Tag Archives: Tourism

General, Military

Inspiration Incarnate

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A couple of weeks ago, Rob and I went out for dinner and a movie. I didn’t know much about the movie we were about to see. I only knew that it was a documentary and that it involved veterans. I walked into the theater blind, not knowing what to expect. But I left knowing exactly what I needed to do! It was absolutely the most amazing feeling to watch this movie and feel truly inspired. I have felt inspiration before, but not quite like this. It was the kind of feeling that became more than a feeling, because it demanded action. I left the movie theater knowing that I needed to get involved with this project immediately!

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(BTW – Our local movie theater has these sweet, plush recliners!)

The movie is called Honor Flight and it documents a non-profit organization that flies WWII veterans to Washington, DC so they can visit their memorials. Of the 16 million WWII veterans, only about 2 million are still alive. But, almost 900 of them die every single day! And most of them have never been to Washington, DC to see the memorials erected in their honor. The Honor Flight Network has made it their mission to fly as many of the surviving veterans as they possibly can to Washington, DC so they can visit and reflect at their memorials before it is too late.

As a veteran myself, I have the utmost respect for ALL of our nation’s veterans. But, I am ashamed to admit that I had never really given much thought about our WWII veterans. Why is that? Maybe it is because that generation never talked about their experiences during the war. They came home, put their duffle bags in the basement, and acted as if they had never been gone to begin with. Both of my grandfathers were WWII veterans. I was very young when one of them died, but I was always close with my paternal grandfather. I knew he was a veteran and I knew he was a recipient of the Purple Heart. But other than that, I knew nothing of his experiences. I recently asked my dad if my grandfather ever spoke of the war to him. No, he hadn’t. His memories remained locked up in those duffle bags that were banished to the basement.

I am an Iraqi War veteran and watching this movie made me realize that my grandfather and I might have been able to bond with each other telling our war stories. He might have been willing to unlock those duffle bags and open up to me about his experiences if I was willing to share my stories with him as well. Sadly, we never got the chance. My grandfather passed away while I was still deployed to Iraq. His stories will remain untold.

While the opportunity has passed for me to learn about my grandfather’s experiences, I still have the chance to make a difference in the lives of other WWII veterans. The Honor Flight Network covers all of the expenses to fly veterans to Washington, DC, as well as arrange their meals and transportation around the city. But, they still need volunteers to help the veterans get around. Given their age, most of them are either in wheelchairs or need assistance walking. That is where I come in. I have volunteered to become a guardian for upcoming Honor Flight missions. Each veteran gets assigned to their own guardian that will remain with them throughout the day. It is the guardian’s responsibility to help the veteran get around, take care of his general well-being, and basically treat him like a VIP for the day. Living so close to Washington, DC, getting involved with this program was a no-brainer for me. I am currently signed up for my first guardian-ship on Saturday, May 4th and I look forward to sharing my experience with you all. Please stay tuned. But in the meantime, please watch the Honor Flight movie trailers below and help spread the word about this worthy program. If you would like to volunteer to be a guardian (all-day commitment) or an airport greeter (not an all-day commitment), please email DCA.Honorflight@gmail.com. To view the schedules for needed volunteers, please visit http://honorflightdca.wordpress.com/. If you would like to donate money rather than your time, please visit the Honor Flight Network.

What inspires you? Has the feeling of inspiration ever taken such a hold on you that it turned into more than a feeling? What inspires you to actually step up and get involved or to try to make a difference?

“Of all the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation – and as a culturally diverse, free society.” ~ Honor Flight Network


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General, Goals

March’s New Experience – Ben’s Chili Bowl

Ok, normally trying out a new restaurant wouldn’t technically fit into the “new experience” category I was going for in my list of goals for 2013. But, Ben’s Chili Bowl is literally considered a Washington, DC landmark. Therefore, I felt the exception could easily be made. So last weekend my dear friend Renee was visiting and we worked up our appetites while doing some sightseeing in DC. After getting our fill of the DC monuments, it was time to fill our gullets.

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Food

Ben’s signature dish is the “Original Chili Half-Smoke,” which is a ¼ pound half-pork/half-beef sausage, topped with mustard, onions and spicy homemade chili. I normally do not eat meat unless I know it was humanely raised on a responsible free roaming farm (what I refer to as happy meat), but I made an exception to my rule in order to try one of DC’s most famous dishes. Pictured below is the Chili Half-Smoke, but I topped mine with their veggie chili, rather than their original chili, because it is less spicy (and I am an extreme sissy when it comes to spicy food!). One of Ben’s most famous customers is Bill Cosby and the Half-Smoke is his favorite dish. So much so that he is known to eat up to six of them at one time!

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History

Ben’s Chili Bowl was founded in 1958 by Ben Ali in the District’s U Street corridor. At that time, Washington, DC was officially segregated and U Street was known as “Black Broadway.” Famous jazz greats, such as Miles Davis and Nat King Cole, used to eat at Ben’s after they performed at U Street clubs. During the riots of 1968 after the assassination of MLK, Jr., Ben obtained permission to keep his restaurant open past curfew so he could feed both the police and firefighters working the riots, as well as the activists. Decades later, the construction of the U Street Metro Station forced many businesses to close, but Ben was determined to stay open and he fed the construction workers working on the Metro project. According to the Washington Post, Ben’s “is probably the only business on this strip that survived both the 1968 riots and the construction phase of the Metro Green Line.” Ben and Virginia Ali were later inducted into the DC Hall of Fame.

Ben’s Chili Bowl appears in movies, such as The Pelican Brief and State of Play, as well as dozens of TV shows. It was also featured on the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food. Ben’s Chili Bowl has also found a home in many novels, setting the stage as a meeting location for fictional characters.

In addition to Bill Cosby and the jazz legends mentioned earlier, many other celebrities have also been to Ben’s Chili Bowl. Chris Tucker, Bono, and President Obama, just to name a few. Many celebrities may have expected the royal treatment at Ben’s, but there was always a sign on display that said, “List of who eats free at Ben’s: Bill Cosby, NO ONE ELSE.” The sign was later updated in 2008 to include the Obama family.

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General, Goals

February’s New Experience (in March)

A couple of weeks ago, Rob and I attempted to visit the National Archives in DC as part of my monthly new experience goal, but we made a few grave errors. First of all, we decided to drive into the city which was a huge mistake because it was impossible to find parking anywhere. Second, we decided to go during a holiday weekend (President’s Day weekend). I mistakenly assumed that the frigid weather would keep the tourists at bay, but I was wrong, the tourists were out in full force. As Rob was getting increasingly more stressed about the parking situation, he decided he would just drop me off and then meet me inside after he found a place to park. But it was too late. A tour bus had just finished unloading a bus full of tourists and the security line wrapped around the building. It was 33 degrees outside and I was not about to stand outside in that line. This was why we never took advantage of all that DC had to offer! By that point, we were both a “bit” (note understatement) grumpy, so we decided to just go home for some afternoon drinking. Not exactly a “new experience” in our household…

We decided to give it another shot this past weekend. It was not a holiday weekend and we decided to Metro rather than drive, making it a much more enjoyable experience this time around. There were a few people in line ahead of us, but nothing like the line from weeks before.

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Once inside, one of the first things we saw was an original Magna Carta. It is one of only four surviving originals. This particular one was purchased in 2007 by David Rubenstein for $21.3 million. It is the last privately owned original and Mr. Rubenstein has lent it to the National Archives to preserve its place in our country’s history.

We then made our way into the rotunda which houses our “Charters of Freedom.” One of the first things you see upon entering the rotunda are the giant Faulkner murals. The Declaration of Independence mural and the Constitution mural are among the largest single-piece oil canvases in the country and they set the tone for the historic documents on display. It was absolutely amazing to see our original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the National Archives, so all of the pictures below are from the Archives website.

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Photo from http://www.archives.gov

One of the things I immediately noticed about the Declaration of Independence was that it was much more faded than the other documents. John Hancock’s prominent signature was almost completely faded away. As it turns out, this priceless document was housed for over 35 years in the Patent Office Building opposite a window exposing it to damaging sunlight! I guess the sealed encasement filled with inert argon gas that houses the Declaration of Independence today was still patent pending?

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Photo from http://www.archives.gov

While admiring our original Bill of Rights, I overheard two guys (clearly anti-gun types) mentioning that the phrase “right to bear arms” wasn’t listed anywhere in the 2nd Amendment. Hmm? That’s odd because I am certain it is there. Upon second glance, I realized they were right…well, they were “kind of” right. The original document lists 12 “Articles,” but only 10 of those were ratified. Our “right to bear arms” was still there, nicely rooted in “Article the Fourth” of the original document.

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Photo from http://www.archives.gov

Our Constitution is actually much larger than I realized. The document spans four large pieces of parchment and each one is individually encased and closely guarded by the National Archives security officers. Our Constitution is considered one of the most influential legal documents of all time and it is absolutely fascinating that we have the opportunity to gaze upon the original.

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Photo from http://www.archives.gov

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