Day 10 - Touch and go

Our first whole day in Washington and we decided to get some retail therapy and check out the sights.  In the morning we went to our local Metro station to find out how the system works.  We were totally confused - the ticket machines are not intuitive and the whole setup was difficult to understand.  Luckily for us, Clark came to the rescue.  He was the station manager and showed us how to get Metro Cards, and then explained how to use the Metro.  He had a great sense of humour and had us dancing through the entry gates, after touching our Metro cards to the sensors - as Clark said (while dancing): "You got to touch, and go, touch, and go".  A lovely person who really made our morning (we sent in a feedback form later complimenting him on a job very well done).  The Metro in Washington is totally different from the one in New York, as you can see from the two shots below.

New York subway station

Washington subway station

We took the subway to Pentagon City, one stop away from where we have to go on Monday.  Pentagon City is a large shopping centre, and a good place for some retail therapy.  Rhonda bought shoes, which were a very good price compared to Australia.  I got a pair of shoes also, but the best buy for me was a replacement head for my electric shaver: $95 in Australia, $45 here (somebody in Australian retail is getting rich at our expense).

Pentagon City

After the therapy we went back to the hotel, dropped off the bags and went out to walk around the local area.  We took in the White House (300 metres from the hotel) and walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, where we saw lots of the US Government Departments.  Washington is like Canberra, but on steroids.

White House from the front

White House from the back

The Capitol

Department of Commerce building

Gratuitous photo of buildings

Ornate doors - just in case you were wondering

Another impressive building

Two old guys who sat in the same spot for too long



Rhonda taking a photo of the J. Edgar Hoover Building

Finally, and perhaps an indication that I'm overthinking signs, here's one that caught my eye.

I get the 'cold drinks', but surely 'ice cold water', if it really is as cold as ice, is just 'ice'.  That's all for now, tomorrow we're visiting the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery.