advantage of the break in the action to visit the concession stands, which obviously weren’t used to a big demand and immediately ran out of hot dogs — which was fine, because they didn’t have any mustard. Need more evidence the team still has a little ways to go yet? There are virtually no parking lots at the ballpark (although subway convenience is great), and you can’t see their games on TV without a special package.
• Things we did see — The National Gallery of Art is very nice (Jenny likes the realists, but I’m still stuck on Monet and Renoir and the French Impressionists); Union Station is very nice and will make you want to take a train ride somewhere; Arlington Cemetary is everything you expect it to be (many more lumps in the throat), with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guarded 24-7 (including during hurricanes); and I loved the Newseum, the recently opened museum of the news media. No Tribune-Stars on display that day, but a Post-Tribune (now from Merrillville, not Gary) was the Indiana paper featured among the selection of daily front pages from around the world, to give me some alumnus cred. Still haven’t learned Portuguese, but I could tell the paper from Brazil was pretty upset about Felipe Massa.
It doesn’t cost much to get into the Newseum, by the way, but that’s not the best news. All the other attractions have been FREE (although for a couple you have to get up pretty early to get a free ticket).
• Things we learned — Finally got smart enough to get a Tourmobile pass the last two days (although a nice Scottish lady we met thought 20 pounds was pretty expensive). Not only did we get to ride instead of walking so much, but I think we are now honorary members of the P.A.W. Reunion (Peterson-Adams-Waters) after spending so much bus time with them.
• Things we ate — Best new fast-food chain we found was Fresh City, which is exactly as advertised (I’ll vouch for the salmon burritos and the salads). Also had our first experience with Vietnamese food (noodle bowls you can pretty much season yourself; they start out good and get better as you go). And although the two-streets-with-the-same-name thing turned my five-mile trip into an hour excursion, Five Guys is still a superior burger destination. As all Food Channel devotees know, Whole Foods is a nice grocery store too.
Saw a bunch of Salvadoran restaurants, but didn’t get a chance to try them, and the Brazilian cuisine was too expensive. Also didn’t eat the Afghan or Ethiopian food, although there was an Ethiopian church a block away and a Hispanic church across the street.
• To summarize — All the stuff you’ll read online will tell you to take an umbrella and expect to walk, and in this case the internet is correct. You’ll never run out of things to do. We were told if we spent one minute at every Smithsonian exhibit (I think there are 17 of their museums) and went every day, you could see all of their stuff in 100 years, for example. The kids want us to go back and take them with them, and we’re considering it — if somehow we can get in better shape.
Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. for comments or news items at (812) 231-4277 or 1-800-783-8742; by e-mail at andy.amey@tribstar.com; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
Amey Takes Aim
Amey Takes Aim: Amey vacation: A return trip to The District might be in order
- Amey Takes Aim
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Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs to put TVs to good use
If Jenny had known, she probably wouldn’t have bought that TV.
But four or five years ago, my Fathers Day present — for those unfamiliar with Amey family traditions, the Fathers Day one is “let’s get something we all really want and pretend it’s a gift for Dad” — was a 42-inch Vizio. It’s been used even more than the cell phone I never would have bought for myself, or the TomTom that disappeared since Jenny’s smartphone arrived.
And it came with high-def.
I’m not going to insult you by telling you how great high-def is, because to do so would be to imply that you are even farther behind the technological curve than I am. I’m guessing, however, that not all of you have yet discovered what it does for hockey. -
Amey Takes Aim: Can’t bottle the joy of Amey vacations
The first bad sign was the Gatorade bottle.
In the Bataan-Death-March drive to Orlando that got the Amey family spring break vacation off to a bad start, seeing it between lanes of I-24 — as we zipped along at a 100-miles-in-five-hours clip — filled with an ominous yellow liquid was a little bit scary. And although we didn't stop to check for sure, I'm fairly certain I knew about its contents.
And the person stuck in the same traffic jam with us, the one with the existential license plate YMIHR4, couldn’t have asked a more pertinent question.
But, after seeing a lot more of Oak Grove, Ky., than we’d planned, and after enduring more traffic slowdowns in Nashville, we were on our way. Even some rain in the dark in the Smokies didn’t slow us down much, so you would think our first-day troubles were over.
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ANDY AMEY: Farewell to basketball
I believe you’ve heard me say before — just about a year ago, perhaps — that a boys high school basketball season that ends with the Tribune-Star in Bankers Life Fieldhouse can’t be considered a bad one, which is why we have a little celebrating to do thanks to the Linton Miners.
Lover of irony that I am, I’ve also got to point out that this season was another branch sprouting from the Wabash Valley’s most legendary coaching tree, that of Joe Hart.
Joe never got much credit for his work at Dugger, but he took Brody Boyd, Clark Golish and the Bulldogs to a state championship game in 2000, and since then three of his former players — Joe Pigg, Clint Swan and now Joey Hart, his son — also have coached teams in the final game of the season.
Joe probably wishes he could take credit for Doc Nash, another down-home type who gave a banjo lesson earlier Saturday in leading Borden past a bigger, more athletic Triton team (banjo lesson is a Howard Sharpism, for you younger readers), but his lineage is still the best I can think of around here. -
AMEY TAKES AIM: Maroons, Rox final a true Classic
I don’t make predictions nearly as often as I used to, but I had one several months ago that was proven correct last week.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Nitpicking aside, West Vigo Hall of Fame selections spot on
I can’t imagine a better first class of inductees into the West Vigo High School Athletics Hall of Fame than the one that was feted Saturday night in the Jim Mann Green Dome.
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Tough bunch of people
I’m getting my warm clothes ready for a trip to Linton this week, and if a few thrills from the Miners, Casey or North Vermillion happen the next couple of weeks, I hope I get to see them.
But high school football is over in Vigo County for the season — as coach Chris Barrett of Terre Haute North said, prematurely — and I’m sadder to see it go than usual.
Walking the sidelines and doing midweek or postgame interviews enables me to meet quite a few of the guys whose names you are about to read, and haven’t been more impressed than I was this fall. What outstanding groups of young men. What a tough, tough bunch of people.
Many know that one of my favorite athletic adjectives appeared consecutively in the previous sentence. -
AMEY TAKES AIM: A weekend to remember with ISU’s ’72 football team
They’re all still pretty hale and hearty, the boys of the fall of 1972 who returned to campus over the weekend to honor their former football coach.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: ISU reunion raises more questions than answers
One of the wrestlers I used to hang out with occasionally claimed to be a pretty good second-story man — although he may have just been talking, since I never saw any of the goods — and it was with him in mind that I was able to get access to the Indiana State Wrestling Alumni Reunion late Saturday night.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Deciding not to ‘vacate’ during ‘vacation’ – & other ventures
Flaunting the law, setting a bad example for the kids in other ways, grooming and acquiring dogs … not a typical Amey family vacation, but an appreciated one just the same.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Huntsville’s Stars, Havoc take back seat to GGS
The second-best thing about the Amey family’s spring-break trip to Huntsville, Ala., is that we left a lot of things on the table to do the next time we’re down there.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Rox well represented on Amey teams
If having the state finals in town makes it a successful girls high school basketball season, then certainly having a team to follow at the state finals makes it a very successful boys high school basketball season . . .
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A feeling of pride, not disappointment, comes from watching Rox play
It’s not going to come as a startling admission that I — once the rest of the local opposition has been eliminated from consideration — am an unabashed fan of whatever team the Wabash Valley sends onward in postseason high school sports competition.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: This private school plays basketball the right way
Any girls high school basketball season that ends with state championship games in Hulman Center is a pretty good one — even though I wished I’d seen Riverton Parke and Seeger knock off a couple of private schools the week before to even the public school-private school battle a little bit.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Even 2 of state’s best once had doubts
Look at them now.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Getting ready for the dance
Terre Haute North got the good news Sunday night — or did it?
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Harrowing path for state hopefuls
The bad news is that the winner of Class 4A Sectional 13 in boys basketball heads northeast instead of southeast for regional play in March — to Hinkle Fieldhouse instead of Seymour as a result of Indiana High School Athletic Association’s changes.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A superior all-star arrangement
I don’t work on Wednesdays, so I wasn’t able to attend the first Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association draft last week to set up the annual all-star game that will be June 23 this year.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
There are more things to love about the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic than could fit in this newspaper, but one of this year’s best things was that for an hour or so on Wednesday, it was Justin Paddock’s world and we were just living in it.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Taking note of ISU’s latest football win
The biggest difference I’ve noticed, as I transition from the high school football beat to quasi-official status as the Indiana State football beat writer for a few weeks, is the length of the games.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: IHSAA playoff draw not as bad as it could have been
First reaction to the Indiana sectional football pairings drawn late Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association? It could have been a lot worse.
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ANDY AMEY: Between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & a hard place
Just in case any of you noticed — with some anticipation — the recent lack of my bylines, I can tell you that your wish (and mine) did come true. It was vacation week for the Amey family.
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Amey Takes Aim: UFC fighter’s bloodines traced back to ISU brothers
As a mild-mannered reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper — or thereabouts — I admit I haven’t paid much attention to the burgeoning mixed martial arts scene.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Predators’ win is music to new fan’s ears
For many, many years, the number of live games televised on WGN has been cited as perhaps the main reason for the popularity of the Chicago Cubs (it’s got to be something besides masochism, right?).
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AMEY TAKES AIM: You’ll be having a good ol’ time on vacation with the Ameys
When one of the first people you meet is Tammy Wynette’s stepdaughter, when you’ve stepped on the feet of people you haven’t met while trying to navigate Ernest Tubbs’ old Silver Eagle tour bus, and when the activities director of your resort is, well, Elvis, you might be vacationing in Nashville.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The Annual All-Amey basketball teams close out the prep season
The most encouraging boys high school basketball event I’ve attended so far in 2011 has been the Lafayette Semistate a couple of weeks ago.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Family remembers Cheryl Weatherman as caring grandmother
As far as Riley and Keely Davis are concerned, Cheryl Weatherman was simply their grandmother, and a pretty darn good one at that.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Honor to see Turkey Run girls close out memorable career
I don’t know if anyone in this part of the state could actually say they enjoy going to Fort Wayne and back, but I was glad to see the Turkey Run Warriors play one last time during the girls basketball state finals Saturday.
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So many matches, so many favorites
Go ahead, ask me anything about the 224 wrestlers who competed last week at the Indiana state finals — or at least about the 112 wrestlers who survived Saturday’s first round.
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ANDY TAKES AIM: A sportwriters’s lament: Oh, the games we missed
I was already tired of winter by the time that first bitterly cold snap passed through in mid-December, so it’s safe to say the season hasn’t grown on me.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Time of the season for teams to tough it out
In the last month or so I figure I’ve seen at least four boys high school basketball teams with legitimate state-championship dreams as the season heads into its dog days.
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