US Botanical Gardens take 2... and science fair
Since there was no Sunday School today, there being an organizational meeting at church, Liz and I went to DC again. She wanted another shot at the Botanical and I didn't mind that idea. This time, however, we took the Metro from MD. It still took slightly over an hour to get to the Metro station and another 45 minutes to get into DC. Then we got off at Judiciary Plaza because it looked on the map like it was about as close to the Botanical Gardens as the Smithsonian exit. It's about 8 city blocks or so which I didn't think would be too bad. We got to see some really fascinating buildings while we walked.
One caveat - the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial is a very poignant spot. I had not even known it existed. Well, I'd seen it listed in the AAA Guide but it had not really sunk in what it was. The long lists are frighteningly packed with the names of lawmen who have laid down their lives while on duty. It was worth the side track to see it even if it had been unintentional.
The outdoor gardens were a lot smaller than they were in summer, but that's to be expected. The orchids were less numerous throughout the Garden Court this time but the ones there were exquisite. Due to the cool air outside, it seemed far muggier inside than before and the jungle room was absolutely stifling.
I did actually manage to get to the canopy this time as the elevator was working. Big mistake - the canopy is surrounded on three sides by a mesh grill walkway and it's about 30 feet in the air. Agoraphobia hit hard, especially when I would look from the pretty, distracting bromeliads out into the main conservatory. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong. All deep, dark greens with outbreaks of bright reds, yellows and purples and the sky was a lovely shade of pale blue - but it still was high up and I'd get a glimpse only to have to grab the railing from dizziness. I did, however, managed to walk down the steep, industrial steel grill style steps, even with the evil view. Go me! (yes, I know it's ridiculous but it's my phobia. I've managed to rappel with it, go to the top of the Baltimore World Trade Building, the cliffs at Del Mar, etc. I deal but not real well.)
We spent four hours there. Somehow we missed the Cactus Room this time. But we took our time in the Jungle Room, both levels. We hit the Children's Garden which is resplendent with fall color - marigolds, hibiscus, mums, and other bright flowers. We hit the Southern Exposure area twice, once to walk through and once for lunch. A robin watched us eat while playing in the water at the pond. Something was blooming in the Plant Adaptations area which set off both my and Liz' allergies so we avoided it, just diving through in passing to the Children's Garden. And since we could not handle the Adaptations area we missed the Garden Primeval and Hawaii.
It turns out that we were lucky NOT to use the normal Smithsonian Metro stop. This weekend was the USA Science & Technology Festival Expo. The entire National Mall area was packed with universities, institutes, journals, academies, TV shows and fancy endeavors - each hosting one or more tent booths demonstrating their area of expertise. Robotics had a line around the tent to enter. Mineralogy and meteor science had long lines too, as did solar power and the stages. Leaving was a chore and the Metro station was blocked because it was full so the DC police were sending people to any other Metro stop to catch their trains back to their hotels/buses/cars/homes. Seriously, at 3:30 the crowds looked to be a mass conga line in the thoroughfare (yes, it was closed to through traffic).
All in all, it was a great visit to DC, even with the crowded National Mall and the long walks to and from the Metro. I can't wait for another free day where I can justify the time off to go back to see what else we find. And yeah, again with far too many pictures. Liz took three rolls plus 4 on her camera. I took 200+ on my digital. Now to see just how good they turned out...