Another American holiday: Independence Day! Or 4th July as it seems to be referred to by everybody.
I was lucky enough to use some holiday/vacation time and went to Washington, DC to watch the celebrations. With Washington being the Capital of the US, I figured it would be as good a place as any to go.
Although the flights were cheap enough at about $240 return, I thought it would be a good idea to make a mini road trip of the 1200 miles or so round journey. With the price of petrol as it is over here it probably cost half the price of the flights (if that) to get us there and back. If, however, I factor in the cost of the speeding ticket I picked up in Ohio then it would have been cheaper to fly…
The drive was easy enough the whole way there, the hardest part was trying to keep yourself interested when you’re on the same road for 300 or so miles with barely so much as a bend to make you think. Well, that was the case through Indiana and Ohio. As we passed through West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania there were amazing changes in the landscape. Ohio and Indiana, much like the whole of Norfolk back in the UK, is pretty much flat. Through the proceeding States, the landscape reminded more of scenery that I had seen in Thailand. The weather too was very jungle like; lots of mist and very humid as we drove to higher and higher altitudes.
The whole weekend was great with so many things to see and do. I think I ticked off most of the touristy things; The White House, Capitol Hill, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial etc. I was really disappointed to see the famous Reflecting Pool, where Forrest Gump wades through to get to “Jennay”, was just a load of mud and wooden posts as it’s currently being renovated. Also went to the Holocaust museum, which sounds a strange place to go but it was fascinating and I’d recommend anybody to visit.
Click the photo above and it should take you to my Flickr account where you’ll see all the photographs that I uploaded from the trip, including the awesome fireworks show that lasted over 15 minutes. I still think my Dad’s mini pyrotechnics display every 5th November would give them a run for their money … (Americans: Gunpowder Plot 1605 – Google it!!)
Perhaps not a famous landmark in the same sense of the other places I visited, but a trip was made to Ben’s Chili Bowl. This place is famous for it’s chili and all the other food you’d associate with it. Bill Crosby and Barack Obama are some of the famous faces that have eaten there, and their pictures grace the walls inside. It was also featured on the TV show Man Vs Food, which tells you all you need to know about it really. Just to get in there to order there was a huge queue that stretched around the side of the building … something my lower back didn’t need after walking around in flip flops all day in the heat ... Stuart clearly caught the moment, but I WASN’T crying!!
The drive back was so uneventful it doesn’t warrant a comment, other than a pat on the back for successfully avoiding another speeding ticket in Ohio (thank you Mr Cruise Control)!!
The whole weekend was good fun and was great to see the celebrations everywhere, although why anybody would celebrate their independence from Great Britain is beyond me … to paraphrase an Al Murray line: “don’t call it Great f*cking America do they?!” I joke, of course.
