People on Independence Avenue in Capitol Hill

Yesterday we drove in to DC to attend a program at the Library of Congress. We have been going to the Library for these types of events for seventeen years. I worked there for ten years and my husband would join us for whatever programs were held over the lunch hour. And then we would go after work in the evenings and also on weekends for other events that interested us. Before we could walk over when we lived on Capitol Hill. That made things a LOT easier. Now we need to drive in and leave the house early enough to ensure we have time for unexpected traffic situations and finding parking. So as we were driving down independence avenue in front of the House Office Buildings I was taking photos of miscellaneous people standing on the sidewalk. Even in this hot weather it astounds us to see so many people in suits and ties. Then there are the average working folk catching the bus home. I didn’t notice until my husband pointed out the next person standing alone was Chris Christie. I was going to say something to him but a cab was in the way, then another person joined him, and then the light turned green so I lost my chance. You never know who you might run in to in this neighborhood. That’s one of the things we miss about living there. 

National Gallery of Art People

We drive in to town at least once a week. There are a few reasons - it’s great for our morning walk, my husband loves Capitol Hill, and I usually try to find photo opportunities for the weekly challenge. We oftentimes park on the National Mall and go off in any direction. When we lived on Capitol Hill we visited the National gallery of Art often. We would also stop in for lunch at the cafeteria and observe our surroundings. The last time we were there I was on the look out for an interesting shallow depth of field photo. So we made our way through all of the different galleries to find people near or in front of various works of art. There happened to be a few school groups. There were many youngsters as well as high school types. You can tell the pandemic restrictions have changed with all of the increased traffic in the museums and on the mall - and all of the school buses. I personally preferred having the place all to myself. Some of the kids seemed interested while others were completely bored - even though the teachers were doing their best to engage them. Many of the kids obviously got an assignment and were searching for something to meet the need. I can only imagine the impact visiting a place like this provides. It’s such a great opportunity to visit. And then of course there are the general touristy visitors who come from everywhere. We are glad we can still visit any time we like.