In the month leading up to Independence Day, there are some other historical occasions celebrating other steps in the unfolding of what the USA is about.
June 14 is the day the US Army was established in 1775 and the day in 1777 that the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes.
June 21 is the day New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the US Constitution, which made it the law of the Land under Article 7.
It was fitting that I had my regular annual trip to the Washington, D.C., Metro Area flanked by these two significant days.
On Friday, June 14, 2024, by 5 PM, I was on my way to starting my trip east. I rode the Blue Line to reach Chicago Union Station. I was inside around 6 PM and just minutes later came the boarding call for Amtrak train #30, the eastbound Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C.
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| The Capitol Limited appears second from the top in the Amtrak Departures display board. |
The train waited for some passengers coming from a train that originated in the western USA before departing around 6:55 PM. It made good timing from Chicago into northern Indiana.
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| Sunset from the train, east of LaPorte. |
With the late sunsets, light lingered in the sky until almost 10 PM as we headed toward Ohio.
I was glad to see Kyle, one of the coach car attendants, working the train. Since this was the 14th time I've ridden this route, we've come to readily recognize each other.
During the night, as is my custom on this route, I got off at Toledo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh for fresh air.
The sun shone brightly as it rose over the Appalachian highlands on the morning of Saturday, June 15, as the train traveled from Pennsylvania into Maryland.
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| The view from the last car of the train after it passed through the tunnel. |
I got off at Cumberland to walk around on the platform. Then the train weaved between Maryland and West Virginia. The views at Harper's Ferry were scenic as always.
The train made great timing east of Harper's Ferry into the DC Metro Area, and arrived at Washington, D.C., Union Station around 12:45-12:50 PM.
I got a quick lunch of a pita wrap before I began my visits. First, I went to the National Archives, which was fitting for Jun 15, the anniversary of the Magna Carta, and there is a 1297 copy of it on display there.
Next, I headed north to two important spiritual sites. I first visited the National Shrine of St. John Paul II, which had a special exhibit with panels from Blessed and soon-to-be-Saint Carlo Acutis's website documenting Eucharistic miracles--please see the photo below.
Then I walked to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for 4:30 Sunday Vigil Mass. It was special to visit in the 100th anniversary year of its first Mass in April 1924. While there, I noticed the Gospel acclamation verse included the words "The seed is the Word of God", and that phrase is on the ambo, which was fitting furthermore because seed figured prominently into the Gospel reading.
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| Someone outside the Basilica kindly photographed me by the east entrance. |
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| Here I am posing by the statue of Blessed Father Michael McGivney. Photo is by a fellow visitor. |
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| The ambo bears the words, "The Seed is the Word of God". |
Once Mass ended, I boarded the Metro to first pick up my luggage in storage at Union Station and then travel to Alexandria. I was excited to see the view from the Metro Yellow Line when it emerged from the tunnel to travel the bridge over the Potomac, because I never get tired of the view.
It was an easy walk from the King Street-Old Town Station and when I walked into our hotel unit, Mom and Dad already had dinner ready. Subsequently, we walked to Casa Rosada to cap off our day with delicious gelato. After an unfortunate incident at this business last year, I was glad to see them up and running again. It was great enjoying our gelato in the summer evening in their back porch area.
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| Someone sitting near us got a group photo of us as we begin to enjoy our treats. |
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| Here's a close-up of mine. I think it was strawberry banana flavor. |
The next morning, Sunday, June 16, we went to 8:30 Mass at St. Joseph Parish, which was a spirited time. It was great to hear the theme of seeds again. There was a celebration afterwards since they recognized graduates in their communities, not to mention the dads.
I then biked to a nearby Safeway to get a few groceries before returning to the hotel for breakfast.
Around 12:30 or so, we left for the Market Square area for our 1:15 tour of the Stabler-Leadbetter Apothecary Museum, one of several historical museums in Alexandria.
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| Here's the view of the museum along Fairfax Street. The museum occupies two building sites in the midle of the row of buildings with the central doors flanks by windows right next to them on either side. The right building is the entrance for the complex, and the left building is the original apothecary building. |
Our tour guide showed us around a display area on the first floor with bottles for different medicinal substances, and how the apothecary functioned. Then we went upstairs, where she explained more about the process of making the medicinal substances.
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| The store area on the first level |
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| Workstation on the upper level |
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| Supplies of material for manufacturing |
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| The drawer in the center of the photo is for mustard seed. |
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| I was intrigued to see a can with "Kamala". |
We were done around 2 PM. Then we returned to our hotel, and I stopped for ice cream at the Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar.
Later, around 5 PM, Naomi and Eric arrived. Eric cooked stuffed peppers with quinoa. They also brought us Midnight Cookies for dessert. We had a great time enjoying each other's company over dinner, and then we played a fun game called Qwirkle.
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| Stuffed bell peppers |
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| An assortment of cookies |
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| The end result of our Qwirkle game |
They departed around 7 PM, and I decided it was a good time for a bike ride. I rode to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge bike path and over the Potomac River into Maryland, and then over to National Harbor before turning around and returning to the hotel in Alexandria. While heading west on the bridge, I got amazing views of the sunset.
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| At National Harbor in Maryland |
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| The view of the sunset looking westward along the Woodrow Wilson Bridge toward Alexandria, VA |
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| Close-up of the disc of the setting sun, with the George Washington Masonic National Memorial tower to the left |
The next morning, Monday, June 17, after I had breakfast and some downtime, I rode the Blue Line train north to Rosslyn. From there, I walked to Theodore Roosevelt Island. After private ownership, it passed into the auspices of the federal government and became a landscaped nature area. It was wonderful to walk around the island and experience nature, even if a plane zoomed overhead on its approach to Reagan National Airport. It was especially refreshing to walk in the shade in the building heat and humidity.
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| View looking southeastward toward Theodore Roosevelt Island as I approached on a path from the northwest |
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| A tree-shaded path on the island |
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| A marshy area on the island, near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, which appears below |
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| Theodore Roosevelt Memorial in the central part of the island |
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| Close-up of the statue of Theodore Roosevelt at the memorial |
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| A fellow visitor photographed me near the memorial on the island. |
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| View from the bridge to the island looking south along the Potomac River channel toward the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge |
When I finished my walk around the island near 11 AM, I returned to the Rosslyn station and rode the Blue Line to Arlington Cemetery. Mom and Dad were waiting for me there, and I joined them for a visit to the Arlington House. We entered the Cemetery and then began a walk in the blazing heat and humidity up the hill to its location. I remember seeing and hearing about it, and I was glad to have the chance to go inside. It was fascinating to see the furnishings, as the Lee/Custis family wanted the house to offer tribute to George Washington. Inside, the furnishings reflected a combination of 18th and 19th Century history. And the views from the area by the front porch of the house over into Washington, D.C., were amazing, and well worth the climb.
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| Looking up the hill toward Arlington House, which appears in the center of the photo |
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| The dining room |
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| An instrument in what I think was a sitting room or parlor |
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| Here is General Lee's desk. President Ford sat here when he signed legislation restoring General Lee's citizenship in 1975. |
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| Inside the quarters for the enslaved servants |
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| A garden on the grounds of the Arlington House |
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| Above is the view from the front porch looking east toward the National Mall and below is a view of the front of the house. |
Once we finished there, we descended the hill and made our way out of the cemetery and back to the Blue Line for the ride to Alexandria. At the hotel, we had lunch. A little later, I walked to the nearby Old Town Pool for a cool-off time.
And then I had a light dinner before beginning my side trip. I rode the Metro to Union Station to board the Amtrak Northeast Regional train #138 to Philadelphia. It was delayed by almost an hour, but I made good use of the time in Union Station, especially to pose for photos by the decorative Union Station signs.
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| Toward the left, although small, I appear posing by the decorative sign. |
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| Sign by the gate for my train north to Philadelphia, Amtrak train #138 |
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| Walking down the platform toward the train, whose rear car appears on the right of the two trains |
By 7:15 PM or so, the train was on its way northeast. I had a very relaxing ride, especially with the use of the train's Wifi. There was an amazing view of the sunset near Aberdeen.
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| Sunset over an inlet of Chesapeake Bay on the way to Aberdeen |
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| Sunset at Aberdeen |
Around 9 PM, the train arrived in Philadelphia, and I exited. I immediately went to board the SEPTA train for the short ride to the Jefferson Station, and from there, it was a short walk to the Days Inn Hotel by the Convention Center, where I spent the night.
I was up early the next morning, on Tuesday, June 18, around 6 AM. After my usual morning routine and breakfast in the new eating space near the hotel's lobby, I went to the Jefferson Station to board the 7:35 AM SEPTA Trenton Line train for my outing to the New Jersey State capitol.
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| The train I rode to Trenton arrives at the Jefferson Station. |
As the train headed north from the William H. Gray III/30th Street Philadelphia Station into the northern suburbs, I got great views of the Schuylkill River and the skyline. Closer to New Jersey, I struck up a conversation with a lady who sat by me. When I told her that I was headed to visit the New Jersey state capitol, she moved out of my way when we reached the Delaware River so I could take in the amazing view as the train crossed the bridge to cross the river into New Jersey, with a spectacular view of the New Jersey Statehouse.
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| Here is the view from the train as it crosses the Delaware River into New Jersey. In the distance, there's a bridge with the statement, "Trenton Makes, the World Takes", referring to its former steel industry. |
Within minutes, we pulled into the Trenton Transit Center about on time for our 8:39 arrival.
It was a splendid morning, still not too hot, so I decided to walk about 25 minutes from the station to the statehouse along State Street. I got there almost an hour before the tour, so I walked around to the side of the complex overlooking the Delaware River with a great view of the State House dome.
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| View toward the Delaware River |
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| The New Jersey State House |
Then I ducked into the New Jersey State Museum to enjoy the air conditioning and browse the exhibit for a few minutes.
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| The New Jersey State Museum |
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| Display of items from the founding era inside the New Jersey State Museum |
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| Above and below, Abraham Lincoln makes a couple of appearances in the New Jersey State Museum. The statue below is part of an exhibit of big items in a small state. |
By 10 AM, I was in the State House Annex waiting to start the tour with our guide, whose name I believe was Tom. There was another family of three that joined the tour. He led us into the State House through a tunnel. We stopped in the central part of the State House, the House Chamber, the Senate Chamber, and the rotunda. In each space, he told stories from history related to each space, described the functions of the New Jersey state governments, and even pointed out fixtures. Notably, the chandelier in the house chamber was funrished by Thomas Edison's electric company, and his son was a New Jersey governor. Abraham Lincoln also spoke in the House chamber on his trip to Washington, D.C., to assume the office of the US presidency. While many were critical of him in New Jersey, he managed to win people over with his speech and gracious demeanor.
The guide also noted some idiosyncrasies about New Jersey. It's the only state capitol that can be seen from another state, yet it's still centrally located because of New Jersey's size. No legislator has to travel more than 2 hours to reach Trenton. The capitol dome is also not in a centrally located position in the building because of the way it was built in different sections.
I definitely enjoyed the tour, and getting to learn some of the finer details about New Jersey on what could be considered my first substantial visit there.
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| At a cross-point in the hallway between the House and Senate sides of the capitol, which is somewhat like a rotunda. |
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| The New Jersey State House chamber, the Edison-related chandelier appearing near the top center of the photo |
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| New Jersey State Senate Chamber |
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| Looking up into the rotunda |
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| Here's a view of the rotunda, with the tour guide appearing to the right. |
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| A fellow visitor in my tour group photographed me inside the rotunda. |
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| Here I am outside the State House Annex. Thanks to someone I stopped on the street to photograph me. |
We were done around 11:15, and I knew it was time to get back in haste to the Trenton Transit Center to board the 11:50 Trenton Line train back to Philadelphia. So I boarded a Trenton public bus for $1.60, which I had in cash, and rode about 5-10 minutes to the train station. After purchasing my ticket, I had enough time to buy an Auntie Anne's pretzel, which was cheaper than at Washington Union Station. Then I headed to the platform to board the train. After a slight delay, were were on our way right before 12 noon, and I took a good look at the amazing view from the bridge during the Delaware River crossing. Along the way, I read more of Katie Britt's new memoir, God Calls Us to Do Hard Things.
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| Looking south is a view of the Philadelphia skyline from the SEPTA Trenton Line train. |
The train reached Philadelphia around 12:45, and I detrained at the Suburban Station and then walked to the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. Specifically, I wanted to visit the tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, whose remains had been moved there in 2018, after my first Philadelphia visit. It was meaningful to do so aware of the recent experiences I've had in reconnecting with St. Augustine Mission.
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| St. Mother Katharine Drexel's tomb |
Next, I walked to the Reading Terminal Market to get lunch. I ordered from the Original Turkey stand, like I did the first time I went there. It was a happening place in the early afternoon.
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| My turkey lunch |
Following a quick dash over to the Independence National Historical Park area to see Carpenter's Hall and Independence Hall, I went back to the Days Inn to retrieve my luggage. Then I boarded a SEPTA Trenton Line train at the Jefferson Station and rode it the short distance to the 30th Street Station. There, I waited for Amtrak Northeast Regional train #133 to ride back to Washington, D.C. It arrived at 3:22 shortly after its scheduled time. The ride back was relaxing like the ride the day before.
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| Train #133 appears third from the top on this train information board. |
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| Info for train #133 by the gate. |
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| Train #133 arrives at Philadelphia. |
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| A fellow passenger photographed me in my seat as we neared Washington, D.C., Union Station. |
The train arrived at Washington, D.C., Union Station shortly after 5 PM. From there, I made my way to the National World War II Memorial in honor of its 20th Anniversary. There was something telling about being in the intense heat and humidity when visiting a memorial that commemorates soldiers who endured intense conditions to uphold freedom in the world.
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| The wall with the stars commemorating those in the US Armed Forces who perished in World War II. |
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| The view of the fountain in the memorial looking toward the Washington Monument |
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| View of the memorial looking toward the Lincoln Memorial |
Then I made my way back to the Metro and then on to Alexandria. I arrived after 7 PM, and dinner was already waiting for me with a surprise of Key Lime pie from Bob and Edith's Diner. Once I finished eating, we three played Scrabble.
On the morning of the following day, Wednesday, June 19, after I had breakfast, I went to St. Mary's Parish for 9 AM Mass. Then I headed back toward the hotel, and headed straight for the Metro station with Mom and the three of us got on the train for our day's outing. We rode the Blue Line to Foggy Bottom and then walked to the Kennedy Center in what still felt like a pleasant enough morning. We met Naomi and Eric there and then went on a guided tour starting at 11 AM. It was fascinating to learn about what happens at the Kennedy Center including finer details like the presidential boxes and its artwork, and to look inside two of the theater venues. To cap it off, we saw some amazing views from the upper-level terrace.
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| In the Hall of States in the Kennedy Center |
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| The Hall of Nations |
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| The Grand Foyer hallway along the north-south length of the Kennedy Center by the Potomac River side, with access to the theaters |
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| The Concert Hall |
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| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg frequented this reception room, and would usually sit in the far corner. |
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| Presidential Suite |
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| Gallery of African art work |
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| The Eisenhower Theater |
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| View looking northwesterly toward Arlington (appearing toward the left) and Georgetown (appearing toward the right) |
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| View of the Potomac River looking southwesterly, with the Theodore Roosevelt Island appearing toward the right |
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| Here's our family photo--thanks to our tour guide for photographing us. |
We were done by 12:30. After looking around at a special exhibit about President Kennedy and the arts, we parted ways. Mom, Dad, and I got lunch at Whole Foods near the Foggy Bottom Metro station.
Once we finished, I parted ways from them, and headed for the Shrine of St. John Paul II to participate in the 3 PM Divine Mercy Chaplet. (There's an archived video of this prayer time. So far as I know, I don't appear in it, but I'm just to the left of what the camera showed.)
Then, I made my way to the Archives building to see the special Juneteenth exhibit. After seeing how long the line was, I skipped it and went to view the Charters of Freedom again.
Subsequently, I walked to the American History Museum to see the original Star-Spangled Banner, a highlight of a WDC visit. And then I headed for the Metro for my return to Alexandria. Around 7 PM, we three walked east to have dinner at Pita House, a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant. I had Ouzi-Ris Blahmeh, which was lamb meat with rice and a yogurt sauce, which I enjoyed--please see photo driectly below.
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| View inside the restaurant by our table |
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| View of the outside of the restaurant |
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| Family photo with the three of us, taken by a passerby on the street |
The next morning, on Thursday, June 20, I was up around 7 AM. I joined Mom and Dad for breakfast. They departed a few minutes after 8 AM. I lingered for a while longer in our unit, and then I signaled our check-out to the front desk staff around 9:30. I first went to Union Station to store my luggage. From there, I went to the BNSIC to spend a few minutes in Eucharistic adoration. Next, I returned to Union Station on the Metro Red Line and after much effort, I ended up in the Smithsonian Postal Museum to get postcard stamps.
Next, I went to 12:10 Mass at St. Joseph Parish, which is on the Senate side of Capitol Hill. There was something awe-inspiring and reverent as I walked inside, not to mention a refreshingly cool contrast from the warm, humid summer day outside.
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| Inside St. Joseph |
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| Outside St. Joseph |
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| St. Joseph appears to the left and appearing to the right is a Senate Office Building, to the south on 2nd Street |
After Mass, I decided to get lunch at Lemon Bistro, which was a couple doors north of the church, and I had a chicken sandwich. Once I was done with lunch, I walked to Union Station, passing by a group from Students for Life America, and boarded the Metro over to Federal Triangle. I intended to go up to the Old Post Office Tower for the great views, but the elevator stopped working. So then I walked east to the Archives to see if I could visit the Juneteenth exhibit.
There was a much shorter line there, short enough so that I could walk right up to the display of General Gordon Grangers's order proclaiming the emancipation of the enslaved people in Galveston. There was a somewhat lengthy line to see the original Emancipation Proclamation. Even with the looming train departure time, I decided to get in it and see how far I could make it. I was behind a large school group, and I passed the time talking with some of their chaperones, including a social studies teacher from Florida. Many of the students were from Illinois. The time felt like it was passing faster than it actually did. And it was great to connect with those in line as we shared the experience. After about 30 minutes, I reached the proclamation. I still had plenty of time to get back to Union Station, and I was there in no time after two short Metro rides.
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| Display for General Granger's order |
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| Above and below are displays of the Emancipation Proclamation |
I got dinner from a Philly steak stand in Union Station and retrieved my luggage from storage. It was around 3:30 or so at this point, and the train was already boarding, so I headed straight for the platform. I got a seat at the very front of the first coach car, right by the cafe car. Out the window was a MARC commuter train. We left shortly after the scheduled departure time of 4:05. It was great to see the National Shrine as we headed out of the District of Columbia.
After the stop at Rockville came the summer solstice at 4:50 PM, and this photo shows the scene from my seat looking outside shortly after it happened.
It was the first time I recall marking this important moment onboard a moving train. I cracked open a sparking water drink to celebrate. Another special celebration came when we reached West Virginia at the scenic spot of Harpers Ferry, because June 20 is West Virginia's birthday. There was lots to celebrate as we rolled along beside the Potomac amid the trees in the Appalachian highlands.
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| At Harpers Ferry |
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| The Potomac River as the train travels along the West Virginia side, with Maryland on the other side |
I stepped off to walk around on the platform at Cumberland. The daylight lingered late as we headed northwestward. I stepped off again in Pittsburgh to walk around and then went to sleep.
There was a great sunrise on the morning of Friday, June 21, in Toledo, when I stepped off the train to walk around. It was a pleasant summer morning heading west toward Chicago through the fields of northern Ohio, along the straight "Airline" stretch of track without any curves, and then northern Indiana. After some morning cloudy obscurations cleared, there was plenty of sun.
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| Sunrise looking east as the train heads west from Toledo |
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| The Chicago Skyway Bridge |
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| Looking north along the I-90/94 Dan Ryan Expressway toward downtown Chicago |
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| My seat on the train, by the window |
The train arrived at Chicago Union Station around 9:25 AM CDT. Feeling in a celebratory mood, I stopped at Chik-fil-A for a chicken biscuit sandwich before heading to the Blue Line and returning to Oak Park.
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| I mark the completion of another Capitol Limited trip by posing in front of this sign in a hallway in Union Station, just off the Great Hall, courtesy of someone sitting nearby. |
One instance during this trip illustrates how I feel about visiting the Washington, D.C., area. On Saturday, as the Yellow Line traveled on a bridge over the Potomac River, I got out my phone and photographed the scene of the monuments and sent it to a few people, remarking "I never get tired of these views." I got to enjoy those views throughout this trip. Furthermore, I got to experience them in new ways: After a long, hot walk up the hill to Arlington House, it was so worthwhile to look east at the view of the National Mall. Another highlight was definitely touring the Kennedy Center. While I had gone there before for a concert, I didn't realize the incredible amount of artwork there and its amenities for performing arts.
My side trip to Trenton helped reinforce the place of Washington, D.C., within the large Mid-Atlantic region. It was nice to see Abraham Lincoln factor into the history in Trenton, where he stopped on his way to become president in Washington, D.C.
Other enjoyable parts of this trip included taking in the scene in Old Town Alexandria, which is in the midst of celebrating its 275th anniversary. Getting gelato at the Casa Rosada is definitely a wonderful treat.
Revisiting some of my favorite places there helped connect me with the heart of the USA, speaking to what this country is all about and my place in it. I was glad to share these experiences with family and other visitors, including school groups, who were also seeking to get in touch with the heart of the USA. Even teh train journeys were wonderful as I got to soak in the country on teh way there in teh company of other passengers. I got in touch with my soul when revisiting the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the National Shrine of St. John Paul II, which always have a way of raising my eyes toward the Heavens, just as church-hopping elsewhere in the area does.
Taken all together, any trip to Washington, D.C. truly reinvigorates me. There's something about those views that surpasses any words and evokes something profound and keeps me fresh in what matters most in life as shown in family, faith, and citizenship.
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