The White House, Tours, and Hockey

The rainy day started off with a tour of the white house. We trucked through the rain and waited in a high security line to enter the east wing. We weren't allowed purses or cameras, and we had to have special permission from Senator Harkin to enter. It was a short, self-guided tour filled with numerous security guards everywhere. We were pushed out pretty quickly due to a press conference with the St. Louis Cardinals. We were hoping to see President Obama again, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

After lunch, we let the rain pass, and some of us hopped on a tour bus to tour northern DC. Our tour guide was hilarious and quite knowledgeable about the area. Our first stop was at the National Cathedral. This gorgeous building, which is the 2nd largest in the USA and 6th largest in the world, took 83 years to the day to build. President Teddy Roosevelt was there when the first stone was laid, and President George H.W. Bush was there was the final stone was laid. This cathedral also has quite the history. The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu from South Africa have preached here. This is also where Martin Luther King Jr. preached his final sermon before he was assassinated. Numerous people are buried here included Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Unfortunately, when the earthquake came last August, the building sustained some damage, so work was being done to repair the building.

We then visited Georgetown. Georgetown property is actually historic land according to the government. If anyone or any business wants to change their property, they must get permission from the government first. The houses are all connected, and most are very small; however, they are all beautiful. According to our tour guide, they also have very expensive property taxes. A beautiful canal goes through the town which has a walking path right next to it. Georgetown is just under a mile from our hotel, and since the weather had cleared up and the sun was shining, we walked back to the hotel. I can definitely say that DC is much cleaner than NYC, and the people are a lot more friendly. Three different times today we had random people ask us if we were lost, needed help, or had questions about anything.

We then manuevered the metro (NOT the subway) to Chinatown. We were quite disappointed when we didn't find any shops. :( Therefore, we got tickets for the Capital's game instead. It was a new experience for me (Kylie). I had never seen a hockey game before, and these fans were dedicated. In the beginning, there was a lot of cheering and yelling. However, when the New York Islanders were doing well and the Capitals were not, the tables turned. From the sounds of it, the Capitals were not playing well at all. I still don't understand the game, and I left disappointed I didn't see a true hockey fight. However, I can now say I went to a hockey game.