The Place of Our Values

Several years ago, I was in the Rayburn House Office Building, sitting in the office of US Representative Danny K. Davis, who serves the 7th Illinois Congressional District, which includes the vast majority of Oak Park along with other western suburbs and portions of Chicago.  We had just gone on a tour of the US capitol, led by members of his staff, and we were visiting with him briefly after our tour concluded.

I remarked to Representative Davis that it is inspiring to be in Washington, D.C.

Indeed, each time I'm there reinforces why it is such an inspiring place.  The institutions and other sights in that city speak immensely to who we are as people of the United States.

I was certainly aware of the grandeur of this city 20 years ago when my family took a trip there during Spring Break in 1999.  We covered a lot of ground during our stay there, seeing Smithsonian museums, monuments, and other buildings like the Capitol and the White House.  Even though I couldn't fully conceive it at that time, I knew there was something important about the places I was seeing during our time there.

Onboard Amtrak's Capitol Limited train, most likely on the way to Washington, D.C. during our family Spring 1999 trip.  This photo was likely taken by Mom or Dad.

From left to right are my brother Eric, my Mom, and me, in front of the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial.  This photo was likely taken by Dad.

From left to right are me, Dad, and Eric, in front of the US Capitol in this photo likely taken by my Mom.

I am to the right of Eric on the steps of the National Archives museum building.  Probably Mom or Dad took this picture.

Here I am in the National Mall.  Mom or Dad likely took this picture, or Eric possibly, for that matter.

That trip 20 years ago was the first of many visits I've made to Washington, D.C.  In the years since 2011, I had made several brief, hourslong visits that fell during layovers between different Amtrak trains I was riding, and for which Washington, D.C., Union Station was a transfer location.

In the middle of May 2019, I had the opportunity to make Washington, D.C., a destination during an extended weekend excursion with my Mom.

To give our trip a special touch, we rode Amtrak's Capitol Limited train there, like we did the first time our family foursome traveled to Washington, D.C., and that anniversary certainly made it all the more meaningful to travel there again 20 years later.  On this 2019 trip, for the first time for both Mom and me, we rode in Amtrak Sleeper Class accommodations.

It added its special touch to our trip from the very start on Thursday, May 16, at the moment Dad pulled over on Canal Street by Union Station to drop us off and we saw an open door leading into the Metropolitan Lounge.  As sleeper class passengers, use of that lounge was included in our trainfare.

We bid farewell to Dad and went inside.  A woman stopped Mom to ascertain if she had privileges to be there.  I produced our travel ticket document on a sheet of paper, and the woman looked at it, and then marked it.  She then told us we were on the second level, which was designated the quiet zone, and there was another waiting lounge in the level below.  We headed downstairs.  There was a table with complimentary food of fresh fruit, banana chips, Chex mix, and candy.  There was a beverage fountain nearby with unlimited soft drinks available, along with hot beverages.  The lounge also had a bar serving alcoholic beverages.  With this swanky lounge and all its amenities, I knew we were in for something grand.

Above is the food selections in the Metropolitan Lounge, which is shown in the photo directly below.  All pictures in this post from here onward were taken by me, unless I appear in them, in which case my Mom took them, except where noted.

Here I am relaxing in the swanky digs of the Metropolitan Lounge.

We waited there about half an hour until the boarding call for our train.

We headed out to the south concourse and then onto the platform for our train.  As soon as I had booked our trainfare back in December, we were assigned a car number and a room number.  We settled into our roommette, which wasn't overly spacious, but gave us sufficient room in seats across from each other, as you can see in the photo below.

Right about 6:40 PM CDT, we felt a lurch, the movement that indicates our train had officially departed and we were on our way.  (Please note that unless otherwise noted, all times in this post are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), since the vast majority of this trip was spent in the Eastern Time Zone.  The only times in Central pertain to our Chicago departure and arrival.)

As we traveled through the south and southeast sides of Chicago, our wonderful sleeper car attendant Jamal came by to take our dinner orders and ask if we needed further assistance.  He offered us wonderful service throughout our journey.

The view of the Chicago Skyway Bridge over the Calumet River from our roomette as we travel on the train tracks parallel to the Skyway.

After we entered into northwest Indiana, we went to the dining car for our dinner, which also functioned as the sleeper class lounge.  Our dinners weren't quite ready yet, so we waited with other passengers until we were called by room number.  Unlike most other Amtrak routes that have sit-down restaurant-style meals, our dinner was already packaged and warmed, then handed to us in a cloth tote bag by the dining car attendant.  And while it lacked the same charm as the dining service on other trains, it was still a nice meal.

Mom and I both got a beef dish with mashed potatoes and gravy.  It also came with a small salad, a roll, a dessert bar, and a drink.  I enjoyed taking full advantage of complimentary nonalcoholic beverages throughout both train trips.

Around 10 PM, Jamal arrived to get our berths into place for sleeping.

Above and below are photos of the berths when in position for sleeping.  These photos were taken on the journey westward in the morning before our arrival back into Chicago.

Before going to bed, I lingered in the sightseer lounge car, talking with a couple other passengers.  As the train traveled into northeast Indiana, we entered a thunderstorm, with pelting rain and frequent lightning.

I finally went to sleep around midnight after stepping off the train to stretch my legs at the stop in Toledo.

I slept solidly in my berth, since I was able to lie flat, rather than having to sleep in a reclining chair in coach class.

I was up a little after 7 AM on Friday, May 17.  After the train stopped in Connellsville, Mom and I went to the diner car for breakfast, which was a continental style breakfast buffet including cereals, breakfast bars, fruit, and some hot items.  As we traveled through the scenic Appalachian highlands, I lingered in the diner lounge car for a while.

The signs of the Washington, D.C., Metro Area started to build upon reaching Martinsburg, the western terminus of a MARC Commuter Rail line.  After stopping at Harper's Ferry, which is a particularly scenic spot, we crossed over the Potomac into Maryland--below is a photo of the Potomac, with the train tracks in the foreground and Maryland on the opposite shore.

We passed by commuter rail stations for many suburbs.  Then we reached Rockville, and passed by the terminus of the Metro Red Line at the Shady Grove station.

As we headed toward Union Station following the stop at Rockville, passing through suburbs like Silver Spring and then into the northeast side of Washington, D.C., there were spectacular views of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Around 1:45 PM, we had arrived at Union Station.

Once we were off the train and into the station, we ate lunch from Roti.

Next, it was onto the Metro train, riding the Red Line and then Yellow Line to Alexandria, where we had Wyndham hotel accommodations very near the King Street station.  Once we checked in to our suite and settled in, we got back on the Metro and headed back into DC to visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.  We viewed an exhibit on the US response to the Holocaust, which did a good job going in-depth about attitudes in the United States in the 1930s, which complicated how the US responded, and actions by brave individuals who did what they could to save Jews.  We also viewed Daniel's Story, giving a child's story perspective of the Holocaust.  We also saw an exhibit that included footage recorded by US soldiers who liberated Nazi camps.

Above is the main hall of the Holocaust museum.  A sign on the wall has an Elie Wiesel quotation: "This museum is not an answer.  It is a question."  The content of the exhibits definitely poses questions to give us much to ponder.  Below is a display of the flags of the US army units that liberated Nazi camps toward the close of World War II.

We had finished there by 6:30, and made our return to Alexandria.

Here's a view of the sky scene by the Washington Monument, from Independence Avenue, near the USDA building.  Below is a view from the Yellow Line as we crossed the Potomac River.

When we transferred from the Blue/Orange/Silver Line corridor to the Yellow Line at L'Enfant Plaza, we saw huge numbers of fans boarding the Green Line to Nationals Stadium, where they were scheduled to play the Cubs.  Throughout the weekend, we saw people here and there wearing Cubs paraphernalia.

Once back in Alexandria, we shopped for groceries at Whole Foods, and then had dinner in our room suite.

I walked around outside in the neighborhood for a while before going to bed.

The next day, Saturday, May 18, came something we had been anticipating for a while: a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture--the exterior is in the photo below.  We were fortunate that Mom was able to secure advance tickets for us to visit.

We got to the Smithsonian Metro Station well ahead of our timed entry, so we walked around for a bit, and by 11 AM, we were inside.

First, we headed to the history galleries.

Hallway outside the entrance to the history galleries

Display at the entrance to the history galleries

We got in line, and then went in a group to an elevator, which took us down three floors and back to the year 1400, where we got historical context for the continent of Africa and also Europe in at just about the time when the Trans-Atlantic slave trade started.

At the beginning of the lowest level of the history galleries.

A woman standing in that area of the exhibit said she was going to lead a tour through the galleries on the lowest level, which was open to anyone who wanted to join.  Mom and I agreed to participate.

It was immediately clear that this museum, like the others in the Smithsonian, is chock full of content, and it would take a nearly inordinate amount of time to view it all.  Having a tour guide was a good way to take in various highlights.

The lowest level took us from the origins of the Transatlantic Slave Trade to slavery in the British North American colonies, and then to the American Revolution, and then up through the end of Reconstruction.  The exhibit included an actual slave cabin that was disassembled and then reassembled in the museum.  Other items on display included Harriet Tubman's shawl, Nat Turner's Bible, and the freedom papers of an individual.  Free African-Americans had to carry these papers with them to assert their status, and being found without them could mean being sent into slavery.  The museum didn't have much time to amass such a large collection of items, and so they relied heavily on donations from private individuals, and it's incredible to behold what they amassed in a span of just a few years before the museum's opening in 2016.

Freedom papers from the 19th Century

Nat Turner's Bible

Harriet Tubman's shawl is to the left and her hymnal to the right

South Carolina slave cabin

Once the tour finished, we went to the next level, which covered the years 1876 to 1968.  The focus was on the Jim Crow Era, and how African Americans banded together and started their own social organizations to provide for themselves in the midst of segregation, up until the Civil Rights Movement.  In this exhibit was a train car, arranged to show the segregated African-American and Caucasian areas.  There was also a dress Rosa Parks created, and Thurgood Marshall's glasses and watch.

Thurgood Marshall's glasses and watch appear mounted in the display case.

Rosa Parks dress

Above is the interior of a 20th Century train car, and below is the exterior.

Above is the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with a pen President John used to sign it, and below is the Voting Rights Act of 1965, also accompanied by a pen President Johnson used to sign it.

The uppermost level in the exhibit focused on the years 1968 to the present, which included content on African-American in popular culture and recent racial tensions.  I was particularly taken by a video showing images from the years 2001 to the present, with the song "Glory" playing in the background, which was featured in the movie Selma.

The following 4 photos contain thought-provocative quotations, which underscore how the museum's exhibits help visitors ponder the implications of the history therein presented.

It was after 1 PM by the time we finished viewing the historical galleries, and we decided to have lunch at the museum's Swee Home Cafe, despite the long line to get in.  There were different serving areas with regionally-focused foods.  We passed over the Southern foods like fried chicken, with the longest line, to get pulled pork sandwiches in the Western-themed area.  Directly below is a photo of the food on display there.

The dining area of the Sweet Home Cafe

Following lunch, we viewed a temporary exhibit on Oprah Winfrey.

Included in this case are a dress Oprah wore on a show and the effects from the show when she gave away a free car to all the audience members, like the big red bow on the car and the box with the key, which I believe is the small silver box.

Then we went to the exhibits on the upper floors of the museum, which focused on various aspects of African-American culture, including musicians, sports, military service, and artists.  Included in these galleries were Gabby Douglas's Olympics credentials badge, and Dr. Ben Carson's lab coat.  There were also statues of renowned African-American athletes.

For the 54th Massachusetts Regiment

Display for Dr. Ben Carson

Gabby Douglas's Olympics credentials badge

Jesse Owens statue

Michael Jordan dispaly, including his jersey and a Wheaties box bearing his image

Piano and bench from Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago

Above is the view of the Washington Monument from inside the museum, and below is the view of the monument by the museum outside.

It was after 4 PM by the time we left the museum.  We walked to see the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial.  Then we walked back to the Smithsonian Metro Station for our return to Alexandria.  When we transferred at L'Enfant Plaza, there were again huge crowds headed to the Nationals Stadium for another Nationals vs. Cubs game, which you can see in the photo below.

The next morning, after we had breakfast, we walked about a mile to St. Joseph Parish for 8:30 Mass.  While attending World Youth Day in Panama back in January, I met a few St. Joseph parishioners at the farewell reception at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center, and when I heard they were from a parish in Alexandria, I set my sights on attending Mass at their Church.

Above is the exterior of St. Joseph, and below is the interior.

We quickly encountered a welcoming community.  The priest invited guests to stand, and then he brought a microphone to the guests so we could introduce ourselves.  Father gave a homily in the spirit of a true teaching homily, going through each reading thoroughly and drawing from it insights for our life of faith.  There was fine music and a lively crowd in a filled church.  Following Mass, a few people approached us to welcome us personally.

Afterward, I learned about some of the history of St. Joseph.  Because African-Americans faced discrimination at St. Mary's Parish in Alexandria, they sought to create their own parish.  They got a large amount of money from St. Katherine Drexel, who donated money from her enormous inheritance to found churches for African American and aboriginal Americans.  Being familiarly connected with St. Augustine Mission, which she founded in Nebraska, I was particularly pleased to discover that historical anecdote about St. Joseph.  Following Mass, we went to the church basement, where there was a display about the parish's history, including a document bearing the signature of St. Katherine Drexel.

St. Katharine Drexel statue near the back of the sanctuary

Display case of St. Joseph history, with a document bearing St. Katharine Drexel's signature on it in the center of the photo.  Below is a close-up of her signature, which she spelled with a "C".

We left St. Joseph and headed due west to the Braddock Road Station to board the Yellow Line.  We rode it to Gallery Place-Chinatown, which was right by the National Portrait Gallery, which I soon learned is the same building with the National Museum of American Art.

Here is a piece of art that spells out, phonetically, the entire preamble to the US Constitution.

We went on a guided tour with Elizabeth.  She did a fabulous job highlighting certain works in the gallery, and taking time to help us be aware of certain artistic details in paintings, of subjects like Elizabeth I and presidential portraits, especially George Washington and Barack Obama.  Her approach helped me notice details I wouldn't have considered otherwise, like a rainbow in the famous Gilbert Sullivan portrait of George Washington.  (The National Portrait Gallery has a complete collection of presidential portraits, with the White House having another.)

A portrait featuring inventors of the 19th Century

George Washington's portrait

Here I am posing by James Madison's portrait, whose birthday I share.

Here I am posing by President George H.W. Bush's portrait, who was president when I was born.

She also pointed out historical details of the building, like the spot where the original engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence was on display during the time when the building was the Patent office--I am posing by that spot in the photo directly below.

She also noted that President Lincoln held an inauguration reception in the building, and noted the staircase where he walked, which is in this photo:

One other resplendent part of the building was the indoor Kogod Courtyard, with a glass ceiling letting in all the sunlight but climate-controlled to make it a comfortable space to pass the time.  (Alas, I didn't take a photo, but you can go to that link to see a picture of it.)

By 1 PM, we got on the Red Line and went to the Brookland-CUA stop and then walked across Catholic University of America's campus to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception--I am posing in front of it in the photo below.

We had lunch in the cafeteria and then did some shopping.  I always find it meaningful to visit the Shrine when in Washington, D.C. as a deeply spiritual, prayerful place, especially with all the side chapels dedicated to various Mary personages, and awe-inspiring interior design.

Above, a view looking up into the new Trinity dome, and below is a close-up of detail in the Trinity dome.

Then we walked north to the National Shrine of Pope St. John Paul II, listening to the Basilica's carillon as we walked.

Above is the entrance to the shrine on Harewood Road, and below is a view of the front of the building from Harewood Road.

We got to the other shrine in time for the 3 PM praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by Eucharistic adoration.  The Redemptor Hominis Chapel was so light-filled with all its bright coloring, a truly beautiful and prayerful place.

The Luminous Mysteries Chapel had a vial of John Paul II's blood, a first-class relic.

Above is the vial of his blood, which is embedded in the altar.  Below is a picture of the altar in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel.

Right before leaving, I signed a Knights of Columbus guest register, and then the person at the desk offered me some gifts.  The Knights contributed significantly to its construction, and so are specially recognized there.

In a city known for monuments and buildings that evoke a grand sense of earthly power and prestige, places like these two shrines have made Washington, D.C., as a notable spiritual destination for me, with sites bearing the names of saints that help draw us toward God, the Creator and Ruler of Heaven and Earth.  Indeed, among institutions that speak to our shared values as a nation are these special spiritual places that speak to our faith and our shared experience of it, especially as people of the Church in the United States, which touches something deep down inside of me.

Above is a statue of Pope St. John Paul II in the lower level, and below is me, posing by a statue of him outside the shrine.

We walked back about a mile to the Brookland-CUA station and made our way back to Alexandria.  After dinner, because the warm day put me in the mood for something cool and sweet to eat, we walked down King Street to a gelato place Mom found, La Casa Rosada, whose entrance is in the photo below, certainly evocative of the distinct Italian immigrant community in Argentina, of which Pope Francis's family was part.  I got mango sorbet, which I enjoyed.

Above is King Street in Old Town Alexandria, and below is a view of King Street near our hotel, lit up at night.

The view of the front of our Wyndham Hotel

I walked back down King Street the next morning to visit the Basilica of St. Mary's Parish, in the photo directly below, and spend some time in prayer there before going onward with the day.

We had checked out by 10 AM, and made our way to Union Station to store our luggage in the Club Acela.

The view of Alexandria from the platform of the King Street Metro Station

Here's the view after the Yellow Line train crossed the Potomac, but before going underground.  Two prominent landmarks are the Lincoln Memorial (near the center) and the Washington National Cathedral, near the right.  Below is a view of the Washington Monument and the very top of the Jefferson Memorial dome.

Then we walked to the National Archives Museum building to see the Charters of Freedom, a true highlight of any visit to Washington, D.C., to behold those documents that are at the heart of what the United States is.  Or, as I heard a student visiting with a school group say, these documents are the history of America's founding.  We were in company with many school groups there, just like at the Holocaust Museum.  It heartens me greatly that schools still go through so much effort to take students on trips to Washington, D.C., because it's so important that young people see what's there, and and become more strongly rooted in who they are as US citizens.  Indeed, it's wonderful to see our heritage passed on to the next generation.

Here I am, outside the National Archives building after our visit.

We then went back to Union Station via the Metro and then walked to the West Lawn of the US Capitol to see the set-up for the forthcoming National Memorial Day Concert, an important custom of mine on Memorial Day Weekend.  It was special to see the setting in person as context for seeing it days later.

In the center of this photo, you can see the topmost part of the stage set-up.

We returned to Union Station and got Chinese-style food for lunch.  Then we went to Club Acela to wait for boarding our train.  This lounge was much smaller than the Metropolitan Lounge.

A man sitting across us got this picture of Mom and me.  He was traveling with his wife out west from South Carolina.

The info board for our train.

We were on the train a few minutes before 4 PM, and the same car attendant crew that was on duty during our trip there was on the same train going back, though we had a different attendant, and I believe his name was Phil.  The train departed right about on time at 4:05 PM.  I took in the great views of Washington, D.C., and then the nearby suburbs and then the Appalachian highlands as we headed toward Chicago.  We had dinner at 6:30 PM, eating the same menu choice as on our way east.

The view from the station stop at Rockville, MD.

Harper's Ferry, WV

A view of a field as we travel along, likely somewhere in western Maryland

Just west of the station at Cumberland, MD

view of the Appalachian highlands west of Cumberland, MD

I stepped off the train at Cumberland to stretch my legs.  I was in bed around the time we stopped at Connellsville.

The next morning, we had breakfast around 7:30 AM, which was around the time the train stopped in Elkhart.  We took in the fine views of northern Indiana fields and towns as we headed west, and then the views of northwest Indiana and Chicago as we neared the end of our train journey.

Downtown LaPorte, IN, the hometown a very good friend of mine

View of Lake Michigan as we travel through the furthest extent of Northwest Indiana, shortly before entering Illinois and Chicago

Skyline of Chicago as the train crosses over the I-90/94 Dan Ryan Freeway near 63rd Street

We arrived at Chicago Union Station shortly after 9 AM.  We proceeded straight to Lou Mitchell's, in the photo below, for breakfast before going home.

Washington, D.C., is indeed such an inspiring place because there are so many sites there that speak to our values of the United States that comprise our US heritage.  It is a place where I can ponder more deeply what it means to be an American, and the implications of being an American.  We get a sense of the values upon which this country is founded, and have served as the basis for everything in our experience since.  It is certainly so breathtaking to gaze upon the monuments in Washington, D.C., not only for the illustrious individuals of history but also monuments like the World War II Memorial that are about the thousands of common individuals who had a significant part in shaping our history.

We realize that part of our experience in the United States is grappling and struggling to advance those values so they are more fully realized by all people in our society.  Certainly the African-American History and Culture Museum has many exhibits that help visitors ponder the path the African-Americans have trodden thus far, and where we as a society must head next for there to be true equality.  Even the Holocaust Museum gives visitors so much to ponder about how to make a better world that respects the dignity of all people.

The other museums in Washington, D.C. have such a treasure trove of items that reveal the vastness of who we are and who we have been as people of the United States.  It is truly amazing to see all that is contained in those museums.

I have to say how much I appreciate the tour guides who led tours in museums, helping us take a different pace to really savor certain parts of everything in these museums.  It's amazing to think of what they helped us uncover.

Indeed, it's amazing to see how one place speaks so much to the entire United States, but it's just as amazing to realize that the entire United States has influenced one place as it reflects the country as a whole.

It was fitting to travel by train to Washington, D.C., to travel at a different pace to really see the country I'm passing through, the country reflected in that city and that is part of that city.  This trip helped me embrace train travel even more as a way to go at a different pace and be mindful of what is there in this country.

It was nice traveling in sleeping class accommodations, to experience the enhanced amenities.  We also had good service from our car attendants.

I was glad to share this experience with my Mom, as train travel is something that I embrace deep down.  And I was glad to share the sightseeing in Washington, D.C., since there's so much there we could both appreciate equally.

Indeed, this trip in so many ways touched what is deep down inside of me, as I shared the experience with Mom, embraced the different pace of travel to really see the country onboard the train, and become deeply in tune with the values of the United States which make Washington, D.C., what it is, even as that one place has made the United States what it is.

The US flag flies high above the plaza outside the main entrance of Union Station in Washington, D.C., the terminus for a trip to a city that inspires me to take a different pace in life and ponder what it means to be an American.