The Murray State News Blogs

I swore I wouldn’t act like a tourist today, you know, walking around gawking at everything, taking pictures of all the sites and constantly having a map in my hands. But after I realized I had taken roughly 22 pictures of the US Capitol Building, it hit me that I was a tourist today. But there was no reason not to be. All of those sites were things I had seen only in books and on television and of course, I had to take pictures of them all, and we got lost once or twice.

We had a short rehearsal where we ran through each one of our pieces. I don’t think any of us can wait until we get into the hall tomorrow, where the acoustics will be MUCH better.

We were soon on our own for the entire day. Some of our stops included:

National Archives

Our first stop was the National Archives where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are housed. It was so interesting to see both documents, however the Declaration is pretty hard to read because it is very faded. I wanted to include pictures, but there is no flash allowed, so all of my pictures turned out as big orange blobs. 

US Capitol Building

We then moved on to the Capitol Building. It was so picturesque, it was hard not to take a zillion pictures of it.

Smithsonian American History Museum

Our next stop was the Smithsonian American History museum. Because there was so much in the city that we wanted to see, we decided to focus on a few exhibits we wanted to see. Of course, the musical instruments were at the top of our list. It was interesting to compare the three-keyed clarinet to the ones we use now. I loved looking at the Stradivarius stringed instruments, with their intricate designs and craftsmanship. We also got to see the original flag. It was truly incredible. I didn’t realize how big it actually was; it could easily fill an entire room. It was so visibly worn, with some sections even missing, it is amazing that the bulk of it is still in tact. Our last stop in that museum was the exhibit with the inaugural gowns past First Lady’s wore. Some of the prettiest were worn by Martha Washington and Mary Lincoln. I liked seeing how fashion has changed over the years. I also think you can tell a lot about the personality of each first lady.

Old Post Office Tower

We met my friend’s aunt here for dinner. She works for the FBI and knows tons about the city. We went up in the tower of the building, which has one of the best views of the city. 

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

This museum was full of fossils, bones and tons of information about different cultures, past and present. I loved seeing the dinosaur bones and the aquarium. We weren’t able to see everything because it was about to close.

The Monuments

We decided seeing these at night would be more interesting. At dusk we started our walk to the Washington Monument. We then walked through the mall and on to the World War II Memorial. It was amazing: full of fountains and a very reflective atmosphere. Then we made the long walk to the Lincoln Memorial. By that time, we were pretty tired, but the long walk was well worth it. It was just like I had seen in pictures. It was interesting to see both sides of Lincoln up close. One side was the stern, serious side - where his hand was clinched in a fist, while the other side was more relaxed. This is how they describe his presidency.

So our day was full, that is for sure. We got to see and do a lot of cool things. Tomorrow is the big day, though, and I am probably equally (if not more) excited about that. The concert should be amazing, and I can’t wait to see the Kennedy Center and play in the hall. This is when all of our hard work will finally pay off. 

I hope to include some photos soon. Keep checking!

~Emily