5 Takes in Washington D.C.
Last week, the TJs went to Washington D.C. to find out about our nation’s capital. It was interesting to see their viewpoint as non-Americans.
Bevis thought there were too many trees, Tim thought the Washington Monument looked like a giant phallic symbol (write your own joke here…), Lena was expecting as serious city filled with politics and scandals. Let’s see what they found when they started to explore.
Again, they only have $50 a day to survive on, and anyone who’s ever been to D.C. knows that won’t go very far. They find a hostel to stay in and arrive just before Halloween. The place is decorated with skulls and a coffin. They had never celebrated Halloween before, so they were happy to see the decorations.
First they went to explore the monuments, starting with the Lincoln Memorial. Jaime thought Lincoln looked like a kindly grandfather looking down and protecting people. Tim thought Lincoln looked happy but still protects his people. Zach got the impression that Lincoln represents what America is all about: truth, freedom, liberty, justice…ideals that are dear to him too. Tim said that it’s important to look out for your brothers of all ethnicities. Lena said that America is all about opportunity and hope.
The TJs are aware of how patriotic Americans are and how important their politics are to them. I think this a an interesting view from the outside. It’s not easy for us here in America to know what the rest of the world must think of us. (That’s one of the cool things about this show, we see it from the outsiders’ viewpoint.)
The next day, the message board pointed them to a unique dining experience, Perry’s Drag Queen Sunday Brunch. They found out that drag queens actually come and sit on your lap while you eat. What better way to start a Sunday morning than with a couple of drag queens?
Bevis and Jaime gave one of the drag queens some money and one of them started to sit on Jaime’s lap and licked her hair…(I hope she used a non-toxic conditioner that day…) ;-)
Now the TJs were thinking that Americans are very weird. I hate to break it to them, but some are…
After that, the TJs decided to explore some local neighborhoods, starting with Foggy Bottom/Georgetown. They love the look of it, the fact that it’s a college town and looks expensive. They found a little shop with all kinds of fabulous costume masks but they were all out of their price range.
(The movie The Exorcist was filmed in Georgetown, even though it was based on an incident that happened in my home town of St. Louis…anyone who is interested in that can check it out on my other blog…)
From there, they went to U Street and it proved to be more within the budget. They took a tip from the message boards and went to a mall shop specializing in vinyl records, Som Records. They found records from all over the world, including ones from China they can’t even get in their home countries. THe TJS were stunned to see their first Chinese records in America and were also surprised at the richness of the music culture in D.C.
They were directed next to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street which was the only local business that survived the riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King. They tried and loved the house special, which had been voted D.C’s signature dish.
They are directed in the message boards to check out the WWII Memorial. According to the TJs, if America hadn’t stepped into WWII when they did, we could potentially all be speaking a different language. (What a cool insight from someone who has never even been here before.) Zach is particularly touched by the memorial, since there’s column dedicated to the Philippines, his homeland. He said that it made him very proud to be who he is. (Very touching to me too.)
Lena’s grandfather was captured by the Japanese in WWII too.
Tim was very emotional about the Viet Nam memorial. He felt that his father would have wanted to come to it and would be solemnly serious about it. Tim is wondering why there is such a thing as war. He said that mediation and a few beers should be the way that things are settled. (I wish that could be true!) He called his mother and said that they should have an evening to honor the photos his father had taken in Viet Nam.
When they stopped fro a hot dog, they discussed where they wanted to go for their special excursion. Jaime and Tim wanted to go to the Shenandoah Valley. Bevis wanted to go on a pirate-like sail boat.
On their fourth day in Washington D.C., they got a message suggesting they go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. They were totally awed and horrified by the reality of the images and artifacts they encountered there. They said that it put faces with the victims, not just words. They were visibly moved. They were aware of the fact that this type of discrimination still happens in various forms and degrees in the world today.
On Halloween, the TJs buy cheap costumes to wear to celebrate their first American holiday. Zach had the perfect D.C. costume. An elephant’s trunk on the front and a donkey’s face on the back and topped with a red, whit & blue afro. He called it the perfect two-faced politician. (You see? Even out-of-towners pick up on the truth quickly…)
Bevis was an 80s punk devil guy with a whip. Tim had a scary white mask and a hooded black robe…pretty freaky! Jaime was Marsha Brady and Lena wore a wild blond afro wig and huge sunglasses. They headed to Georgetown to join a huge party and go trick-or-treating.
It makes me aware of how odd our celebration of a pagan holiday is. Other countries don’t do anything for it. What a cool thing to witness.
The TJs decide their luxury event is to stay in a seriously fabulous five-star hotel in Washington D.C. They head to the Willard Intercontinental Hotel and check into a luxury suite. First they went to a formal high tea. Apparently, the term lobbyist was coined at the Willard by Ulysses S. Grant.
Before leaving, the TJs described their takes on Washington D.C. They said it was a multi-layered city, full of things to do and a ton of history. Zach said that the monuments and flags even inspired him. They said it was a place where people are real and it’s multi-cultural. They all agreed that they recommend that anyone visit the city. Having been there many times myself, I have to agree on all points.
Be sure to go check out all of their photos and blog entries of their trip on the Travel Channel site and read the message boards to see what folks are telling them to do on their trip.
This week, they are in Orlando and Miami Florida. Stop by and leave them a message telling them where they should go while they are there. And remember, we all get to decide what city they visit last. Go let them know what you think.
Photos from Zach Yonzon’s Photos from the Road.
5 takes usa, Reality TV, Television, TV
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