Union Station

We needed to go to Union Station to exchange some money and so we walked over for some exercise. It's only a few blocks away, which makes it really convenient for a lot of reasons. On the way over we passed by the rear of the Supreme Court, and on the way back, we walked past the Russell Senate Office Building, and the Library of Congress. Union Station is still undergoing construction/repair from the earthquake last year. And the exterior and grounds are still undergoing renovation for I don't know what. And this is the spot where you can catch the duck boat rides. My husband refuses to even consider taking the duck boat! There is always a long line to catch a taxi after a long train ride, and many events are held here throughout the year. There are ample restaurants and shops, and snacks. It's a nice alternative to air travel, depending on where you need to go. I rode the train once to Jacksonville from St. Petersburg, and from Milwaukee to Chicago, and last year to a little place close to Richmond. There is something about train travel, and it hasn't quite been polluted with all the security measures of flying. I'm not sure if that is good or bad.

Getting tickets for the Duck boat

Always a busy place

A line waiting for a taxi winds all the way back



A good spot to exchange cash



And return it if necessary

 

Drop off and pick up points right out front

 

The sidewalks across the street are getting replaced

Earthquake damage report

Scaffolding to the ceiling

Reminds me of the Library

Ever present pigeons

A view of the Capitol from the north

Earthquake Repair

Little by little at the workplace, the walls in the stairwell and otherwise are getting repaired from the earthquake. Luckily, there wasn't that much damage- that is obvious anyway. But it is keeping the Architect of the Capitol staff busy on unexpected projects. It seems like the earthquake never happened. Let's hope we never see another one. We've had enough weather excitement around here. That's one of the main reasons we moved here from Milwaukee. Maybe we need to keep heading further south.

Difficult to reach the top

Emergency chairs are also located in the stairwells

Looks like our apartment-
one wall requires annual plaster repair

Hairline damage

DC Earthquake Aftermath and Upcoming Hurricane

A sign from the Architect of the Capitol appeared in the hallway today to inform everyone that it was structurally safe to be in the building following the earthquake on Tuesday. There are sticky notes pasted all around the building that identify where the visible cracks are so they can eventually be repaired. They call these cracks superficial and they are no concern. A few folks mentioned that they have felt the aftershocks... luckily I am not one of them. Several folks are taking off tomorrow so they can get their beach houses boarded up in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Growing up in Florida, I've been in hurricanes before, and have seen water spouts. In Wisconsin, we had snow storms, blizzards and whiteout conditions. My left hand was in the snow blower during one of those events and I will always have a reminder of that awful stuff (fractured finger, broken finger, and sliced open finger with 6 months of physical therapy). During the summer we lost power every other week. At least the power lines here are underground. For some reason I thought this area didn't have such volatile weather disturbances. Boy, was I wrong. Or, maybe we just happened to move here when all these things occur every 100 years or so. Now that's what I call luck (?)

Things could have been a lot worse!

Hardly noticeable

The wall across from my office

Right outside my door

What to Write About Today? An Earthquake in DC, Of Course

Just when you think there will not be material to write about for the day, an earthquake arrives. I just returned to work after lunch and sat down at my desk on the third floor, when it felt like the escalator above me fell with a loud crash, then the floor started to sway. As the swaying did not subside, we all ran under a door frame until we decided it was time to evacuate the building. Then the sirens came on. As I have never been in an earthquake, my only thought was it had to be a bomb. We have no windows to look outside, so we thought the worst. Then came word that it was an earthquake. Someone jokingly said Congress finally made a decision, another was passing out religious literature. Obviously, none of our cell phones worked, so after checking in at our designated spot, I went home to see how things were. The wine glasses had swayed, the fish tank had splashed, the chandelier had moved, and a knick knack bird in the kitchen fell off the shelf. Let's hope the foundation didn't crack. But we, our family and neighbors were okay, and that was all that mattered. Things like this always put things in perspective. Since we moved here, we've had more snow than Wisconsin, summer temps higher than Florida, and now an earthquake. Please don't let me see a tornado!

Waiting to hear

Still waiting to hear

All along the street towards home

A calm commotion- the metro stopped running

All the buildings were evacuated

Repent before it's too late

All the buildings need to be checked before it's ok to go back

An earthquake party