Flat Stanley Goes to Washington

My twin cousins Chase & Carley are participating a class project called “Flat Stanley”.  Originally a 1964 children's book written by Jeff Brown, Stanley Lambchop’s adventures were the inspiration for the Flat Stanley Project, launched in 1994 by Dale Hubert of Ontario, Canada.  It’s similar to the old Pen Pal Program but with a fun new twist.

As described on the site: “The basic principle of The Flat Stanley Project is to connect your child, student or classroom with other children or classrooms participating in the Project by sending out "flat" visitors, created by the children, through the mail. Kids then talk about, track, and write about their flat character's journey and adventures.”

This is also a great way for kids to understand, through their connections with friends and family, the world around them - or at least their own motherland - and interesting spots in a loved-one's hometown (not everyone lives in a capital city and obscure might be far  more intriguing!).

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Miss Carley

So Miss Carley chose me to be the recipient of her Flat Stanley so that I could show him around DC and send back photos of all the adventures that Stanley and I had while he was here.  I immediately got on the horn and called up my FoodNewsie and he met me downtown after work with camera in hand to make sure Stanley and I didn't get into too much trouble as we gallivanted around our Nation’s Capital - the 3 of us would roam as far our little feet could carry us in a few hours before dark.

It should be noted that Stanley was a quiet and considerate guest and I enjoyed spending time free-ranging all over DC taking fun pictures and having a treat from the ice cream truck on a warm spring evening.  Here’s our story along with a brief history of DC:

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Inside the DC metro subway station

Stanley arrived to the farm one cool spring evening in the middle of the week.  He had a bit of a crick in his back due to the long trip from California to Maryland but he was all smiles none-the-less.   

As you may or may not know, dear reader, this Farmrgirl works a "regular job" in downtown Washington, DC at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters (where I'm a civilian employee and, after many years of Active Duty, I'm also a Reservist).   And that’s where I planned to kick off my field trip with Stanley.  So the next morning he rode the DC Metro train with me into the city.

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Stanley points to the metro system map of underground train tunnels

U.S. Coast Guard HQ at St. Elizabeth's

We had some work to do as soon as we arrived in the office and Stanley was quite the helper!

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But once my lunch hour arrived we were able to take a short break to get out and see the monuments.  As luck would have it, the day was perfect!  It was warm and very sunny which made our sight-seeing excursion very enjoyable.  

First, a brief initial history of Washington DC:

The Capitol Building, the National Mall, the Washington Monument, & the Lincoln Memorial

Washington, D.C. lies midway along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. less than 100 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, bordering on Maryland and Virginia, and about 200 miles (or just a few hours car-ride) south of New York City.

The history of Washington, DC officially began when our first President, George Washington signed an Act of Congress in 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square on the river Potomac."


Then we were on to my favorite memorial site so far - Franklin D. Roosevelt Monument:

FDR was the 32nd President of the United States and he lead the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II. As the only president to be elected to more than two consecutive terms, FDR served 12 years as president from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, when he died shortly into his 4th term.

This is a gorgeous memorial, spread over 7.5 acres, which not only pays homage to a prolific world leader and his wife Eleanor (one of the greatest and most humanitarian First Ladies) but also to the beauty and bounty of nature with numerous statues, artworks, quotes, and waterfalls.

The next lunchtime stop was a very quick visit to the Pentagon.  I used to visit the Pentagon frequently but in my current job I no longer have meetings here.  There is no public parking on the Pentagon Reservation so the shot of Stanley below was a quick photo from the parking lot (we don't need the men in black swarming and detaining us indefinitely (or forever) on our lunch break for suspicious activity).  However this complex is huge and has quite an interesting story.

The Pentagon is a building, an institution, and a symbol. It's a marvel of modern engineering constructed in just 16 months.  Built to house 30,000 defense workers on the cusp of World War II; with more than 17 miles of corridors, it remains one of the largest office buildings in the world. And it turned out to be a much better building than anyone could have ever expected.  It is doubtful that any building of comparable size and utility has been constructed before or since so expeditiously.

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How did the Pentagon Get It's Unusual Shape? In 1941 the U.S. Army quietly laid plans for the rapid construction of the massive building to house what was then known as the "U.S. War Department". The planned building was much too big to fit in Washington proper so the only option was to look across the Potomac River in Arlington, VA.  The initial site selected was part of the grand estate of General Robert E. Lee which had become known as Arlington Farm.  This 400 acres was just to the east of Arlington Cemetery, perched on a hill above the Potomac, just below the Lee mansion and overlooking Memorial Bridge - a very prominent site in the Washington region which had a very odd pentagonal shape. So it was determined by the architects to work with this shape -  and they discovered that, like a circle, a pentagon would create shorter walking distances within the building. 

There was a great deal of descent within the ranks of Washington insiders not to place such a massive structure in so close to the nation’s most hallowed ground - Arlington Cemetery.  And after much back and forth between the Army, Congress, Senate, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was finally decided to build just south of the original site at the location of the regions first airport - but there was no time to redesign the shape of the building.  Many people disliked the proposed shape and President Roosevelt put the matter to rest when he said, "You know, gentlemen, I like that pentagon-shaped building, I like it because nothing like it has ever been done that way before."

On September 11, 2001, the Pentagon was nearing the end of its first full-scale renovations when American Airlines Flight 77 smashed into the building’s east side, which was unoccupied due to the construction.  Nearly 200 people lost their lives in the attack.

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The final visit on our lunch-time trip was the Jefferson Memorial.  Jefferson was the 3rd President of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence.  Before he was President, Jefferson was our 2nd Vice President serving under President John Adams. 

Thomas Jefferson promoted religious freedom, helping to establish the country's separation between church and state, and he advocated free public education.  Among many other very important accomplishments, during his Presidency he brilliantly negotiated the Louisiana Purchase from France.

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 - exactly fifty years to the day from the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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Thomas Jefferson Memorial as viewed from the National Mall across the Tidal Basin

After work that day Stanley and I met up with FoodNewsie for a spin around the National Mall (the National Mall is not a place to shop but a huge park that spans between the Tidal Basin and the White House.  It's bookended by the Capitol Building on the east end and the Lincoln Memorial on the west end - and Arlington National Cemetery just across the bridge into Virginia):

We visited the Washington Monument:

The Washington Monument is 555 foot memorial to George Washington, our nation's first president.  Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father.  The monument is the most prominent landmark in Washington, DC and stands as the centerpiece of the National Mall. 

Slow to get started but with a desire to show the gratitude of the people to the father of their country, progress toward a monument began in 1832, the year marking the 100th anniversary of Washington's birth.  But several complications affected the project.  There were difficulties raising funds so construction didn't begin until 1848.  Work progressed steadily until 1854 when lack of funding and a nation turning its attention to the Civil War brought work to a halt.  For more than 25 years, the monument stood at 150 feet - only partly finished. Then, in 1876 the Corps of Engineers of the War Department was placed in charge of the work and it was finally complete in 1884.

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On August 23, 2011 a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Washington DC region and caused major damage of cracked and chipped stone blocks on the Washington Monument; it's been closed to the public since the earthquake.  The Monument  is now surrounded by scaffolding, which took 3 months to construct.  Repairs are expected to be complete in 2014.

I'm reminded of an excerpt from the 1885 dedication of the monument, "The storms of winter must blow and beat upon it ... the lightning’s of Heaven may scar and blacken it. An earthquake may shake its foundations ... but the character which it commemorates and illustrates is secure."

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Onward in our trek over the National Mall we spy the Capitol Dome.  This is one of the first things I see on my way into the office each day and I have to admit that it never gets old.

The U.S. Capitol Building is located at the eastern end of the National Mall on a rise 88 feet above the level of the Potomac River.  The cornerstone of the building was laid by President Washington on September 18, 1793.

The United States Capitol is among the most symbolically important and architecturally impressive buildings in the nation. It has housed the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for two-hundred years.

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In addition to its use by Congress, the Capitol is a museum of American art and history. It stands as a focal point of the government's legislative branch and as a centerpiece of Capitol Hill and the National Mall.

Then we were off to the White House!

The White House construction began when the first cornerstone was laid by our very first President George Washington in 1792. 

Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that it’s first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. 

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In 1814, during the War of 1812, the White House was set on fire along with the U.S. Capitol by British soldiers. It was rebuilt and enlarged in the 1820's.  It is the oldest federal building in the Nation's Capital.

Since 1995, Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Lafayette Square has been closed to vehicle traffic for better security.


Then we headed back to the National Mall to catch our train home at Smithsonian Station.

Nine Smithsonian museums are located on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol.  Chartered by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian was established due to the generous bequest of approximately $500,000 by James Smithson, an English scientist.

Completed in 1855, the Smithsonian Castle is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. It originally housed all of the new Institution's operations, including laboratories, lecture halls, museum galleries, and private quarters.

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Whew!  That was my whirlwind tour of DC with Flat Stanley.  We were unable to get to everything in one day... I really wanted to take him to the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery but they were out of reach by foot in the few hours we had available.  

I had a great time with Stanley and I hope you've enjoyed reading about our excursion in the Nation's Capital.  If this inspires you to come visit (Carley and Crew!!) then I sure hope you do!

Now I'm gonna go soak my feet!