Adapted sightseeing

Still having a great time in DC. I figured out that since Kiara was so small the last time we were here, I would at least try to go past a few of the sites in the Capital. Just so she could say she had been there. We drove around for ages because we kept thinking the parking spots were only for invalids. Kiara was quiet angry at the Dutch government for not issuing my pass sooner. It turned out that the invalid sign was only on the meters to ensure that they knew that they too had to pay for the spot. So far so good, as far communication goes. Luckily I was able to phone Jocelyn to find out the deal. We drove up to the White House and actually walked out in front. President Bush has put some kind of mesh work on his fence so it is and obstruction to the view. God knows why, no one could get through the fence anyhow. It seemed like the security around the building in much tighter than it used to be when Clinton was president. Gee, I wonder why?...

We also drove past the George Washington memorial and the Capitol. I wanted to get her to the Lincoln memorial as that spot is most significant to black Americans in Washington DC. When we were in Atlanta a few years ago, Kiara had learnt all about Martin Luther King. It would have been nice for her to stand on that spot. However...I was not able to find a parking spot near enough to be able to get back before rush hour. Unfortunately I would have been able to park right in front of it with an invalid parking card. What a bummer! I guess I will have to come back later. The nice thing about Washington DC is that all the sites are pretty close together. There was a time when I walked all of it! That seems really strange now. Anyway I manage to find my way around the place. I figure that's not too bad!


Last night Jocelyn and Matt invited us to eat at the Palm Restaurant. Jocelyn has been working there for 13 years and is one of their managers. We had a great dinner! You should go there if you ever visit DC. The Palm restaurant is a celebrity hot-spot. There are cartoons of lot's of famous people on the wall. The Palm NY was around in the 1930's during the depression. The building was situated next to the newspaper. The cartoonists would pay for their meals by drawing. The Palm is a chain throughout America now.

It's funny! I had met Jocelyn at the restaurant before, but I had never eaten there before. We had great meal. We had shrimp, swordfish, string beans, and Kiara had a great spaghetti. Even little Zara came out with us!






You gotta remember, you dont have to be afraid
You still have the freedom to learn, and say what you wanna say
You gotta remember, dont let em take away
The land we call the home of the brave

TOTO