DC/NYC

This is a good photo to share as I let go of a few thoughts about our latest big trip.  We spent five days in Washington, DC and then took the train up to Manhattan to spend five more days looking at another East Coast iconic city.

DC is definitely a man's town.  It radiates with male dominance and power.  All the monuments and memorials with a few exceptions are in honor of the smart, strong and foresighted men who established and then propelled our country forward.  I was fascinated with the sight of George Washington's actual camp stool and what looked to be his mess kit when we visited the Museum of American History.  To sit  in the real Ford's Theater and gaze up at the fateful balcony was an experience in sensing the power of Lincoln's presence and what his life and death meant to our country.  Seeing the memorials and monuments created a very potent feeling of respect for former presidents as well as for the many, many men who died in battle for our nation.

I had to look a little more carefully for the woman power of America.  But it wasn't hard to find.  I saw it in the several memorials to the nurses who supported and cared for those wounded in our many wars and battles.  I saw it in the gowns of the First Ladies.  I was especially impressed to see the gowns of Michelle Obama, Jackie O., Mamie Eisenhower,  Mary Todd Lincoln and others.  Their strengths and contributions were and are as valuable as those of their husbands.  I saw plenty of business women hurrying down the streets of our Capitol obviously on their way to help run the country in one way or another.  Viewing works of art and science done by women helped make their power stand out.  The many women who were escorting groups of school children touring the city captured my attention.  They are ultimately the ones most in charge of sharing this leading global city with our nation's young.  There were men with these groups, of course, but the roles of the leaders fell mostly to women.  That symbolized a lot for me.

New York City belongs not just to men or women, but to everyone.  And I mean EVERYONE.  It is definitely a world city. Everyone from everywhere is represented in some way and  all is wrapped up in an over the top kind of package that blasted my senses full bore.  If you look at the photo closely, you can make out the nearly finished tower at Ground Zero.  Pat took the picture from the top of the Rock.  In between there and the Tower are the lower East and West sides and on down to Lower Manhattan.  To Pat's back were the Upper East and West sides with the beautiful Central Park in the middle. Museums, restaurants, and fascinating neighborhoods are everywhere.  We stayed just a block or two away from the never sleeping Times Square which took some getting used to for me.  Sensory overload needs to be dealt with carefully!

What an unforgettable experience these two cities were!