I've never been to a haunted house before-not even for Halloween (although I've always wanted to go). But on Friday night, my Washington Seminar friends and I found ourselves on the edge of Valley Forge, staying in buildings that were old and huge, with legitimate attics, and disturbingly disproportionate paintings of U.S. presidents and first ladies on the walls. In my building there was also a dumbwaiter. When I first saw it, I automatically thought back to a Nancy Drew book I read ages ago, in which Nancy climbs inside a dumbwaiter in attempt to solve one of her mysteries. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to see one in real life. For those who aren't sure what a dumbwaiter is, it's basically a mini-elevator that servants would use to send meals from the kitchen to the dining room inside of mansions. Some people attribute its invention to Thomas Jefferson. In this particular building, the dumbwaiter's purpose was to take luggage up to the second floor, but despite the fact that there was a "baggage only" sign above the opening, my childhood desire to be like Nancy Drew was irresistible. (I actually dressed up like her for Halloween in fifth grade.) So, with the help of my accomplice and friend Jen, I climbed inside and closed the door, and she pushed the button that sent me downstairs. It was pitch black, very exciting and suspenseful, and the best part was when I reached the bottom floor and heard the voices of some of my friends on the other side of the opening. I successfully scared several of them when I opened the door and jumped out! Anyway, we had so much fun pretending that the entire building was haunted. If I hadn't been so tired that night, I probably would have had a hard time falling asleep!
 |
| Inside the dumbwaiter |
Our purpose for the overnighter at the haunted house was attributed to our two-day trip to Valley Forge and Philadelphia. Valley Forge was awesome, most likely because our tour guide, Murray was awesome. Murray told us so many interesting stories, and took us to the house that George Washington used as his headquarters during the winter of 1777-1778. That night, in the commons building of the place we were staying, my group gathered for a meeting with General Washington himself. I admit, I originally thought that this guest appearance was going to be lame, but the guy who came and spoke to us is the official George Washington historical actor for the United States. He makes appearances all of the country and the world, and has been in a few documentaries. He gave us a very realistic presentation.
On Saturday we went to Philadelphia. I was so happy to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall- the "birthplace of America." Being in the same room where the founders signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was incredible! I seriously felt the chills while we were in the Assembly Room! For lunch, a few of us went to the City Tavern, just a few blocks down from. This is the location where many of the founding fathers first met, and it was a known fact that if you ever wanted to know what was going on in Independence Hall, all you would have to do was spend time in the tavern. The food was also extremely delicious!
 |
| Hannah and I in front of the Liberty Bell |
 |
In the Assembly Room in Independence Hall
Left to right: Winnie, Chris, Alison, Me |
 |
| At City Tavern |
By the time Sunday rolled around, we were very tired from our adventures in Pennsylvania, but we could not ignore the fact that the cherry blossoms are out. So, around 5:30 about twenty of us ventured outside and walked along the Potomac waterfront to see the sights. I can completely understand why everyone raves about the cherry blossoms in DC, because they are beautiful! You feel like you're in a completely different world, and the views of the monuments surrounded by blossoms are incredible!
 |
| Me, Hannah, and the cherry blossoms! |
And once again, since I am so incredibly late with updating my blog, it's the middle of the week, and you'll never guess what I got to do last night!!!
I went on a night Capitol tour with a congressman! The crowds were gone, and there were only ten of us walking through the building, which meant I got to see a few places I've never been to before. I particularly loved going onto the Senate floor (I touched John McCain's desk!), and then we went out onto the Speaker of the House's balcony! It was also great to hear the Congressman's version of some of the stories- he knew a lot, and I love the Capitol even more because of last night!
 |
On the Speaker's Balcony
Katie, me, Kathy |
No comments:
Post a Comment