Planes trains and automobiles - USA summer, are we mad?

[bPeteb]

It had been hot in NYC but nothing quite prepared us for what we walked out into on the platform of DC’s Union Station. Just wow!





Luckily the Uber only took a minute to arrive and he had the radio on that was broadcasting constantly about the heat, and the heat weather warning. The ‘feels like’ was 110 (43c)! The high humidity made it 10x worse.

DC drivers are maniacs. Might have explained the world’s slowest and most cautious Uber driver. We stayed at Holiday Inn Washington-Central/White House and despite having the lowest IHG status was given a cracking upgrade to a suite, and the room was available, three hours early!

Mrs Kennedy/Onassis waiting to greet us in the hotel lobby







the view



even a powder room, that remained untouched



just one suite on each floor

 

[drron]

You ain't seen nothing yet

I'm certainly looking forward to your thoughts on Fallingwater etc.We are both FLW fans.Loved both Taliesen and Taleisen west where you get a little more of how he lived.Fallingwater has been one of our memories from our time in the USA.

 

[bPeteb]

We walked, and it was a long way in the heat, down to The Mall.

Oi oi oi



The African American Museum is the newest and our first destination. Yet again we were rushed for time and instead of giving this museum the day it most likely could take, we gave it three hours and didn’t make it to the above ground floors, just tow of the three below ground. An amazing museum with a very sad story and then uplifting story. In the political world of today it truly looks like we’re heading backwards.















for drron. Lookout, more flower photos coming



With Apollo 50 celebrations due to reach their crescendo on July 20 we thought a revisit to the Air and Space Museum was called for.

First glimpse of The Mall and the setting up for the evening show (the night after of course)

 

[bPeteb]

random street (mall?) art



We should have stayed at the African American Museum. Air and Space was packed, and more than half of it closed for a giant years long re-imagining. It will be amazing when it’s done but at the moment it’s a mess.

One of Amelia Earheart's planes



the kind of fake news Mr Orange would never discuss - the Wright bros did not fly the first powered flight (let the discussion begin!)



At least I managed to get a sneaky shot of one of Neil Armstrong’s real Apollo 11 space suits (apparently…).



Geez it was hot outside when we wandered back out of the museum. From Thursday The Mall had a huge tent city of displays and hand’s on experiences. The thought of spending any time in a non-airconditioned tent on what was forecast to be an even hotter day had no attraction whatsoever.



Al was keen to at least walk around while we were there (they were still setting everything up) to see if he thought it was worthwhile returning the next morning before we left DC. I said no…

Al -what tents do I want to possibly kark it in tomorrow morning?





Quick visit to the Sculpture Garden before the storms arrived

 

[VPS]

Loving this TR and planning my next week in New York - if I only I had friends with an apartment view like that - instead I'll be in a dodgy cheap hotel And I love the Guggenheim - fantastic architecture

 

[bPeteb]

We decided Metro was a much smarter way to get at least half way back to the hotel. On the walk to the station the speakers set up on The Mall came to life as they ran an audio practice of the show that would be played/projected Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. I’ve never heard outdoor sound so loud. It was incredible.

We haven't looked at YouTube yet but presume that the image to be projected onto the Washington Monument would 'take off' and the white screen might be the flames.



Love the Washington Metro. At some stage the week before some of these stations flooded due to torrential rain



Holiday Inn



and it's near neighbour



Dinner was nearly at the Tabard Inn, the hotel we’d stayed at back in 2005



but we’d already chosen the pig and we’re glad we stuck with it. Fantastic - atmosphere, service, food, and of course name. Had ears



no noses or tails…

 

[bPeteb]

Then it was back down to The Mall for what really was the highlight of our brief revisit – the projection of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket onto the Washington Monument from 9:30pm. The crowds were testament to how big of a deal Apollo 50 is for a huge number of people.











we love you DC

 

[bPeteb]

I'm certainly looking forward to your thoughts on Fallingwater etc.We are both FLW fans.Loved both Taliesen and Taleisen west where you get a little more of how he lived.Fallingwater has been one of our memories from our time in the USA.

GREATEST DAY EVER Ron!! The two Taliesens plus Farnsworth and if possible any of the LA properties will be part of planning our next US holiday

 

[bPeteb]

Thursday Washington-Ohiopyle

No tents on the mall. We would have had to be up earlier than I was prepared to be to get to The Mall to check out the moon sauna tents then back to pickup our rental car then drive out to The Smithsonian’s second Air and Space Museum, Steven xx_, out next to Dulles.

Instead we had a leisurely breakfast, checked out and walked the few sweaty blocks to the Enterprise car rental office. I’m not sure if it’s been since we left but somewhere we read that Insure and Go don’t cover the excess for SUVs or ‘luxury’ vehicles. Of course the only cars they had available were SUVs so we paid the US$44 for two days insurance for the Nissan Rogue (X-Trail) we drove out of the very tight car park.

It was actually a pretty easy drive out of downtown Washington and onto the freeway that took us out to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This was my DC ‘non-negotiable’.

See ya Mr Orange



no sign of Pauline



Going Rogue



The BEST Smithsonian!





We walked in and both went straight to use the facilities. I’m stood washing my hands and Al appears beside me asking for help. I look across and there’s blood dripping down his face. I thought he had a nose bleed, something I’ve never seen him have. He says no, I hit my head with the camera. He’s literally split his brow open as he’s gone to take the camera from around his neck. We stemmed the blood enough to calmly walk out to the car and try to patch him up. I’m usually the walking disaster area so the Steri-Strips brought to fix me are perfect for fixing Al!



Udvar-Hazy was everything I’d hoped for and more. The first plane I see as I walk into the ‘hanger’ is a Vought Corsair, the plane that was flown off the RN Fleet Air Arm carrier that my dad served on in the Pacific during WWII. Some tears shed and an email sent to him back home with a couple of pictures of the plane.





then we see the view straight ahead

 

[bPeteb]

The rest of the collection is truly amazing although I will say there’s a distinct lack of British aircraft from either world war. I suppose it is a US museum but just a single British WWII fighter seems odd, especially when considering the number of German planes.

 

[bPeteb]

The star is of course Discovery. It is just amazing to stand next to and under something that has been out into space, more than once





















Al eventually ran out of puff and I could have spent longer but we had a decent drive out into rural Pennsylvania to be in place for the following day – Fallingwater.

 

[bPeteb]

We're currently sat in the pretty ordinary Cathay lounge at SFO waiting for QF74 to take us (nearly) home. We've heard a couple of stories but it sounds like either 73 or 74 had an accident here on Friday night. Yesterday's QF73 took Friday's passengers home on QF74 and today's QF73 took yesterday's home tonight using our departure slot. I think.

At least it explains the SMS tonight telling us we were departing at 2225 when the app had been updated to 0100.

I'm still not sure why we're not going home on the 744 sat at the gate I'm looking at but we've just been told our QF74 is out at a remote gate and will need to come to a gate, and be catered, and then we should board, in maybe an hour. That would mean we won't be leaving any sooner than 2am, four hours late. I wonder which of the two was the damaged plane.

Another couple and it'll be Amtrak late...

 

[bPeteb]

We drove across five state lines during the drive to Ohiopyle – DC-Virginia-West Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia-Pennsylvania. There were a few too many Trump placards and confederate flags to make me comfortable enough to have stopped and for us to have had a coffee anywhere…

We misread a detour sign and ended up following a road into Ohiopyle that was more C road than A













but we got there. The countryside along the way was beautiful but gee there is some poverty in America, backroads and small town America has it in bucket loads (although I'm sure Mr Orange would say it's great).

We checked in to the Yough Plaza Motel



and then went for pizza at what we incorrectly thought was the only place open in town. There were at least two others. The pizza nevertheless was great and the beers were a bargain - $2.75 each or six for $9, and they were the craft beers!

 

[bPeteb]

After dinner we wandered down to the river that a large number of people come to raft or kayak down. Lots of what we’d call fire flies coming up out of the grass of the park down by the river. We were later told they’re called lightening bugs by locals.







bakery at right, breakfast destination











Canada geese everywhere we went



Similar to Otago's rail trail, they've converted disused rail corridors to bike trails



Tomorrow is Fallingwater day

 

[bPeteb]

Friday Ohiopyle-Frank Lloyd Wright-Pittsburgh

Fallingwater day had finally arrived. We had an early breakfast at the bakery



A breakfast sandwich, oatmeal with apples, a coffee and a smoothy, between the two of us





and then drove the 10 minutes to Mill Run and Fallingwater. My lifelong interest in architecture is based solely on this house.

We've arrived!!





visitor centre



group A!!



There was no way we were going and not be able to take photos so we paid for the 90 minute in-depth tour that included taking however many photos you wanted to (we took 243 plus one accidental, and not permitted, video. The light coming down through the forest at 8:30 am was magical. Hopefully our pictures captured it.

wild Appalachian rhododendron





our terrific guide

 

[zig]

We've arrived!!

Don't leave us hanging...

 

[bPeteb]

Going to have to wait until we get home. Finally sat on the very delayed QF74 and about to pull back from the gate.

 

[drron]

bigpete it is just as well you didn't know who Mr.Yuengling supported in the 2016 election.

Yuenling is a Pennsylvania institution.It is the oldest operating beer company in the US and one of the largest breweries.Our son lived in Philly for 2 years so i drank a fair bit of Yuengling.

Yuengling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[bPeteb]

bigpete it is just as well you didn't know who Mr.Yuengling supported in the 2016 election.

Yuenling is a Pennsylvania institution.It is the oldest operating beer company in the US and one of the largest breweries.Our son lived in Philly for 2 years so i drank a fair bit of Yuengling.

Yuengling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Oh no! Mr Orange. The beer was delicious nevertheless

 

[bPeteb]

And landed. Now waiting on the runway due to congestion. We're now rebooked on 2pm fight back home to Brisbane. The CSM went through a very long list of original and new flights for everyone affected by delay.