Wednesday Near the White House
On Monday we moved from the Mayflower Hotel to an extended stay hotel near the White House, where we would have more space for our upcoming family gathering. Amy took the train from NYC and joined us that afternoon. Danny and Mei arrived in DC late Tuesday night, and they both had to work, so we didn’t expect to see them until Wednesday evening.
A Pleasant Walk
Wednesday was sunny and warm! Amy was working, so Steve and I went out for a walk and headed toward the National Mall. The Winged Victory atop the First Division Monument was a familiar sight, but I had never seen it gleam so brightly. We saw a few interesting things for the first time:
The Albert Einstein Memorial, a monumental bronze sculpture at the National Academy of Sciences. The base was engraved with quotes that made me wonder what that great man would think of today’s world…
"The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true."
"Joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world of which man can just form a faint notion ..."
"As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance, and equality of all citizens before the law prevail."
The headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace, designed by Moshie Safdie and completed in 2011. I thought it was quite beautiful, which makes sense since Safdie also designed Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The USIP is dedicated to preventing and resolving violent conflict abroad. President Trump has tried repeatedly to defund USIP, but thankfully congress has continued to preserve it.
The Embassy of Mexico, designed by Peter Vercelli and built in 1986. I was not a fan of this building, but I liked that it preserved the façades of two historic townhouses, the last remaining of the Seven Buildings (1796). They had housed many auspicious residents, including President James Madison and his wife Dolley, who lived in one of the Seven Buildings after the White House burned down in 1814.
A Jarring Lockdown
We stopped for some groceries and then walked back toward our hotel. A police car was parked at the end of our block, preventing vehicle traffic from entering. We did not find this unusual; we had stayed at this hotel before, and the street would sometimes be closed for short periods to let motorcades pass.
But it was different this time. Police officers stopped us at the corner and would not let us proceed to our hotel. Through a nearby window, we could see the television in an office lobby - two National Guardsmen had been shot near the White House, a suspect was in custody, and the surrounding area was on lockdown. A reporter and cameraman set up on the sidewalk next to us. More pedestrians were stopped by police, and soon we formed a small crowd on the end of the block.
Suddenly, a police officer began shouting, “MOVE OUT NOW!” We had not heard any gunshots, but the officer’s booming voice and waving arms were startling and authoritative, and we all RAN. Steve and I stopped on the sidewalk on the other side of a small park, where we could see the end of our block. More police cars arrived, helicopters hovered overhead, and National Guardsmen walked past. We frantically messaged our kids. They were so close by, and safely inside (Amy in our hotel suite and Danny and Mei at another hotel nearby), but we couldn’t be with them!
After about an hour, police finally permitted us to return to our hotel, but we had to promise to stay inside. That evening, Danny and Mei brought takeout, and we had dinner together in our hotel. I felt deeply grateful that our family was together, safe and well.
Postscript
Tragically, one of the National Guardsmen died from her injuries - a young woman just 20 years old. My heart hurt for her and her loved ones.
For the record, I had been reluctant to visit DC in the first place. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the current President. More seriously, the National Guard had been deployed to the city, and I was concerned their presence might escalate tension rather than reduce crime. But the President was out of town, and Steve and I were eager to see our friends in the area. It is ironic that we had spent most of the year traveling abroad, yet we had never felt unsafe until we were in our own country’s state capital. Steve is determined to see our DC friends more often. Perhaps we’ll avoid the downtown core on future visits.
