Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sunny, Breezy American Autumn - Part 1


In case it seems like I’ve disappeared off the face of the Earth, I want to reassure you that, for the most part, I have.  Granted, it’s been an amazing first couple months, and I’ve found the whole process immensely satisfying.  The work I’m doing, the events that I’m attending, the people that I’m meeting; the whole process has been a whirlwind of excitement.  And very little sleep

But, once in a while, my lovely wife, Xu, comes to town to help pull my head out of this world I’ve jumped into, and actually enjoy what’s around me.  Which is why, during a visit a couple weeks ago, I got a seriously American Autumn Weekend.

Day 1: The White House Fall Garden Tour

I am truly fortunate to live with an awesome bunch of folks.  None of them are in the same program as me, which is a good thing, as they give me considerable perspective on what’s going on in DC beyond my own personal experiences.  One of them, J, is a political appointee who has given me a fascinating view into the world of the executive branch for those who move in and out of the system at the whim of the President.  On top of that, J is a great guy to know, and I’m glad to be sharing some space with him.

This explains how, late on a Friday night, the day before I’m to go pick up Xu from the airport, I arrive home to discover two tickets to the White House Fall Garden Tour sitting on my desk. 

Look what the politics faerie left!

The White House Fall Garden Tour is an annual tradition whereby the White House admits thousands of folks with these tickets, gotten through all manner of various connections – and there are lots of connections in this town – onto the White House grounds for a tour of the gardens.  And there are a lot of gardens, lawns, objects, and stuff to see on the White House grounds, including the White House, itself, which one gets to peer at from a very close distance.  Which is pretty cool.

After waiting in line with what had to be at least several thousand people, we were admitted onto the grounds.  The process moved quickly, though, since people had been pre-warned not to bring bags, so there wasn’t a lot to the security process beyond the standard metal detector.  And once inside, manicured lawns as far as the eye could see.

It's not the same without the ridiculous stream of thousands of people standing behind me.

A bit of walking through English Garden style greens brings you within view of the White House, which looks less like itself and more like a stately manor as you come upon it.

Eh, yep, that's the White House.  Right... there.

My colleagues in the birder world will be pleased to note that one of the first things you encounter on entry is a display about the birds that frequent the White House grounds, especially during the winter.  There were numerous displays like this, and I was impressed with the effort gone into educating visitors on the natural components that go into a lovely landscape like this.

I know nothing about birds, so there will be no further commentary on this point.

And then, the White House really springs into view.

White House!

Xu!  And the White House!  (And other people, like, whoa, where'd she get the stripey shirt?)

This is the South view of the White House; the North face of the White House is gated, and is the one in which you often see protesters assembled. The tour took place on the South lawn, famous for events such as the Easter Egg roll and features such as the Marine One landing point.  

There's that fountain you always see in the movies about the President.  And there's a big line of people that we have yet to get to.

The architecture is really spectacular, and a bit difficult to take in at close range.  I’m used to seeing these structures from a distance, so when you try to take a picture, you instead discover the little bits, the ionic columns, lamps, and balconies, for example. 

Two guards stand at the door in the lower-right, and they seemed to be getting a kick out of all the pictures being taken of them, although it was tough to tell. 

There are things that aren’t what you’d expect.  This is the Rose Garden:

The Rose Garden.  I think.

I would have expected more roses.  In actuality, there’s a wide variety of horticulture going on here.  And the residence, where the First Family lives, is behind the doors leading off to the left of this photo.  And if you follow that, you arrive at… well, what are the guesses as to what this is?

The President's Home Office; I wonder if he claims that as a deduction on his  income taxes.
If you said that’s the exterior of the oval office, you win something, I don’t know, give yourself a prize.  You can see the curvature a bit, but it’s sort-of tucked back there.  And, by the way, the putting green is apparently around the corner, there, but I couldn’t get a view of it. 

True story: Nixon used to swing on this all alone in the middle of the night.  Also, Joe Biden uses the top section as  a sweet fort, for playing poker and smoking cigarettes he swiped from his old man.

Oh, but hey, some folks know how to have fun!  That’s Malia and Sasha’s play area.  Actually, a pretty nice play area, I wouldn’t mind going in. The fact that I did not is due to a certain level of politeness on my part and a Secret Service agent on their part, standing out of shot but very much in view.

Note also the framed photos in the bottom left.  Those are situated all over the grounds, and show various presidents over the last 80 years or so engaging in various activities on the White House grounds, including JFK with his horse, George HW Bush walking around  the grounds, and Hillary Clinton planting a dogwood.  They really add a lot to the experience, because they show that people really do live here, and gives a flavor of the sorts of things they do while they’re here.  Perhaps it’s a bit of celebrity peeping, but in this case, it’s our house, so it’s nice to know it’s being used well.

The gardens aren’t limited to bushes and flowers, there are numerous lovely arrangements of trees.

Actually, I'm not really sure why I took this picture.  Still trying to figure it out.  Maybe it's something about the top of that woman's head.  It's a mystery.


Which give way to more splendid views!


This is what I look like in full sunlight and sunglasses.  If you look carefully, you can see the White House in the distance.  Over my shoulder.  No, the other shoulder.

This picture came out so beautifully – the green grass, the blue sky, and the White House framed so well – that I’ve come to the conclusion that I needn’t have been there. Seriously, you could have Photoshopped me into that picture, and that’s about what it would look like.  Credits to Xu who took it, and here she is with me:

That's nice!




And right next to that spot is the fountain.  The whole arrangement is really quite spectacular with the Washington Monument in the background:

Bunch of really stupid-sounding college students were discussing throwing someone in the fountain for his birthday.  Sad part is, about 15 years ago, I was having almost that exact same conversation.

By the way, this day wasn’t just special because of the Fall Garden Tour.  October 15 was also a major Occupy Movement protest day, as well as a day of protest in advance of the MLK Memorial dedication the next day.  So, the streets were filled with protestors of various stripes, some of whom we could see from the garden.  (And we could clearly hear the voice of Al Sharpton rising over the otherwise quiet of the calm afternoon.)

I direct your attention to the line of people in the background, as opposed to the line of people in the foreground.

Did you know that the White House has a beehive?

It's sort-of hidden, as in, please, don't tell anyone the White House has a beehive!

And one of the more popular attractions was the White House Kitchen Garden:

As you can see, this is the White House Kitchen Garden.

I don't know what any of these are, but presumably they're edible.  If the guards aren't watching, that is.  (Protip: They're ALWAYS watching.)

Sorry, I forgot to mention, Keanu Reeves was on our tour.

According to our program, over 1000 tons of food have been generated from the garden since it opened nine months ago.  Regardless of how you feel about the White House having a garden (and I’m not sure why you’d have a problem with it; after all, they used to graze sheep there), that’s a pretty impressive yield.

So, it was a beautiful day at the White House, but I picked up one new bit of information as I was leaving.  I’d heard of the Executive Office Building, but I figured it was some grey office building stashed a block away or so, next to some of the other post-modern structures.

Not quite:

Austria?  Nein!  It's the EEOB!

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is  both right next to the White House and a stunning building.  Actually,it’s a bit strange.  Am I right in saying that this is Edwardian in design?  At the least, it reminds me much more of the sort of buildings being built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Europe, rather than anything you’d expect to see in DC, where we’re much more about the Colonial and Neo-classical designs. (Again, correct me if I’m wrong there, these are vague echoes from history class…)  A stunning building, but a strange sight to see.

Stunning and strange.

We did take a loop around the North Face, by the way, but it’s tough to grab a good picture, and that one, to be honest, you might as well get from a postcard or an episode of West Wing or The American President.  Still, here it is.

As seen on TV.

So that was the first part of our big American Autumn tour.  Special thanks to the housemate for hooking me up.  A beautiful day for a fabulous tour with my wonderful wife.  (Awww…)  For an afternoon, not a thought in the world toward projects, schedules, or Happy Hours.  Not bad. 

Now that you’ve seen the current President’s place, next time a few pics from the first President’s.

And that's how I spent my summer vacation, the end.  

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