They ran like "sheep chased by dogs"

photo by Clift Seferlis

So we all know the dastardly British burned Washington, DC in a orgy of destruction (more on that tomorrow), but surely our stout American yeomen put up a stiff resistance before succumbing to the overwhelming British hordes, a la Bunker Hill?

Sadly, no, it was not the finest moment in American military history. Despite the lessons of the Revolution, the American political system was deeply dubious of a standing Army, and relied heavily on a militia system. Unlike Regulars, militia were locally raised, much cheaper to maintain, and unlikely to provide a power base to potentially rival the Federal government. Extremely unlikely, as events would show, as they proved unable to fight their way out of a paper bag.

So befuddled by poor leadership, 6,000 some American militia troops gathered on the banks of the Anacostia River to try and ward off roughly 4,500 British soldiers and sailors. The American commander, to use the term loosely, General William Winder, managed after many reverses to actually get his soldiers on the field, and pointing, roughly, in the right direction before being Royally smacked around. The objective of the American Army at this point, if you can use that term, was to defend the bridge across the Anacostia and deny it's use to the British. Obviously, they failed, but let's give General Winder a little credit. He did manage not to get captured. So he showed some ability to learn.

The one solitary bit of pride we can derive from this debacle was the performance of about 500 sailors and Marines under the command of Commodore Joshua Barney, USN. Having scuttled their ships to prevent their capture by the British, Commodore Barney marched them to Bladensburg to assist in the defense of Washington. They formed a secondary line on the high ground a bit under a mile back. While the initial line crumbled quickly, the sailors and Marines fought until their ammunition gave out, then continued with cutlasses and pikes until finally overrun by the British. Unlike the militia, who, in the words of fugitive slave turned Naval gunner Charles Ball remarked, "ran like sheep chased by dogs." Commodore Barney was himself wounded and abandoned to the British on his own orders.

Well that's all fine and good, but what of it remains to this day? Well, it's quite off the beaten tourist path, but the grounds of the Battle of Bladensburg are close to the current Bladensburg Waterfront Park, near the intersection of US 1 and MD 450, just over the northeast border from DC. I don't know if I'd recommend it as a top site in DC, but if you have some time or you live around here, it's a quaint little park on the banks of the Anacostia River. It has several interpretive signs about the Battle, as well as other local history, and some great canoeing and kayaking options. Bring a picnic lunch though, because Bladensburg as a town has a feel of a place time forgot and is lacking in dining options. The river silted up, the railroad built a bypass, and most of the historic town has been replaced by industrial facilities and highways. The park is nice, though.

For a more tranquil experience, just down US 1 towards DC is Ft. Lincoln Cemetery, a forgotten island in the sprawl of Northeast DC and Prince George's County, Maryland). You're welcome to drive through the Cemetery, and as you do so, take a turn behind the majestic post World War II mausoleum. You'll find a nice little marker dedicated to the 500 Marines under Commodore Barney (guess they just ignore the sailors). This is the site of their heroic stand. No kidding, pull in here if you happen to be driving down U.S. 1. It's well worth a few minutes of your time to tour the place. I was quite surprised at it.

Not a whole lot else remains. Commodore Barney has a street in northeast DC and a traffic circle in the southeast corner of Capitol Hill, just over the Anacostia River along Pennsylvania Avenue. Gen Winder, for some bizarre reason, had the Winder Building near the White House named for him. Other than that, American History has swallowed the Battle of Bladensburg whole.

Happy Burning of Washington Day!

No doubt you are still doing you last minute shopping for your Burning of Washington cook out you'll be hosting tonight (hint: everything should be well done), so I don't want to hold you up. But it's easy to get caught up in the festivities surrounding the big day, and loose sight of the significance of what happened here 195 years ago today.

What? You have no plans to celebrate America's ignominious defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg and the subsequent destruction of our fledgling nation's capital by the King's troops? No cookout? No bonfire? You're not even going to tar and feather some limeys?

If so, you're missing out. The War of 1812 is a fascinating little glimpse into our formation as a nation. Almost forgotten about nowadays, it was our first war as a recognized nation, a brash young republic standing up for its own, and incidentally biting off way more than it could chew. But lacking the romance and inspiration of the Revolution and the shear horror and waste of the Civil War, it often is passed over in history classes by teachers pushed to get through a year of American History before the school year ends. And, let's face it, aside from Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, it lacks the tourist sites and physical texture of those wars. A little bit on the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, New Orleans, a few scattered sites in the mid-Atlantic, but nothing like the stirring stories behind the Freedom Trail in Boston, or the grandeur and pathos of Gettysburg.

So for the rest of this week, we're going to discuss the Washington, DC by the British, with a focus on what remains from that time. So pay attention, because I'm not going to go through this again. At least until next year, when we start planing our BOW Day Barbecue.

A Day in DC: Capitol Hill

My conversations with new clients often fall into the same rut:

"What do you want to do in your time in DC?"

"I don't know, the Air and Space Museum, the Capitol, lunch with the Obama's, the rest of the Smithsonian, and then something to fill in the rest of the day".

It's my fault, because it's a dumb question (of course there are dumb questions, don't be silly). If you knew what you wanted to do in DC, you wouldn't be hiring a guide now, would you? So, what I'm going to do to help you in your vacation planning, and, more importantly, to help me with new clients, is to propose some sample itineraries for everyone to use as a tool to build a good, solid day in DC.

I'll roll these out over the next several weeks. My intent is to have each day to be a logical whole, with a pace that takes things in but doesn't overwhelm you, and allows plenty of flexibility to substitute items of more interest to you.

For starters, let's kick off with a day on Capitol Hill, the neighborhood I know best. This itinerary will combine a good mix of grand National sites and more relateable local color. Of course, this would be a full day of touring, so feel free to pick and choose what parts appeal to you.

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8:00 AM: Take the Blue/Orange Line to Capitol South. As you exit the Metro, take a right and head down C ST SE one block and turn left on 2nd. You have a couple of excellent options for breakfast here. I'd recommend Pete's Diner for a good solid breakfast or Le Bon Cafe next door for a French cafe type of experience.

8:30 AM: Don't rush, but if you're done we should at least walk by the Capitol Building. Now that we're properly fortified, and perhaps more importantly, caffeinated, let's head up Pennsylvania Ave to the main attraction. I've discussed before the ins and outs of visiting the Capitol, so I would certainly read that post if you are interested in getting in. Let's say you are. Head in, and get your tickets. For our purposes let's assume you've received 9:20 tickets. You can kill a little time by checking out the excellent museum in the Visitor Center. If the time is significantly later, take the tunnel over to the Library of Congress and come back at the appointed time. Astute readers of this blog know that "on time" varies subtly from place to place.

10:20 AM: Wowed by your trip to the Seat of Democracy, we have time for one more thing before lunch. I'd say you want to head through the ready made tunnel to the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. While you're free to wander the building on your own (and you should), if you make it in time for the 10:30 tour, don't miss it. No kidding, I'd rather skip the Capitol tour and make this one. If you have teenagers with you, you can always bribe them with "this is where National Treasure II was filmed". The exhibit halls on the second floor are top notch as well.

If you've skipped the tour of the Capitol, or just have more time you might want to swing by the Supreme Court, assuming, of course, it's a weekday. There's a small exhibit space downstairs and they do a nice little presentation every hour on the half hour (assuming they're not in session). I wouldn't make a special trip for it, but if you happen to be there, you might want to sit in.

12:30 PM: Ok, you've been good. No whining, you've seen you're share of cultural sights, but it's lunch time. Pete's is a distant memory, and you're threatening a sit down strike if you don't get fed. If it's dire, and I wouldn't blame you if it is, there's many a good option in the immediate vicinity. But if you can hold out fifteen minutes, let's take a walk down East Capitol Street. One of the main avenues radiating away from the Capitol, you'll get a sense of what DC was like in the 1900s. Many of the original houses still exist and this is a gateway into the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. For now, we're leaving what you think of as Capitol Hill, the locus of Federal decision making and the seat of our government, and entering what I think of as the Hill, the neighborhood where I live, raise my kids, and generally enjoy life. While interconnected, they are very separate realities, and I hope you'll come away with the sense that Washington, DC is not just filled with faceless bureaucrats and greedy Congressmen, but also includes real people living life with much the same concerns and joys that you do. Often, people fall into both categories.

12:45: Ok, enough of that, I promised you lunch if you behaved, and you have, mostly (I'll ignore the grumbles under your breath). Take a right on Seventh St and you will see Eastern Market in all its glory. We can explore the Market later, for now, let's get some food. If you feel like sitting down, Tunnicliff's Tavern across Seventh from the Market is my go to place. Good food, and a staff that is perpetually helpful, make this a great place to hang out for a bit. And if you wish to linger for a few minutes over a beer or two, well it's vacation and you've earned it. I also mix it up with Prego, an Italian deli and sandwich shop (try the nr 4 on a hard roll), and Tortilla Cafe, a Salvadorean and Mexican place with excellent fish tacos and a weird cole slaw thingy that I don't like but wake up in the middle of the night craving. And, of course, for a authentic Eastern Market experience, try out Market Lunch, inside the Market itself. Known for their crab cakes and blueberry pancakes, the Market Lunch often has a line, but it moves quickly. I'd recommend knowing what you want before you hit the cash register and if you want to linger over your food, take it outside.

2:00 PM: Now that's we've had some lunch, and I hope you've taken a few minutes to relax, let's take some time to explore the Market. If it's a weekend, you might wish to plan an hour or two to explore the Flea Market, set up in the school parking lot down Seventh. A variety of crafts, artists, antiques, and others less definable sell their wares Saturday and Sunday at the Market. Of course, you'll want to duck into the Market proper to take in the sights and smells, and perhaps to grab a snack for later. There are also several good traditional bricks and mortar stores in the area. It is not impossible to spend an hour in Capitol Hill Books, to the point where your wife wonders if you've run off with someone else (which would probably be cheaper in the long run). I also recommend Hill's Kitchen, a new cooking store on the Hill. Even if you have everything a home chef could possibly want, stop by to get a cookie cutter of DC, and you're home state (unless you're from Hawaii).

3:00 PM: If you done shopping and exploring, and don't feel you have to be, perhaps a self-guided walking tour of the area is in order. Tour of Duty: Barracks Row, one of Cultural Tourism DC's many well laid out, clearly marked walking tours, starts off on the Eastern Market Metro plaza (up Seventh and across Pennsylvania). Look for the large sign near the Metro escalator. This 90 minute walking tour takes you down Barracks Row (8th St) by the Marine Barracks and Navy Yard, by John Phillip Sousa's home, and through the neighborhood before finishing back at Eastern Market.

4:30 PM: I imagine we're done now, and you need a break. This is one of the most dangerous times in tourdom. You might feel like you can still push through, don't want to miss a thing, and want to make your time in DC count. This is a mistake. Take an hour or so and rest. If you're staying nearby, go back, take you shoes off, and freshen up before dinner. If not, swing by the Sweet Shop in Eastern Market, where you can buy cookies by the 1/4 pound, and head to Lincoln Park for a break (take a right on North Carolina and walk four blocks). Take a minute to see the statues of Lincoln and Mary McCloud Bethune, but mostly just stop walking. This is where that visit to the book store comes into play.

6:00 PM: Dinner time: Many great options exist along Barracks Row. I tend to visit Matchbox, a great pizza place; Belga Cafe, Belgian, yes Belgian food; Trattoria Alberto, a quiet and intimate Italian place; and Banana Cafe, for Cuban food. Many other good options exist, and this list is not comprehensive. On Friday and Saturday nights, waits can be long at some places (i.e Matchbox) but feel free to just head down the street for a shorter line.

Evening: If you've still got energy, and if you do I'm clearly not doing my job, you might find a few options on the Hill. Generally, the Hill is not known as a wild night spot, but if you want to grab a drink you can find several decent bars along Barracks Row or Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol. H Street is a nice walk/short bus/quick cab ride away. Or there are a few evening attractions:

Marine Barracks Evening Parade: We're almost done with this year's, but during the summer months, the Marine Barracks at 8th and I conducts a concert followed by a display of their silent drill platoon on Friday nights. It really is an impressive showing and if your schedule fits, you will be rewarded. I would recommend attempting to get reservations early in the year.

Folger Shakespeare Library: A great way to spend the evening on the Hill. Check their website for showings, but their next run is Taming of the Shrew October 21-November 29.

I hope you enjoyed our little jaunt. Now, before we go, a little discussion of when to do this. The Capitol and Library of Congress are closed Sundays, and Eastern Market is closed Mondays. The Flea Market at the EM only runs on the weekends. So if you want to see everything above, I'd recommend Saturday, but obviously your schedule will have to remain flexible. Any day of the week is fine, just make sure you do your research as to what is open then.

Arlington National Cemetery

Ok, loyal reader(s), I hope you think I have not totally abandoned you. I'm afraid, as I mentioned earlier, that the spring tour season tends to truly overwhelm me, and other projects tend to fall by the wayside. Be patient, and I hope I can help you folks our here and there with a few hints.

For now, as the Memorial Day weekend approaches, I thought I'd lay out my standard path through Arlington National Cemetery. Personally, I find it one of the most rewarding places to guide folks through, as I feel I add more value here than anywhere else on our standard DC tours. I hope in the coming months to give you some other, more specialized, tours of Arlington that will highlight different aspects that are less commonly visited. For now, I'll assume it's your first visit and you'd like to see the big stuff. If you want to take the Tourmobile, and on a sweltering hot July day I wouldn't blame you, feel free, but I find a hike through the Cemetery a better way to experience it.

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I generally skip the Visitors Center and head, instead to the Women in Military Service Memorial. It has all the restroom facilities of the Visitors Center and the gift shop here sells bottled water, a must for hot days. Normally, no food or drink is allowed in Arlington, but as they find heatstroke victims incompatible with the solemn nature of the Cemetery, they don't quibble over water. Also, in addition to the standard exhibits about women in the military, the Women's Memorial is currently hosting an excellent exhibit entitled "Fly Girls of World War II", dealing with the experiences of female pilots in that conflict.

As you exit the Women's Memorial, take a left, go through the ceremonial gates, and stop at the top of the rise, where the Curtis Walk intersects the road.. Before we talk about the many worthy folks to our left, I'll take a moment to mention martyred civil rights hero Medgar Evers. He lies under a standard government issue headstone a few feet down the walk to our right. Often, there will be several stones left on the gravestone, out of respect in the Jewish tradition. Turning around, perhaps most notable of the the folks visible from here is the greatest American President, President Taft, depending on how one defines "greatness". He lies under a suitably large marker up a parallel path to the one we will be walking. In this section, often called "General's Row" lie a great concentration of 20th Century American Generals, including one of only nine five star Americans, Gen. of the Army Omar Bradley. As we walk up the path, notice the person on the first row second from the path, Lt. Gen Timothy Maude. General Maude was the highest ranking officer killed on Sept. 11th.

At the top of the hill, we find an elaborate sarcophagus with a familiar name on it; the final resting spot of Robert Todd Lincoln, the only surviving son of President Lincoln. It's particularly fitting he lies here, within view of his father's memorial across the river. Across the path from Lincoln, near a small bench under a large tree, lies another Supreme Court Justice, Justice Hugo Black (the first being Chief Justice William Howard Taft).

Continue to Sheridan Road and take a left, towards the Kennedy tombs. Just before you hit the bend there is a standard government issued tombstone nestled among the more ornate privately purchased ones. It belongs to Vice Admiral Paul F. Foster and is a good chance to note the gold lettering reserved for Medal of Honor recipients. Admiral Foster was awarded his for operations in the battle of Vera Cruz in 1914 as a young Ensign. Three rows behind him is a name that will almost certainly be more familiar: Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Even though the practice of purchasing your own tombstone is discontinued at Arlington, I guess Chief Justices still got a little pull in this town.

Speaking of pull, as we continue down the path, we will come to the Weeks memorial, whose grandeur is a result of his tenure on the House Appropriations Committee, rather than any feats of arms. Behind Weeks, lies "Justice's Corner" where the majority of Supreme Court Justices at Arlington lie. Justices Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart, Brennan, and Burger are all visible from the road and if you bear to the right on the way up to JFK's tomb, you will find the back of Justices William Douglas's and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr's. tombs. Nestled among them is a genius of another type, Father of the Nuclear Navy Rear Admiral Hyman Rickover. It's thanks to his ilk I had to take Physics and Calculus once upon a time, not that I'm bitter.

As we progress up the hill we will find the most visited grave in Arlington; that of President Kennedy, his wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and two of their children. John F. Kennedy Jr. is not with them, but was instead buried with his wife and her sister at sea off of Martha's Vineyard from the decks of the USS Briscoe. Follow the curve of the hill and you will find President Kennedy's brother Sen. Robert Kennedy, laying under the only white wooden cross at Arlington, as his will specified. Of course, his will also specified he was to be buried in Massachusetts, but you can't have everything.

Once we exit the Kennedy compound, take a right on Sheridan Drive again and continue around the bend. As you walk along the road, you will note many of the older, Victorian era graves along the right, which can be quite elaborate. The tall obelisk (or Washington Monument looking thingee, as my schoolkids call it) is Major General Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate veteran who came back into uniform to fight in the Spanish-American War. Near him, partway up the hill on your right before you make the bend is Fleet Admiral William Halsey, Jr., who famously vowed that the "Japanese language will be only spoken in hell" after Pearl Harbor.

Once you make the bend you will come to Weeks Walk. This is the most direct path to the Tomb of the Unknowns and we'll be taking it. If you wish to add a bit to your walk, you can continue straight and follow the road to your left to the Unknowns. This would also be a good time to visit the Lee House if you wish to add that trip. For now, let's mention a few folks we can see here. Just to the left of Weeks Walk, as you look towards the Lee House, is Fleet Admiral William Leahy, the most senior of the nine five stars but, perversely enough, junior to four star Generals George Washington and John "Black Jack" Pershing. To the right of the walk, a row down from the crest of the hill is Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee, final Captain of the USS Maine, for obvious reasons. And, no the dollar sign like symbol you see on several tombs does NOT represent money; it is the letters I H S superimposed on each other. IHS is the latinization of the Greek letters Iota Eta Sigma, which is the first three letters of Jesus on Greek.

Let us turn around now and head down the hill and back up the next one. In honor of all those eighth graders who have made this trek with me, points will be awarded to the most creative complaints. After you've come up the other side, the Memorial Amphitheater will be directly ahead of you. Ignore it for now and head to the right. At the top of a small rise will be tall, white mast like structure that is, well, a mast. Specifically, it is the main mast of the USS Maine, the warship that blew up in Havana harbor. Debate continues on it's cause, but a 1976 investigation by our good friend Admiral Rickover concluded it was an internal explosion, probably from a coal fire. Sorry about that, Spain. Anyway, the graves of 224 Sailors and Marines are buried about the Memorial, of which only 62 are known.

As you walked up the path to the Maine Memorial, there was a short T-shaped path with three Memorials on it to the right. As we wait for the herd of folks to get out of the way, let us all take a moment to compose in our heads a letter to the Cemetery begging them to replace the path with a horseshoe shaped one. Either way, from left to right, these are the Memorials to the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the Iran Hostage Rescue, and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Remains from all three tragedies are nearby. Lt Colonel Dick Scobee, Challenger's commander is two graves to the left, next to him is a joint grave to three airmen from the Iranian rescue attempt, and directly ahead is the graves of three Columbia astronauts.

Now we can head to the Memorial Amphitheater. If it is not Easter, Memorial Day, or Veteran's Day weekends, the Amphitheater is probably open. Services for each of those holidays are held here, and the President will almost always make at least one, if not all three. Additionally, funeral services for a handful of Americans have been held here, including Gen. Pershing, Gen Hap Arnold, five September 11 victims, and the various Unknown Soldiers.

Which brings us to the big show: the Changing of the Guard. Swing around behind the stage of the Amphitheater and you will be on a balcony overlooking the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is my personal favorite spot to watch the Changing of the Guard; on the balcony towards your right. This way, you get to see both the Changing, as well as the inspection of the oncoming guard. From April 1 to September 30th, the Guard is Changed every half hour from 8 am until 7 pm. The rest of the year, the Changing only happens on the hour and the Cemetery closes at 5 pm. In addition to the large crypt of the World War I Unknown Soldier, there three flat marble tombs from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The Vietnam tomb is currently empty with the identification of the Unknown Solder from that conflict, Air Force 1LT Michael J. Blassie. Take a moment to swing by the small museum in the Amphitheater building directly opposite the Tomb. It's an excellent little exhibit discussing the Unknowns as well as a great place to escape the heat in summer.

From the Tomb, I like to head down to the right and loop around below the Tomb. From there, you can get a good view of the front of the Tomb, with it's excellent bas-relief of Peace, Victory, and Valor. Peace is on the left holding an dove, Victory is in the center holding Peace's hand and a olive branch, and Valor is on the right holding a broken sword. Continue across and you will be in section 7a, which holds the highest number of Medal of Honor winners in the Cemetery. Immediately on you right will be Captain Michael Smith, pilot of the Challenger. In addition to the several dozen military heroes in this section, two folks better known for their civilian careers are buried at the end of the walk where it hits two semicircles of benches. Joe Lewis has a large, easily identifiable tombstone with a relief of the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Directly next to him is the actor Lee Marvin, a Purple Heart recipient from the Battle of Saipan in World War II.

By now, you're probably ready to head home. Take a left on Roosevelt Drive and head down the hill to the Visitor's Center. As you cross the intersection of Grant Drive, there's a cluster of interesting graves to note. To your left, in the center a few rows back just before Grant Drive is polar explorer Rear Admiral Richard Byrd, credited with being the first person to fly over the North (doubtful) and South Pole. A row back, and a few graves to the right, is the nation's first African-American four star General; Daniel "Chappie" James. His squadron commander in the Tuskegee Airmen, Gen Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. is across Roosevelt Drive on top of the hill. When the Second Lieutenant Davis graduated West Point in 1936 the were exactly two African-American Army line officers, Davis and his father Brigadier Gen Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., the first black General. They are buried next to each other, with Gen. Davis, Jr. buried under a black granite tombstone viewable from the road. And lastly, we'll pass Sir John Dill, one of only two equestrian statues in Arlington. Sir John died in Washington, DC during World War II, after he was sent to the United States by Churchill as a liaison to the U.S., mostly because Churchill couldn't stand him and couldn't fire him.

This wraps up our visit to Arlington. Plan on about two hours for this walk, and it's a bit under two miles. And for my friends from Florida: they're called "hills" and they're perfectly normal.

An open apology to the citizens and visitors of Washington - the Archives

Let me get this off my chest. One of the time honored reasons to visit Washington, DC, the National Archives, is almost unavailable six months of the year because of me, and those like me. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are all housed in the here; some might even call it our National Treasure. In addition to being protected by a titanium, aluminum, and glass encasement, surrounded by argon gas, and guarded by armed guards, the Charters of Freedom, as they are often collectively called, enjoy one additional protection from the casual tourist: the incredibly long lines of school kids brought to the Archives by jackass tour guides, such as myself.

Now, as far as seeing the Charters go, I offer no apology. It's their Democracy too, and perhaps it's even more important that the jaded eighth grader see these documents than those of us who already know their importance. Which, incidentally, is why I value National Treasure, the movie. While making no pretense towards actual history, it provides an "in" for my school kids; a gateway to make connections to a test question answer they may have never really pondered.

No, my apology to you is that these same school kids prevent you from sampling so much else that is available at the Archives. For myself, after I release the kids to wait in the line for the Rotunda (where the Charters are displayed), I duck into the Public Vaults exhibit. It's a well crafted permanent display of a small sample of some of the other 9 million records the Archives keep. As a former Naval Officer, I am still struck dumb by the deck log of the USS Nevada, opened to December 7th, 1941. Every time I've seen it, it brings home the reality of that day in a way some multi-million dollar Hollywood extravagance never has (and no, I will not link to THAT movie). Having signed hundreds of deck logs in my time, it still gives me the chills when I see how little has changed. Except, of course, I wasn't dodging torpedo bombers when I filled out mine.

The Archives also puts together top-rate temporary exhibits. Big!, opening this weekend, celebrates the Archives 75th anniversary and large items from our history, including a 13 foot scroll of the Articles of Confederation. I'm looking forward to seeing the giant map of Gettysburg and I'll tell you how it is once I've seen it. The archives has a nice little theater downstairs, as well, and I particularly like the cafeteria. Nothing special, and it's not really big enough for me to bring groups to, but it's good for a family looking to get a reasonable bite to eat. And check out the Boeing Learning Center, it's got a lot of interesting activities for middle and high school students.

I'll also note that the Archives has a procedure for making reservations. One of the first things I do when I get my tour group's itinerary is to see if I have a reservation for the Archives. It makes life so much easier. I've never attempted to do this for an individual or a family group, but if someone does, let me know how it works.

So, I am sorry that you have to wait in that God-awful line to see the other excellent exhibits at the National Archives. I wish they had a separate "Rotunda" line, for those seeing the Charters. But if you happen to be walking by and there's no one out front, take a few minutes to duck in and see the rest of the Archives. Yes, even if you've already seen the Declaration of Independence.