A Day in DC
On August 9, 2003, I went on another trip to Washington DC, this time with my mother and my sister. I had an agenda for some Photography sets. However, clouds hung over the area all day, which made my photos appear rather dark and grainy. So, I’m sad to announce that it was a wash on that front, but at least it didn’t rain. However, even though the intended photo sets were unusable, I did end up getting a lot of other stuff from the day.
Going to the DC area, we took Mom’s Toyota Sienna, and took I-81 to I-66, and got off at Nutley Street. We parked in the North Garage at Vienna, and entered the station…
Welcome to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station! Out here, we bought a copy of the “McPaper”, USA Today.
Once aboard the train (Breda 3285), Sis broke out the McPaper, while Mom also got a peek at some stories. Next station: Farragut West.
Our first target was Farragut Square in Northwest DC. Before crossing the street to the square itself, Sis showed off her rhinestone sunglasses. She actually made these herself, after seeing a similar pair in Charlottesville for $30. So she bought a cheap pair of sunglasses, some glue, and a bag of rhinestones. Total cost? $6. I’d say it’s well worth it, don’t you think? She did a really good job…
Farragut Square was even better than I expected. I expected an open square with only the statue in the middle. Instead I got a complete urban park, with all manner of trees, and some beautiful flowers around the statue of Admiral Farragut.
On top of the statue of Admiral Farragut, a bird made a resting place.
While I went about and did my thing, the ladies, after seeing the square, went across the street and went to Starbucks, not without first telling me where they were going.
As you can see, Farragut Square really is a rare green spot in this part of DC, looking here up Connecticut Avenue towards Dupont Circle.
I really loved this tree… so twisted looking…
Look who’s back! I didn’t think I took as long as I did! The ladies finished up at Starbucks, and now were telling me to hurry up.
“Don’t block the box”?
Also, as a side note, the photos from the last part of the April 2003 protest were done just up the street from here.
Just outside the Farragut North Metro station, we discuss the trip.
Farragut North on the Red Line. Interestingly enough, entrances to this station and the Farragut West station are within sight of each other. Look one way, see the pylon for Red Line’s Farragut North. Look the other way, see the pylon for Blue/Orange Line’s Farragut West.
And here we are at Farragut North. Next station, Metro Center.
Before leaving the Metro Center station, we took a moment to look at what has been described as the architectural high point of Metro. This is the intersection of the two ceiling vaults. A Breda train is on the tracks.
After the other train left, a train of Rohr cars arrived, passengers exchanged, and then the Rohr train departed. Note the sound of this train compared to others we’ll see.
Leaving Metro Center, Mom and Sis flashed big smiles for the camera.
This is Freedom Plaza. Look familiar? No? Understandable. This is what it looks like on a normal day. Very open, with an almost empty feeling to it. This, if you recall, is where the protest started out.
Sis walks through, and takes some pictures with my original Mavica.
The fountain at Freedom Plaza varies its height from very high to nothing at all…
Nearby is the Warner Theatre, which has played host to a number of entertainers over the years.
So many performers, and they’ve gotten to put their name in concrete. We have their name in a disk set in the concrete, plus they signed the concrete. Here, we have Whoopi Goldberg, Liza Minnelli, and Frank Sinatra.
Back at Metro Center, on the platform, discussing the trip so far. Note the sound of Breda trains in the background.
From Metro Center, we headed towards Fort Totten station aboard Breda 2059. Between the Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue stations, along with construction of the New York Avenue in-fill station, is Brentwood Yard. This is a train yard along the Red Line where trains are serviced. Also notice the yellow-orange work cars around here.
And now, welcome to Fort Totten. I was under the impression that there was something historic here, in a park setting. Well, I didn’t find anything, and so I’ll explore later. So it was back to the train, to go on to our next stop.
Returning to Fort Totten station, it appears at first glance like a typical elevated gull-wing station (the name “gull-wing” is the term for this kind of canopy design).
However, while the Red Line platform is typical to the stations along that section of the line with above-ground platform and gull-wing canopy, the Green Line platform is unique in the system. It’s the only platform that is both outdoors and underground at the same time.
The idea here is to join the gull-wing roof and the tunnel without passengers getting rained on. So, the gull-wing roof extends slightly into the tunnel, thus meeting this goal.
In the underground portion, the architecture is a modified version of the six-coffer arch design, creating an unusual look for the station. The station really does become a tunnel in here, with the stone benches typical of underground stations replacing the windscreens seen on the outdoor portion of the platform. Also note the lack of pylons on this level.
The junction of the two roof types is indeed graceful…
Out of the tunnel and into the station, this is the Greenbelt-bound side of the tracks.
At the other end of the platform, the tracks go back into a tunnel again on their way to West Hyattsville.
In the direction of Greenbelt, a train of CAF cars enters the station.
From Fort Totten, we went south to U Street/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo, to visit the African American Civil War Memorial, a memorial commemorating African Americans who fought in the Civil War.
Nearby, houses are painted in bright colors.
Back underground at the U Street station, we wait for a Green Line train to take us down to Gallery Place-Chinatown.
What’s wrong with this picture? Turns out that one of the color strips on the end of the sign is yellow! It should be green.
And now, a CAF train arrives, to take us to Gallery Place-Chinatown station.
An exchange of passengers at the Shaw-Howard University station.
We leave the CAF train on the lower level of Gallery Place-Chinatown, and head up towards the surface.
What’s going on? The Chinatown fan is not lit! According to the station manager, the sign was having electrical problems, and they were waiting for their contractor to arrive to fix it. Normally, this fan is lit up in all kinds of fun colors.
A new building goes up!
At the Da Hua Market, Sis models a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce, getting special attention due to that parody Kikkoman advertisement found online.
After seeing what we wanted to see, we crossed the street, and returned to the Gallery Place-Chinatown station.
At Gallery Place, we caught up with a Yellow Line train, to go to Pentagon City Mall.
One of the great features of the Yellow Line is going over the Potomac River vs. going under it like on the Blue/Orange line. On this movie, we are heading into Virginia as I film out the center door of the train. You can hear people talking on the train, as well as Breda train sounds. You can see the Pentagon itself as a low-lying building in the left of the frame about halfway through the video.
Upon arriving at Pentagon City, we shopped. This is Pentagon City Mall.
And now, returning to Pentagon City station, we start heading back to Vienna. This, however, is a Yellow Line train. We need Blue.
Across the tracks, a Rohr train heads off to Franconia-Springfield.
This is our train! Note Sis’s comment about my filming this train…
On the way to Rosslyn to transfer, we pass through Arlington Cemetery.
Our last train of the day – Orange Line train to Vienna.
At Vienna, the different color signs are kept right behind the operator’s seat.
And finally, before going home, a peek between Breda 2050 and 2051, to see the “blind” ends of a pair of Breda cars. On the way home, Sis took a nice, long nap.