DC 3.0

I went to the National Mall on Wednesday. I got on a bus that went through picturesque Georgetown and then got out at around 17th and H, a couple of blocks from the White House.

I am not too pleased with my photos, I don't know why, maybe it's because in the winter you're racing against the fading of the light, so I felt rushed. And I guess I didn't want to be sightseeing alone.



I had ALL this ground to cover!
On the west end is the Lincoln Memorial, then follow the mall east and you see the Washington Monument. South of the WM is the Jefferson Memorial, and North of the WM is the White House. Then there is the mall lined with representative institutions of the nation, and at the east end is the Capitol, which is the center from where the city is split into Quadrants.




The back of the White House near the Ellipse. I decided to see the front after I'd come back round from walking the Mall.


The Washington Monument is separated from the White House by the great Ellipse, just a giant grass oval.



Slightly zoomed in view west to the Lincoln Memorial and WWII Memorial, from my position under the Washington Memorial


Very zoomed in view south to the Jefferson Memorial from under the Washington Memorial


From the Wash. Mem. :--- North - there's the front of the White House I was looking for, South to the Jefferson Mem., East to the Lincoln Mem.


Standing in the central point of the Mall, at the old Smithsonian Castle, view north across the Mall to the Museum of Natural History. Then look east back towards the Washington Mem, and west to the distant US Capitol.


Look north to the Justice Department


While I am standing southerly in front of the Hirshhorn Museum


Built in 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian


Very pleasing lines, don't you agree?


The National Air & Space Museum. Like many of the Museums along the mall, all part of the Smithsonian Institution


The National Gallery of Art across north from the Air/Space Museum


Finally at the Capitol


A statue of Meade in front of the US Courthouse


The National Gallery of Art as it faces Pennsylvania Avenue. I was now on my way back round to find the front of the White House


The National Archives of the United States of America, this building is vast. It was the last photo I took because the light was really going. I didn't make it to the front of the White House - but I got close on 14th and G, and should have turned west.

However, I kept seeing signs for Metro Center to the east, and I really needed to top up my metro card and find a restroom. So, walked past Macy's, got on the metro 7 stops to Friendship Heights (my new neighborhood), which I swear only took 10-12 minutes - YAY!

I went into Mazza Gallerie which is a mall, home to Neiman Marcus, Ann Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Williams Sonoma, and a few other rather exclusive shops. I don't need to go back there for a looooong time. I will in future make do with the T J Maxx across the road and have a look around for the younger Ann Taylor Loft, which I love.

It was dark out by then so I got on a bus that would take me back down to where I'm staying. What I like about the buses here is that the names of the stops are announced, so you know when to get off. The whole reason I usually avoid buses is I feel lost and out of control, and I like the subway because at least I know what stops are coming and I can get out and find my way from there. Another good thing is the bus stops are 1.5 blocks apart, so you never have to hunt for one or get lost in between them.

One day I will go into all those museums, but hey, I'm going to live here so I have plenty of time - let's just hope I don't keep putting it off for that same reason.

I didn't show you the FBI, the State Department, and so many other buildings radiating out from the mall - the heart of the city, the brain center of the nation.

DC 0.5

On the way to the Capital.

The day started gloriously sunny, as usual, but soon thickened into an English greyness, which is unusual in these parts.

I woke up with a painful lower back for no obvious reason, so I called a taxi to come take me to Penn Station, rather than fighting with stairs and anyway, my suitcase was too heavy for me even at 100%.

The train was quiet, comfortable, peaceful, clean, and felt very safe. The other passengers refrained from talking on the phone, some slept, some stared out the window, did work, read, or listened to their iPods. It almost felt as though I had the car to myself.

There is something retro about the design of the diesel cars, and very similar to American Airlines - both shiny metal tubes with red, white, and blue stripes down the middle. In fact, it did feel like a plane more than a train because there was no clackety clack, it just flew along the track. The interior was very airline-like too, though the seats were the softest I've ever sat in, anywhere. Three and a half hours sitting and I forgot I even had a bum, they were that comfy.

We passed through about 4 states, stopped at two airports, and made stops along the way in New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; Baltimore, Maryland; and finally Washington, D.C.

This is what I saw:


The Chesapeake Bay off the Maryland coast.
An abandoned power station near Philadelphia.
Every station we stopped at had a sign that pointed to Boston one way and Washington the other, well I wonder which way I was going?


First I did the crossword in the Amtrak Arrive magazine, then I read it. Gordon Ramsay was being interviewed, and I never knew he was actually nice to people in real life. Then I flipped through the railway version of the Sky Mall magazine. There are things in those magazines you never knew you needed and you go through all the phases of wanting them, envisioning them in the house you will have one day, talking yourself out of it, and then forgetting about them all until the next time you travel and pick up the evil magazine in the back of the seat.

The parts of Philly and Baltimore I saw from the train look like Harlem or the Bronx did 20 years ago: abandoned lots, burnt out boarded up rowhouses, and so on, but this is only following on the boarded up factories and steel plants. They both seem to have more graffiti than NYC. The graffiti cops, having done their job up in Noo Yawk, need to move down there now. You can see the new attempts at revitalization, like many cities nowadays. You know, riverside warehouse condos, etc.

The odd thing about Baltimore is that, even though it is in Maryland,
which is part of the South, it feels like a northern town. And indeed
it did seem as though it is on the border. Maybe this is why these
states (Md, Va, DC) are known as the mid-Atlantic states, because of
the dichotomy between North and South here.

The further south we went, industry began to fall away and it felt less gritty. In Maryland there were extensive swathes of fields, just fields, winding roads along winding rivers, belts of trees, some white picket fence villages, two cows, scattered homesteads, docks on water, and boats. When you live in a city you forget that it is still possible to leave a tract of land unused...

Finally we pulled into Union Station and I got on the Metro to Dupont Circle where my hostess CC picked me up and dropped me off at the house before heading back to work. It was very nice of her to do that.

I am staying in Glover Park, near Georgetown, in one of the cutest houses I have ever stepped foot in. It looks small from the front, but it goes on forever at the back, where the front two levels expands into four because it's built into a hill.

I met the dog Carlye (a thinker with a tail of iron), and the cats Carrot (a silent socializer) and Melly (a talkative recluse).
Carrots looooves me. He purred and slept all over my sweaters all afternoon, then he moved on to my laptop sleeve, followed by my scarf. I had to shove him off so I could put it on to go out later, but at least it was all warmed up for me :)




So as I said, the place is so cute, I can't not show you!

It's very Arts & Crafts, built in the 1920s, much like our old house in London in many ways, even down to the leaded windows and glass doorknobs. But there is a lot more warm wood here. I was pleased to note that the doors are original, as is much of the cabinetry outside the kitchen, and even the floors, which do not creak one bit. Also, there are so many rooms and nooks and crannies - larges spaces mixed with small. But no space too small. I have my own floor in what would normally be the basement although there is a balcony.


This is a proper old marble washstand with modern plumbing.



My bedroom with the bathroom attached. Spot the cat?



The hearth and...spot the cat?



The bed surrounded by stained glass.



The guest living room adjoining the bedroom. To the right are stairs up to the main level (kitchen, dining room, parlor).




A screened balcony off the guest living room. To the left, a laundry room as well as stairs to the sub-basement which again is not really a basement because it too overlooks the neighborhood.




Looking inside from the balcony. It's like an outdoor room.


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I picked a good week to visit. The region is bracing for its first (very late) snowstorm of the season on Tuesday. Yes, a full inch (2.54 cm) of snow - bringing the city nearly to a halt. NY has had much more than this and just keeps going. But they're all excited down here about their inch of snow.

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In the evening, I followed my nose to the Whole Foods we'd passed in the car on the way to the house. The people look normal down here so far and less "inbred" than generational city dwellers tend to do. Probably because they're all from somewhere else, other cities, other coasts, and small towns all across America. In this area especially, the streets seem lined with dollhouses and dollhouse street lamps. There is also a kind of Southern-cum-English (but not London) feel to it.

More tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Scouting Trip

On Monday, I'm off to Washington, D.C. for a week to explore the city, look at housing, and hopefully go to an interview or two.

But - no matter what happens, I am moving there in a couple of weeks! Probably on Valentine's Day...

...Hopefully into a big sunny room in a townhouse, with window seats, a wall of closets, and my own bathroom...

Stay tuned.

I've arranged to stay in a pretty house in Georgetown owned by a nice couple with a dog and a cat - in a room kind of similar to the one I will be looking at, actually, but with the addition of a private attached living room.

Packing boxes and moving again scares me! I've moved 4 times in the past two years. This is ridiculous. I must find a home now, so wherever I settle in the coming month has to be right, because I am not planning on moving again for a long time.

Aveda Day

I would venture to guess that it is definitely midwinter. You see what I did there?

We've had a number of days near freezing, and the past week has been below freezing. Yesterday it went all the way up to 42F/5C and people were wearing sweaters and jackets. I was hot in mine. I went out to get some more substantial winter gloves than the ones I have now. The current cold snap blew in last night with winds that rounded the corner and shook the house - and my bed with me in it.


Ralph Lauren - no surprise there, as I am a proper RL girl. Eye-catching gold buttons (I love buttons don't you know?) with cuffs of finest suede. But the lining is not thick enough to keep my fingers from aching and the sensitive nerve in my left ring finger from shooting pains when the temps go below a certain point.
By the way, that's my flannel winter sheet set underneath. Honestly, the preparation you need to live in these cold places! I have never needed to own so many types of clothing and textiles as I do now.




Ugg - definite surprise there and probably the last brand I ever imagined owning. I hate their skanky boots (with a passion) but I spent an hour evaluating hundreds of gloves and these came out on top with the padded cashmere lining and a little extra space above each fingertip creates a bubble of warmth. I love how buttery soft the leather is, and found out it's because they are deerskin. Wow.
One question, though: When do Australians need to wear gloves?

So today it was a frigid 21F/-6C and I ventured out to get a haircut - it had gone totally wild.
Normally my Aveda is in SoHo between Prince and Houston streets, but it's being renovated, so the staff are camping out at the Aveda Institute in Greenwich Village, only a few blocks over. The place is huge at 4,000 square feet, with high ceilings, saturated with light, with stations well-spaced out. The decor is like Thai Arizona, with cacti and succulents scattered about on shelves and in clusters on the floor, and many forms of antique Thai wood carvings hanging from the ceiling, mirrors and decorative pieces on various wall areas, some marble lotus bowls on the reception desk, and even golden temple bells in the window.

What I love about Aveda is ... everything. Sometimes, you really get what you pay for.

1. You arrive and change into a luxurious silky black kimono.
   
2. Once you're in the chair, the first thing your stylist does is give an honest to goodness shoulder, neck and upper arm massage. (I always have tense shoulders.)
   
3. Earrings, rings, and watch go into a little olive wood bowl.
4. The assistant washes your hair and gives a scalp massage, and whatever specialized treatment you need (I had a moisture infusion).
5. Back in your seat, you have a cup of herbal tea.
6. Your stylist offers a choice of aromatherapy oils for another little head massage.
7. A cape goes on over the kimono, THEN you get a haircut...
8. ...and a rinse, so you don't have to wash it when you get home.
9. Right around the time the stylist brings out the blowdryer, balms and pomades, another assistant comes round with a hot towel for your hands, and some enriching lotion for a hearty hand massage.
10. A final brush down for stray hairs and you're off.

I try to limit this to once every two months, but for under $100 it is so worth it. And surprisingly, costs only a little more than the salon where we used to live in The Woodlands. Slight comfort there.

Despite the subarctic temperatures (and the annoying wet eyes and runny nose they give me), I went on a little walking adventure. I took the subway from Greenwich Village to Chinatown and went to a little dim sum place near the dental office where I used to work ;)

I had 3 types of steamed dumpling: duck, shrimp and chive, and crab. They were quite pretty too, and one set was green. It was only after I'd eaten them - inhaled them rather - that I realized I had forgotten to take a photo for you.

I like the condiments they provided: one dish of ground onion, garlic and ginger, another of vinegar and chili oil, and another of dried shredded smoked duck in chili oil. I mixed them together and slathered it all over my dumplings :)

Then I decided to try tiny fried whitefish seasoned with salt, onion, and chili - you know, what the Chinese takeaways usually sprinkle on fried chicken wings or fried squid. The whitefish were absolutely tiny with little black specks for eyes.

On the way to Canal Street for the train home, I walked through Federal Plaza, which you are familiar with from previous photos. I took in the quietness around City Hall, the courthouses, and the federal and municipal buildings in the dark and cold.


First hasty shot without flash



Took more time to frame the shot and used flash (but couldn't wait to get my gloves back on)

Which one do you prefer?

P.S. It may snow Thursday, and temps are set to drop further, with the high on Friday at 14F (-10C). How can it be colder than it is now???

Frick and Friends

I know, I have about 3 memes to catch up with in the next few days!  :)

At the beginning of the week, it rained, which turned to sleet, which turned to wet snow.  

It stuck a little bit.

It would not have been nice if the wet roads had frozen, but at the most it settled, became slushy.  By Wednesday all was reduced to a falling mist which obscured the tops of buildings.  On Thursday, the sun was laser bright.

But today there was a snowstorm that had the city scrambling to salt the roads.  Like clockwork, half the neighborhood was out shoveling driveways and scraping the sidewalks because the snow turned to sleet which is fast becoming freezing rain as darkness falls.  Ooh, I think I just saw some winter lightning, yep, and there's the thunder.

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Thursday, the day of falling mist, I went into town to meet fellow blogger Rick (oh he of Palm Springs fame) for breakfast at the Waldorf-Astoria, which is the done thing, like tea at the Ritz.

A couple of jetsetters are we, to meet twice in the same year in two different world cities.  I enjoy this tradition and hope it continues.

Eggs Benedict seems to be the dish of choice for breakfast, but as I was not very hungry I had a bagel instead and now regret that decision because I am not likely to go back anytime soon.

The Waldorf-Astoria is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen.  Like the city of New York, it is full of Art Deco detail (the present incarnation of the W-A having been opened in 1931), so much that my eyes were overwhelmed and I would have taken photos of the corners of everything if I hadn't felt so self conscious about it.

The Waldorf-Astoria looms over St Bartholomew's 

So I made do with a quick shot of one of the elevator doors

...And a view of the Park Avenue (exterior) lobby.  The Main (interior) lobby was more like the heart:  darker and warmer, with an ezquisite central clock flanked by the Peacock Alley restaurant.

After breakfast, I wandered into St Bartholomew's for the midday Holy Eucharist but left before it started because the only people in there were two Polish women gossiping behind me, a businessman who went to the front to pray for a few minutes, and the permanent fixtures, a handful of snoring bums installed at the ends of the pews.  I suppose it would have been unchristian of the ladies at reception to turn them away.

Feeling unusually discouraged by the quietness I skipped the free Baroque Christmas concert too and re-emerged into the light of day to start my trek uptown.

This is when I like New York City - along the great Avenues - when I have my great impressionistic moments.  Looks like I'm more of a city girl than I'd thought.

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I had told Rick I might visit the Frick Collection, and I was true to my word.  I walked 20 blocks uptown on Park Avenue and then cut across to Fifth, which took about half an hour and soon found myself at this neat little mansion/museum, former home of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick (protege of Andrew Carnegie).

Of all sources outside the collection's website, my longtime subscription The New York Social Diary has perhaps the best pictures of the interior along with a great deal of enlightening social column-style gossip on Mr Frick and his circle.

The Frick is one of the best private collections in America, containing lots of Renaissance bronze sculptures, a few pieces bequeathed by his contemporary John D Rockefeller, a number of Old Masters and medieval Italian panels, some works by Vermeer, Constable, and others I recognized as in:  "Oh, wow! I didn't know this was here."

I also greatly appreciated the small jewel-like Boucher Room (see NYSD), like a tiny and perfect ballroom: candy-toned Boucher wall panels and little Louis XV mechanical tables, complete with 17th century creaking parquet floor shipped from France.

Frick was not a great fan of James McNeill Whistler, yet these musically-themed pieces were perhaps my favorite pieces in the collection.  On a musical theme, L to R:

1 - Harmony in Pink and Grey:  Portrait of Lady Meux, 1881-82

2 - Arrangement in Brown and Black:  Portrait of Miss Rosa Corder, 1876-78

3 - Symphony in Flesh Colour and Pink:  Portrait of Mrs Frances Leyland, 1872-73

4 - Arrangement in Black and Gold:  Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac, 1891-92

Mr Frick's collection perfectly mirrors his simple personal tastes.  There is little violence, mostly serenity.  According to the video presentation in the Music Room, after a particularly harrowing day, Mr Frick might stroll through the darkened halls to his Gallery, turn on the light, and sit for an hour or more on one couch and then another, absorbing beauty into his soul.

Another go

This may surprise you - actually no it won't, you know me better than that - but I've been looking at jobs in the Washington DC Metro area for a couple of weeks now.  

I can see that New York is not going to give me the life I want and I don't have time to force the issue.  Before it turns into another London, I have decided to look at places with a lower cost of living and a different lifestyle.  

All the jobs that suit my mind are concentrated there.  Some of you may know that I've been wanting to go since college, and others may remember that before I left London, it was very high on my list.  I wish I'd gone waaaay before the elections though.

DC is not New York and it doesn't want to be, which really annoys the expat New Yorkers.  It's more conservative in style and habit.  I have never needed hipness or a vibe, whatever they mean.  

It has the feel of a smaller town and is in fact more compact, less populous, a bit slower.  A happy medium between Northeastern grit and Southern gentility, with the added bonus of colonial charm.  There is a different energy, too.  The energy of a population on a mission:  highly educated people from every state in the union and every country in the world with national and international interests.

....New blog titles?

Wipe out

Yep, that's me - wiped out. My limbs don't work today. Worked soooo hard this week, didn't get time for lunch most days (and I'm hypoglycemic), and hardly sat - except chairside. I definitely know the difference now between sitting to relax and sitting to work.

As it is, no matter how hearty my breakfast - I've tried bran cereal, oatmeal porridge, egg and sausage in a bun, even switched to whole milk - I still get shaky by 11.00, and when that happens I can't retain anything and have to start writing things on scraps of paper, and past a certain point I may even develop a headache. Not one of those people who can function without food. So I need a midmorning snack, a bit of lunch, and possibly a midafternoon snack depending on what I ate for lunch. I wonder...is it because I didn't eat anything when I was a child that I have created this lifelong problem for myself?

Anyway, I've had more assurances that my workload will be halved when the new assistant arrives on Monday, and that I will have more time to learn. Plus, the office will close an hour earlier soon. So, hangin' in there! But still, I am sad to lose real weekends. I get Friday and Sunday. Not two consecutive days...

Last night I fell asleep in the subway on the way home from 22.00-23.00 (had gone out to buy some chinos and long sleeved t-shirts for the days when I will need them under scrubs, plus underwear - I'm learning that you can never have too much underwear or too many socks), ate dinner (roomie made salad and left me some), fell asleep on the sofa from 1.00-2.00, washed up and went to bed, then woke up at 13.15!!! That is over 12 hours of sleep! I checked my clock, gasped "Oh my gosh!" and immediately tumbled out and tripped over everything on my way out the door, giving my roomie a crooked and drunken smile as I passed her with all my curls sticking up. She had woken up at 10.00 and been in and out of the house 4 or 5 times, made an omelette, and I hadn't heard a THING.

After work I usually walk out into the Federal Plaza, a large area cluttered with federal, state, and city buildings, and sit in the park to rest, have a drink, and maybe a snack. I don't know what I will do when it snows, although as I said, my workload will be lighter. City Hall is sort of at the crossroads between Chinatown, Tribeca, and Little Italy. I could walk a few steps in any direction and be in any of those neighborhoods.

This is what it looks like to my right from the bench where I usually sit:


This is the side of City Hall.

Centre Street runs past the State Supreme Court...:


(I work in the brown building you see on the far right side of the frame)

...Towards City Hall:







Went on a walk one day after work:



This behemoth loomed up in front of me somewhere in Tribeca, so I asked a passerby what it was and she told me it is an AT&T telecoms switching station, then she said she used to think it was a prison, which is what I was thinking!

Passed a yarn store in SoHo on Wednesday during a makeup and facecare run to the Origins store. I immediately thought of Jo!



I've been looking for a backpack for weeks, but they all seem to have gotten bigger since I last owned one at college, plus the V where the padded straps sprout from the top irritates me - they didn't used to do that so it must be some newfangled ergonomic feature. When I used to carry 40 pounds of books, which is actually the weight used on basic military training runs, backpacks were much simpler. So I love this cotton canvas bag I found at Paragon Sports off Union Square. It's lightweight, won't show dirt, fits my back like a glove without all the annoying bulky padding. It's also soft, unlike the hard, unyielding, abrasive nylon surfaces of the usual suspects.



Look how green I am - with my neutral colors and natural fabrics and recycled paper and organic products :)

Touristy week

I have sunburn!

Roomie came home from work after lunch so we packed a picnic and went to Shore Park by the bridge (you've all seen pics in last post) and had a fun game of badminton.



Apologies for not blogging as much as I'd like. My photos are on my laptop, my wi-fi reception is intermittent, and I don't really want to blog on the shared computer because, well, it's not portable!

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THE BED SAGA

I bought a four poster bed at IKEA two weekends ago. The mattress and storage base were in the store so I acquired them for delivery. The four poster frame was somewhere in New Jersey, so they kept the other two pieces in order to marry the three and make one delivery a few days later. A week and a half later, my delivery comes - without bed frame.



The walk to Pier 11 takes you along Wall Street.
Clockwise L to R:
Federal Hall is where George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States of America in April 1789.
View of Trinity Church at the top end of Wall Street.
Trinity upshot.
The New York Stock Exchange at night.




The free IKEA ferry uses a couple of NY Water Taxis


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JERSEY CITY

Last week I accompanied my old friend from Houston on his quest to find an apartment in the area. If I'd had more time to find a place I would have looked at Jersey City too. We saw 13 apartments. No matter how many you see, there is always the ONE that stands out, and that is the one he took the very next day.

They build those luxury apartments really well in Jersey City, and the views over the water of Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty are amazing. There are some charming historic streets, but there is a lot of development going on and yet it is a very pristine area full of wide streets, benches and flowerbeds. Not only are there fancy new towerblocks, but the new rowhouses (terraces) are being built in the traditional style with great variations between each one, all charming. The area around the old power station will become a trendy arts district in the next 2 or The PATH train (that stops first at World Trade Center) is large, clean, and fast. It only takes 2 minutes to cross into Jersey, and 10 minutes max to get to Pavonia/Newport.



Clockwise L to R:
The old power station will be the center of a new arts district currently under development.
Downtown Manhattan at the end of the pier at Jersey City.
A view from one of the luxury condo towers.
Two towers going up.

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THE CHOCOLATE HEAVEN

Tuesday was a welcome break so Chris could negotiate for his new apartment and I could pay attention to mine, and meet with my friend Denise.

Denise suggested a trendy young Thai place, and then we made the discovery of the season:


Max Brenner's chocolate factory, and the delightful hug mugs

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THE TOURISTY DAY

Chris and I met up twice more that week and did touristy things.

Wednesday: Landmark Tour of Buildings - Empire State, Chrysler, and GE (Rockefeller)

I lost the best artsy photos, and I don't know how!


A passageway in Grand Central Station


A late art deco building on 6th Avenue


An exterior wall of the Chrysler Building


A doorway surrounded by an art deco Zodiac frieze

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THE NERDY DAY

Thursday: Day at the Museum (of Natural History)


Teddy Roosevelt was a governor of New York


The Art Horses are here already! Jazzy one.


Mechanical one


The main hall of the museum


The Planetarium where we watched When Planets Collide

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THE CONCLUSION

Friday, I had a preliminary interview for a part time job at a furniture gallery (haven't heard back yet for the second round), and met my cousin for dinner at a lovely Italian place near Union Square called Buona Sera.

And I got a nifty new phone, the flattest I've ever seen. Though this one takes photos and plays music, I am keeping my Sony Ericsson for the 3.2MP camera and MP3 player with silicone earbuds.