Day 14 - Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Castle

We had one thing left to see in DC before heading west. And that was the Smithsonian. Now, I realize that there are miles and miles of Smithsonian exhibits in many, many buildings. So, I narrowed it down. I wanted to see the Castle and I wanted to visit the National Museum of Natural History. Ever since seeing a picture book of this museum as a kid I've wanted to go here. It's an item to check off my bucket list!

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Hall of Dinosaurs

We also had a chance to visit with my cousin David Palmer, who lives and works in DC. He is employed by Homeland Security and the part of his job that he can actually talk about...involves the deportation of foreign spies operating on U.S. soil. Cool, huh? We had lunch at a DC Steak House - just the kind of place you can picture lobbyists and politicians swinging deals and making plans for our future.

Me and my cousin David. I don't remember it being that windy.

Washington Monument on the Mall

Day 11-Foul, feted, fuming, foggy, filthy...Philadelphia!

Michael and Anne in front of Independence Hall

1776 anyone? Every time I see Independence Hall in Philadelphia I start humming songs from the movie musical 1776 like John Adams singing: "We piddle, twiddle, and resolve. Not one damn thing do we solve in foul, feted, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia!" And I picture the great Ron Holgate as Richard Henry Lee of Virginia roaring around on his horse singing: "Here-a-Lee, there-a-Lee, everywhere-a-Lee-a-Lee! And may my blood stop running blue, if I can't deliver unto you a resolution on independency!" But enough of the musical references...

We had another great visit to another historic city today. This was my second time in Philly, and it wasn't as emotional as my first trip. I was really surprised at how patriotic I felt seeing Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell for the first time. But that was prior to 9/11 and you could walk pretty much anywhere you wanted. Today, you have to pass through security cordons and have your bag checked to get near anything. It still brings out my inner patriot, though. It's wonderful to see where our bid for independence began. To walk one block and be where Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. To sit in the shade of the Betsy Ross house. To send postcards from Benjamin Franklin's Free Post Office -- where old Ben invented the postal system that we still use today. So much history!

The Betsy Ross House

We also visited the Rodin Museum where we saw "The Gates of Hell" and "The Thinker". It's a free museum, so definitely worth the trip.

A bronze cast of the original "Gates of Hell" by Rodin

AND we stuffed ourselves silly with cheese steak sandwiches at Pat's King of Steaks.

Mmmmmm....cheese steak....drool....

Home of the original Philly Cheese Steak!

Preview Video of the new World Trade Center

Computer generated video preview of the new World Trade Center in New York City.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Day 8 - Washington DC

No Duff or Geoff in sight...shucks!

Today we piled into Anne's pickup truck and drove down to Washington DC. We're staying north of Philadelphia and on the way to DC is Baltimore. You know what's in Baltimore? Charm City Cakes!! Unfortunately they state very clearly on their website that they don't want visitors. So we just did a drive-by. Surprisingly, they are located in an extremely unappealing part of town. The kind of place where you lock your doors at the stop light.

We stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom, and there was this guy using the pay phone who was lost and asking for directions. We didn't know what the cross street was. As Anne put it, we were between "Scary Street" and "Holy Crap Avenue", right around the corner from "Get Me The Hell Out of Here!!"

In DC, we parked way out of town and took the Metrorail in. The station where we boarded the train has the single longest escalator I've ever seen and the coolest looking boarding platform. We hopped on the Metrorail and got off at the beautiful Union Station right downtown. Easy peasy.

Escalator at the Wheaton Metrorail Station in DC is so long you can hardly see the bottom.

Boarding platform for the Metrorail. Very cool!

Union Station in DC

Trains And Buses And Danger! Oh My!

I knew in DC we would see important, historical landmarks. I knew that we were taking a bus tour to see those important, historical landmarks. I had no idea my life would be in danger.

It went like this. We decided to take the open top sightseeing bus (www.opentopsightseeing.com). As far as a good and competent tour of DC goes, this wasn't it. But as far as the fun factor goes, it was out of this world! It had rained earlier that day but wasn't raining when we got on the bus. So we decided to ride up top. This is the place to really see DC, since it's completely open and you're up so high you can really see everything...as long as the bus driver doesn't stop in front of a wall of trees!

So the "tour" is a narrated recording. And one of the recorded announcements is to "watch for low hanging branches and wire." They weren't kidding. Watch for low hanging branches and wire on EVERY BLOCK. I was repeatedly slapped in the head by branches dripping with water (from the earlier rain) as I tried to desperately get some good shots with my camera. And then, after we had a narrow miss with another bus and had to back up the street to avoid a collision, the recording was off. So this wonderful voice was describing the significance of a building or a monument that we were still blocks away from. It was awesome! In a terrible Mystery Science Theatre 2000 kind of way. We were laughing so hard, we were crying! I thought for sure the lady in front of me was going to get clothes-lined. Her reflexes were awful slow.

However, if you are looking for a whirlwind tour that does in fact drive you by so many of the fascinating sights of DC, you should take this bus. Just be sure you sit up top. You don't want to miss the fun!

The following pictures are not my best. But they're not bad considering I took them on an overcast day from the top of a moving bus while dodging killer tree branches.

Holocaust Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC

"The things I saw beggar description.... The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were...overpowering.... I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in [a] position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to "propaganda."

-General Dwight D. Eisenhower

April 15, 1945

After the open top tour, we spent 3 hours at the Holocaust Museum. Everyone said this was the thing to see in DC. And they were right. It's...well...horrifying. The museum itself is one large state-of-the-art exhibit with some very creative installations, like the three-story portrait room.

Three-story room of portraits

I was struck by the vast number of pictures that actually show Nazis murdering Jews. I mean, they must have had a photo-journalist along to document everything.... That sure came back to bite them in the ass. The thoroughness, the sheer amount of effort taken by the Nazis to identify and isolate the Jewish population was simply staggering not to mention the cruel efficiency. I mean, 30,000 people in 2 days?!? It's...well...horrifying.

I know people say the room with the shoes is really emotional. And it is. But what I was most moved by were the stories of uprising and revolt in the ghettos, in the death camps themselves, and in small pockets across Europe. These people were utterly defenseless and weak and young. It's as if they were saying, "If you're going to kill me, you're going to do it on my terms." True heroes. Only a handful of these people survived.

Check out their website: http://www.ushmm.org/

Day 5 - Zarin Fabrics, More Good Friends, and Top Of The Rock

Anne and Michael at Zarin Fabrics

"You know what Betheny? We ARE done." -Jill Zarin

We almost called it quits this morning and headed to Philly. But we rallied instead and ventured into the city one last time. I'm soooo glad we did. It turned out to be another fantastic day. The perfect end to a perfect trip.

Michael watches "The Real Housewives of New York." Not religiously but often enough. And Jill Zarin has a fabric store in the lower east side. We figured it would be too expensive for us, but I though it was worth a shot.

Getting to Zarin Fabrics, we walked through China Town and Little Italy. Actually it was more like China Town then Little Italy then China Town then Little Italy then China Town. It seemed to change every block. Anyway, we found the store and as we approached it Bobby, who is Jill Zarin's husband, came walking out. Another celebrity sighting. So, the fabrics here are primarily upholstery (right up our alley, since we like to recover furniture) and aren't any more expensive than any other store. Plus they are beautiful! Michael found some fabric and would not let anyone touch his Zarin Fabric bag all day!!

More good friends

David, Ernest, and Charlie hugging it out

I was so excited to see David Austin and Charlie Parker! They are good, good friends from my years as an actor in Seattle. They both looked fabulous. We met for lunch at Arriba Arriba on 51st. It was very interesting to hear what it's like to follow your dreams to New York. As an actor. A director. A playwright.

Charlie just returned from a tour of "Cinderella" across Asia. It's funny to me that you have to move to New York in order to get a tour that takes you away from New York. But that's what happens. Charlie is also on the HBO show "Empire Boardwalk." And she's directing now too.

David and his cute boyfriend (who I still have yet to meet) are doing well and even planning on expanding their family. That's all I'll say about that. I'm not sure he's told everyone yet. And he is still writing and producing plays. He's a genius and probably the funniest person I know. So many memories! David was also in an off-Broadway play, and I was told by other people that he was hilarious in it.

I miss these guys so much. I wish they hadn't moved to NY. But I know they are here doing what they want. And I'm very happy for them.

Tom takes us on a VIP tour of Top Of The Rock

View of 30 Rock from the street. Can't even see the top from this angle.

Tom (who I ran into yesterday in Times Square) wasn't able to join us for lunch, but he did offer us a free, VIP tour of Top Of The Rock at Rockefeller Center. They boast the best views of the city and a truly unique experience. I couldn't reply "YES" fast enough!

Tom Marino and I shared a makeup mirror years ago as chorus boys at the 5th Avenue Theatre. I had the hugest crush on him. In fact, I repeatedly made a fool of myself trying to make him laugh. He is a beautiful man from the inside out. And he is also the big man in charge of one of the best tours in New York City: The Top Of The Rock. Check out their website: http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/

I could not get a clear shot of Central Park from the top of the Empire State Building. So here's a view from Top Of The Rock. So much better. The park is huge!

Michael, Anne and I from Top Of The Rock. That's the Empire State Building in the background.

Tom and me!

You simply must take this tour when you come to New York. It's better than the Empire State Building.

More pics of Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets and spanning the area between 5th Avenue and 6th Ave in New York City. Since its inception in 1928, Rockefeller and his wife, decided that this would be more than just a building. It would also be a work of art. The art deco building is infused with art throughout. I said it before, and I'll say it again...this is definitely better than the Empire State Building.

An enormous Swarovsky Crystal Chandelier at 30 Rock. If you could turn this upside down, you would see that it is a replica of the 30 Rockefeller Building. Cool.

One of several stunning murals in the lobby of 30 Rock - this one on the ceiling. See the man on the left, who is shouldering a log? He appears to be standing atop the pillars, and as you move from one pillar to the other, the perspective changes and he actually seems to shift his weight from one foot to the other. Amazing.

At the entrance to 30 Rock

Just when I thought our trip couldn't be more perfect, a rainbow descended over the city! Incredible!

Bridges of New York

I know there are millions of pictures of bridges, but I wanted some of my own pictures to put on my walls at home.

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Verrazano Bridge

The Verrazano Bridge

Day 4 - Singing Breakfast, WICKED, and good friends

See the singing waiters at the Stardust Diner!

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over

if you just sit there." -Will Rogers

We started out our 4th day in New York a little slow. And we missed the ferry. That left Stacy (Anne's sister-in-law, Scott's sister) cooling her heals for a couple hours waiting for us. Sorry Stace! But we did manage to get our butts in gear and meet up with Stacy for breakfast at the Stardust Diner. This is on Broadway at 51st and is a rock-n-roll style diner where all the waiters sing! It's pretty awesome. I can't imagine being that cheerful for work every day though. I have videos of this and other parts of our trip, but I will have to wait for a faster, stabler internet connection to post them.

After breakfast, we had a couple hours to kill until our show (WICKED! YES!), so we did more walking. Always with the walking. My word are my calves sore! Below are the pics!

Anne and Stacy at Stardust!

Stacy, Anne, and Michael in front of Radio City Music Hall. I tried to get them to do a Rockettes Kick Line..but they weren't having it!

St Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC

"I do benefits for all religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality" -Bob Hope

I hope I don't offend any of you Catholics out there with the pictures in this blog. I took them out of reverence for the beauty of St. Patrick's Cathedral. I have visited many cathedrals in Europe including St. Peter's at the Vatican, so I was curious how this would compare. It is stunning. Definitely a must see on your New York trip. Also a wonderful spot for quiet reflection.

The beautiful St. Patrick's is were the 9/11 funerals were held.

Inside St. Patrick's main space. The altar is at the far end.

Here you can say your prayer to an individual saint.

More pics of St Patrick's