EASA goes to Washington

Electrical Apparatus, May 2004 by Hoff, Joseph S

Things to see and do in the nation's capital between sessions of the Electrical Apparatus Service Association's June convention

THE MONTH OF JUNE TYPIcally ushers heat and humidity into Washington, D.C. This summer, the city will be abuzz with talk of the upcoming presidential election, which should bump the bead of mercury up a few notches in the thermometer. D.C. will nonetheless evoke hospitality stemming from the city's southern roots, boding well for attendees of this year's EASA convention, to be held june 20-23, 2004, at the Washington Convention Center.

The city offers a wide array of sites, museums, outdoor activities, sporting events, dining, and night life, while the Metrorail system provides easy access to historic buildings and sites, galleries, restaurants, night clubs, and shops.

Perhaps the best place to start in a city of the historical magnitude of Washington, D.C., is with its sites. The city projects a powerful and sublime image. Its monuments include the U.S. Capitol, White House, Supreme Court, National Archives, Library of Congress, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Tidal Basin, where magnificent cherry blossoms color each spring day. Beyond the Federal Center, one sees the captivating Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, Watergate Complex, and sobering Arlington National Cemetery.

The city's museums are on equal footing and promise to dazzle curious minds. The International Spy Museum features the largest collection of international espionage-related artifacts open to the public, chronicling the history of spying throughout the ages, across the globe and today. The National Gallery of Art offers a permanent collection of European and American paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper. Explorers Hall, the National Geographic Society's museum, features free educational, interactive, and visually stimulating changing exhibits on a broad variety of topics.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's most famous museum complex and includes the National Air and Space Museum. It is the world's most visited museum and houses the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, Apollo 11 lunar command module, and a collection of aviation and space technology treasures. Lockheed Martin IMAX theater shows spectacular films daily, while the Albert Einstein Planetarium presents several programs daily.

The National Museum of American History features a wealth of Americana, including the flag that inspired "The Star Spangled Banner," now being restored. Popular exhibitions include: Information Age, Field to Factory, American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, and American Encounters.

D.C's neighborhoods offer plenty of local color. Adams-Morgan is a hipmeets-ethnic neighborhood where you can eat empanadas and buy toe rings and Ethiopian CD's. Situated across Connecticut Avenue, Dupont Circle lies with its leafy blocks of turreted Victorian homes, while Georgetown may be the most social of D.C.'s neighborhoods, where visitors can amble along streets lined with Federal and Georgian homes.

The nation's capital also offers plenty of outdoor recreation. The National Mall is a splendid green park area that extends approximately two miles from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. Lining either side of the park near the Capitol are 200-year-old American elm trees, several of the Smithsonian museums, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, and U.S. Botanic Gardens.

Space for outdoor recreation can be found elsewhere, too. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal is available for outdoor recreation, stretching 184 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md. Wide towpaths are open to bikers, joggers, and hikers. Rock Creek Park is a rustic expanse of 1,754 acres surrounding Rock Creek and extending north to the District line. It includes a nature center, riding stations, tennis courts, a golf course, 30 picnic areas, playing fields and an extensive network of trails for walking, jogging, and cycling.

If exhaustion does not set in by nightfall, the city has plenty to offer in the way of entertainment. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents music, dance, theater, international, and children's programs in six theaters, with free performances at 6 p.m. on a daily basis. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts features a broad spectrum of performing arts programs, including pop, classical, country, dance, jazz, and blues, year 'round at its national park setting and its smaller, more intimate indoor venue.

Inevitably, the glut of activity rouses one's appetite. Washington, D.C., offers a wide variety of eateries. Located in the Capitol Hill area, the White Tiger offers Indian cuisine. By contrast, The Hawk and Dove serves American-style food, including steaks, hamburgers, pasta, and the like. It attracts politicos, lobbyists, and Marines from the nearby barracks. The D.C.-based NBC series The West Wing has filmed at this venerable establishment.