After a full day of touring museums and sightseeing that covered several iconic buildings which formed the heart of the American political system, we wanted to do something completely different. So we diverged from our original itinerary and took a impromptu trip down to the National Cathedral & Zoo.
With a Virgin America flight to catch at 5:10pm, we managed to reach National Cathedral by 10:30am after a 30 minute commute using subway and bus (30S or 33 or 96).
Even though the Federal City Plan set aside land for the great church as early as 1792, construction was only started in 1907 with the then-President Theodore Roosevelt laying the foundation stone. The building was finally completed in 1990 in presence of President George H W Bush. However, detailed decoration works were still ongoing till as recent as 2011.
Guided tour was complimentary with cathedral admission. We joined 11am guided tour, which lasted for about an hour. If you are the first time visitor, I really urge you to join the tour first then do the self-exploring later as the tour was invigorating with unique details of the glorious cathedral.
Simply exquisite
As for the tours, there were several options, one of which include a 333 steps up the central tower for the best view of Washington DC and up-close encounters with massive bells and gargoyles. But being lazy bums who think we shall not waste our energy on climbings steps when there was a perfectly working lift, we chose the latter option :D
The 6th largest Cathedral in the world & the 2nd largest in the United States
The largest Cathedral in the world is St.Peter Basilica in Vatican City
Fun Fact: The daughter of Senator John D. Rockefeller and Mrs. Rockefeller, Valerie Blanchette Rockefeller, was married to James Douglas Carnegie, a son of Sir Roderick and Lady Carnegie of Melbourne, Australia, at the cathedral.
Cathedral admission was US$10 when we visited.
UPDATE: the revised fees is now US$12
Guided tour was complimentary with cathedral admission. We joined 11am guided tour, which lasted for about an hour. If you are the first time visitor, I really urge you to join the tour first then do the self-exploring later as the tour was invigorating with unique details of the glorious cathedral.
Gorgeous Rose Window with over 10,000 pieces of glass
Designed by Cathedral master artisan Rowan LeCompte and fabricated by Dieter Goldkuhle, the 26-foot window celebrates the majesty and mystery of creation. The window includes every color LeCompte and Goldkuhle could summon, but key parts also represent the four Greek elements: red for fire; gray for air; green for water and brown for the earth.
There is a tiny piece of the moon in Washington's National Cathedral, delivered there personally by the men who brought it back.
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins delivered the seven-gram sample from the lunar Sea of Tranquility during a ceremony at the Cathedral on July 21, 1974, five years after their history-making lunar landing.
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins delivered the seven-gram sample from the lunar Sea of Tranquility during a ceremony at the Cathedral on July 21, 1974, five years after their history-making lunar landing.
The stained glass window that houses the piece of moon rock has become known as the "Space Window."
President Nixon authorized the gift of the lunar rock, which is now encased in an air-tight, nitrogen-filled capsule in the window.
Wilson Bay
Following his death in 1924, President Woodrow Wilson was buried in
Bethlehem Chapel in the crypt of the Cathedral; his tomb was moved to the nave
in 1956, the centenary of his birth. His second wife, Edith Bolling Galt
Wilson, is buried with him. The Very Rev. Francis Sayre Jr., who served as
dean of the Cathedral from 1951 to 1978, was President Wilson’s grandson and
was born in the White House.
The tomb and the surrounding bay include
remembrances of President Wilson’s life and legacy. The tomb itself features a
crusader’s sword to symbolize his valiant battle for peace following World War
I. Three seals symbolize major points in his public career — as president of
Princeton University (1902-1910), governor of New Jersey (1910-1912), and
president of the United States (1913-1921).
The Cathedral’s Canterbury Pulpit has hosted everyone from U.S. presidents to Billy Graham to the Dalai Lama. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached his last Sunday sermon here, on March 31, 1968, before he was assassinated later that week in Memphis.
The sculpture depicts people and scenes relating to the translation of the Bible into English. Stones for the pulpit came from Canterbury Cathedral in England.
Can you spot the missing man?
Observation Gallery
As we are busy plodding down the road of life, we need quiet corners to reflect and recharge.
Slightly after noon, we took bus 96 (4 stops) towards the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The bus stopped about quarter of a mile away from the zoo but we didn't mind the short jaunt as it was through the picturesque residential area, littered in autumn leaves.
In our matchy matchy couple TOMS :D
We had simple lunch at the sandwich joint, opposite the zoo, before we visit the zoo proper.
In serious need of a hair cut :(
Always free of charge and Open 364 days a year.
CAN YOU SPOT THE PANDA?!!
Leafy dense canopy provides a home for these black-and-white cute panda bears
How adorable are they!
They know it was time for feeding :D
Of course, we hopped over to other exhibits but could only afford an hour or so to be there.
We had ample time to travel to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with metro (red line, then transfer to blue line), and still had about an hour and a half till our 5:10pm flight.
Note that there are 3 airports in the DC area, with 2 others quite inaccessible from downtown by metro. With unpredictable traffic situations especially during peak hours, I suggest you to travel from the Ronald Reagan airport. A naive me thought there was just one airport and bought the cheapest tickets for our desired travel time. It turned out the departure would be from Dulles Airport, 26 miles from downtown DC so I wasted US$44 on cancelling my tickets and booking a new pair departing from Ronald Reagan airport.
With that, we were back in West Coast. Phew :D After being on a road for extended period of time, the temporary began to feel like something permanent, as if we had been living out of our suitcases forever. That was when we knew it was probably good that we were concluding our trip.
We have scaled our ambitious one month travel across west coast and east coast, without even once experiencing bus / train / flight delay or baggage loss. For that, we couldn't be even more relieved and pleased with our lucky stars.
Adios!
xoxo
Miss N
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