Arlington National Cemetery

One of our recent DC sightseeing highlights included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Admission is free and the cemetery has thoughtful signs directing visitors to some of the more popular graves, including those of President John F Kennedy and family.

The cemetery is named for the historic home sitting on top of the hill overlooking DC and the Potomac River. The Arlington House was built in 1802 by George Washington Parke Custis who was raised by THE George Washington and first president of our country.

Arlington House became the property of daughter Mary who married (cousin, mmm) Robert E Lee. In 1861 the family had to leave the house so Lee could take over command of Virginia's rebel forces, leaving it in the hands of Union troops in defense of the capital. The government took possession of the estate in 1863 when Mary could not appear in person to pay property taxes. As casualties of the Civil War were rising, the army turned the grounds into a military cemetery. When the war was over and the family returned, the home was no longer fit to be occupied as it was surrounded by thousands of graves.

Today the 624 acre cemetery has over 320,000 servicemen and their family members resting here. About 27 burials are conducted every weekday. There was so much to see and we definitely would like to visit again.

We made our way just off the cemetery grounds and to the Marine Corps War Memorial, also called the Iwo Jima memorial, dedicated in 1954. The size of this memorial is quite impressive in person.

The memorial honors all serviceman of the US Marine Corps but especially commemorates the iconic photograph taken of the second flag being raised over Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The photograph became famous overnight because it signaled a turn of the tides in the war during a time Americans were become disheartened and frustrated with the war efforts. Three of the flag raisers died in action and the remaining three quickly became celebrities back home.

That night we watched the movie Flags of our Fathers which is great for anyone interested in learning more about the flag raisers!

-Laurie

MN Sports

While in DC we still can keep up with our favorite MN sports teams. So when the MN Wild came to town, we knew it would be a lot of fun to see them play the Capitals in the Verizon Center. The Wild have only played the Caps in DC twice in the past seven years, which is sort of like the frequency of Haley's Comet so we felt we must attend! We proudly represented MN:

Coming from Saint Paul where hockey is so big, we were surprised how involved the fans were in the game. It was definitely a great arena and a great time, but nothing quite compares to the the MN Wild entrance in the Xcel Center - exhilarating! The Caps may find themselves a close second in our hearts when it comes to hockey teams.

We also found a group of Laurie's coworkers who love watching the Vikings, so most of our past Sundays have been spent cheering on the Vikes. This is especially fun because the Vikes are actually having a great season and we can also wear these jerseys with pride.

The bar we've been visiting in the Capitol Hill area is known as a Chicago Bears bar, however they are friendly towards Vikings fans as well. We are looking forward to the Vikings/Bears game this Sunday!

- Laurie

Olympic Fever

Recently I was lucky enough to attend a work event in New York celebrating the US Olympic Team, for which Hilton is a sponsor. I was excited to find out that David Backes would be attending as a 2010 US Olympic Team hopeful for the Vancouver Games. David is a Minnesotan, former MSU Mankato hockey player, and current NHL player for the Saint Louis Blues. All of this = Mankato Celebrity. I felt sort of like a stalker but told him my mom would be so impressed if I got a picture:


The next morning on the ice at Rockefeller Center I got to meet so many Olympians and 2010 hopefuls, including hockey legends Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione of the 1980 'Miracle' Gold medal hockey team. I was also astonished (not really) to find out northern MN is a curling hotbed, since most of the USA Men's Curling Team calls MN home. I can't wait until February to cheer on Team USA!



Speaking of New York, Bobby and I are gearing up for our pilgrimage there for Thanksgiving! We are going to try out the Bolt Bus for the three hour journey. I generally associate germs, crying babies and claustrophobia with bus rides (sort of like flying in coach) but the Bolt Bus promises a higher standard in bus travel. New buses, boarding groups, power outlets, free WiFi…. there is nothing Greyhound-esque about Bolt Bus.



We are excited! If anyone has any New York tourist or restaurant recommendations, please let us know!

-Laurie

An Iowegian Affair

Last weekend Bobby and I made a visit to Cedar Rapids, IA (City of 5 Smells) for the event of the year - my brother's 40th birthday surprise redneck party! This has been in the works for months, and he had no idea. Everyone did an amazing job keeping the party plans a secret. Many family members and friends came to the party, dressed in their best redneck attire. Here are a few family photos and a few of the homestead:

A lot of the happenings of the party must remain classified (a few goldfish didn't live to tell about it), but more pics can be found on my sister's blog. We had a great time!

-Laurie

Differences

We are approaching the milestone of our second full month here in DC, and there are a few key differences from living in MN that we have noticed.

1. Driving - Compared to here, people in MN take Sunday drives every day. You must be an assertive driver here or nobody will let you change lanes or merge. You can't think twice - just do it. Also on the rare occasion when traffic is moving, people are pretty pumped and increase to warp speed. We feel confident (knock on wood) we won't be getting speeding tickets anytime soon.

2. More space - We recall everything in MN just seeming.... bigger. In MN you could drive your big giant car in the nice wide open lanes and easily drive into a nice big empty parking lot. Parking was always free and available. The aisles in the stores were brighter and wider. You can have a bigger house for less money with a nice giant yard. Even your personal space in MN was bigger, a result of the lack of mass-transit options.

3. Love affair with bacon - This is one change we whole-heartedly embrace. People here are creative and add bacon to a wide variety of dishes. In Baltimore, Bobby has experienced the classic grilled cheese sandwich upgraded with hearty bacon slices packed inside. I experienced this home-baked oddity that was being offered in the coffee room of my office - the 'peanut butter bacon cookie'. The subtle hint of bacon suddenly became undeniable upon biting into the delicious chewy bacon pieces inside.

I tried to zoom on the bacon chunk with my camera-phone. My apologies that I focused on the carpet instead... you get the idea.

My review: A-

Suggestion for improvement? More bacon!!

-Laurie

Friday Night in DC

Two Fridays ago, Laurie and I set out for another adventure in dowtown DC, where we started the evening by having dinner at an absoluetly marvelous Asian restuarant called Asian Nine. Only two blocks from the Verizon Center (where the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards play), this place had sensational drinks and even better food. As you can tell from pictures below, I wasn't the biggest fan of my first drink, 'A Night in Bangkok.' I guess you could say it was a little too fruity. I pictured my first night in Bangkok to go a little differently. Needless to say, I began ordering Sapporos the rest of the night! Laurie however, loved her drink, 'Zombie Girl,' which was the Halloween special for the weekend.





After a few hours of drinking and eating, we decided to keep the good times rolling and head out to another bar for a few more drinks. We ended up at the 'Regional Food and Drink' located across the street from the Verizon Center. The place was considered heaven for Bobby, where they offer 300+ types of bottled beer from the world! After a few drinks, we were inundated with Caps fans filing out of the Verizon Center into the RFD for a few beers. Needless to say, I think Bobby has found his bar of choice when the Minnesota boys come visit.




- Bobby

Lets Talk Politics!

As many of you know, I have always been into politics. The move to DC has only made that fact more apparent. In his short time out here, I have read a number of political books, including 'Leadership,' by Rudi Giuliani, 'Let Freedom Ring,' by Sean Hannity, and 'Glenn Beck's Common Sense,' by Glenn Beck. Needless to say, these books have really inspired me to become more involved politically.

On top of reading these good books, Laurie and I have also ran into some pretty famous politicians at the Reagan airport, including Tim Pawlenty and Norm Coleman! The visit with Norm Coleman was pretty cool. In fact, Laurie says I talk about this 15 minute conversation almost every day!

I have a feeling that this move to DC will make me become even more involved in the political landscape and who knows, maybe someday you'll find me on CSPAN!

- B0bby