Rediscovering Washington D. C.
by Mary Jane Schoenheider
Some of the 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord for the Korean War Memorial dedicated in 1995.
I first visited Washington D.C. back in the fifties with my parents, and again in the late eighties with my husband; and had really not thought about venturing back there until I was the lucky winner in last April’s Art Center Circle Homes Tour raffle for a trip to our Nation’s Capitol.
No visit would be complete without visiting the Abraham Lincoln Memorial.
So, late last month my daughter Elizabeth and I spent five days visiting art and history museums and monuments that were new to us. We were fortunate on our first day to tour the White House, a truly magnificent and historic home.
I had not realized the extent of the fine art collections in the Smithsonian museums and other private museums.
The most emotional experience for me was walking
In a special exhibit, Renoir’s A Girl with a Watering Can (1876) from the Chester Dale Collection at the National Gallery of Art.
around the new World War II Memorial dedicated in 2004. To see and talk to some of the visiting World War II vets, many of them in wheelchairs, brought back many childhood memories. Also impressive was strolling around the Korean War Memorial.
As a native Californian I really enjoyed seeing again the fall colors, wonderful old architecture, strolling in a bustling city filled with young people, and realizing how proud I am to be an
One of my favorite photos of neighborhood architecture walking around in Dupont Circle. Photos by Mary Jane Schoenheider
American. PEN