The Dayton Diaries

Tuesday
park

Flew to Washington D.C. directly, even though the ticket said via Chicago. That saved a few hours, which I spent profitably having dinner at Union Station and drinking at the hotels Irish pub, the Dubliner.

Union Station was hosting a display "A Day in the Life of Africa", a photo exhibition based on the project funded by Pfizer. We stayed at the Phoenix Park Hotel not far from the Capitol, which glowed at the end of street at night.

Wednesday
Wednesday was the main event. We boarded the bus early and headed to the National Press Club for the filming of Public Voice for PBS. Fortunately they had coffee and donuts on hand and in good supply. The format was this: 12 panelists sitting in square, with the studio audience behind them (that was me and many many others) a journalist used a video of a NIF forum on Terrorism to guide the discussion, with the 'experts' responding to what they heard from the ordinary folks on the video. The panel were journalists, politicians and other commentators, including Kettering President, David Matthews.

Went to the Inter-american Foundation to give a lunch-time talk entitled "New Zealand: Much less than a Beautiful Country". I'll never work for the tourism board. It was an informal address about the community sector and history and some of the real issues faced bu our society, such as poverty , racial tension and the changing nature of our society.

nat geo

Went to visit Katherine Linton at the Initiatives of Change and caught up on matters international and Kiwi. She suggested I visit the National Geographic center for the exhibition on Ed Hillary and the 50 year anniversary of the first ascent of the Mt Everest. It was great to see the story of Everest but also Hillary's humanitarian commitment to the people of the Himalayas and conservation.

Had dinner with Catalina and her mother once again this time in Georgetown at a great little French Bistro. They are famous for their onion soup, which was, in fact very very good. it seems every restaurant in the USA is world famous for something, whether it be soup, prime rib, wings or some other way of cooking meat.

Thursday
pcusa

Started the day with a trip to The Interfaith Allicance, an ecumenical group working to oppose the influcnce of the rleigious right. most imressive is their fund-raising that puts anything in NZ to shame. Lunched at Jordans owned by basketballer Michael Jordon. Couldn't visit the FBI since 911 has meant that many tours in the city have been canceled. Bummer.

On the way to my afternoon date I stoped off in the Art gallery to see what they had on offer. Then it was to the Presbyterian Church office to visit the people who lobby office-holders in the Capitol on justice and policy issues. They no longer get invited to the parties and meetings they once were, given their more Democrat leanings. Saw a documentary on johnny Cash while resting in the hotel. After dinner at the brewry across the road Catalina and I headed to Dupont Circle to find a bar or night club. I bought a Johnny Cash CD in Dupont Circle, featurinf the Ballad od hayes, a native American and one of the soldiers immortalized in the Iwo Jima memorial. It's a powerful song and one can never look at the statue the same way again.

Friday
Picked up my rental car from Union Station and headed through town across the Potomac into Virginia. Stopped in tiny Culpeper to try to find some music CDs for the car. All I found were some country CDs on the counter of the music shop among the guitar picks and spare strings. The only other option was evil Wal-Mart, not a good option for music. So I carried on with the radio to Charlottesville, VA. Found the University of Virginia and eventually a carpark. The university was founded by Thomas Jefferson and friends. An architect, Jefferson also designed many of the buildings in the park-like campus. I was there to visit the Center on Religion and Democracy. The meeting was as useful as the tip to the bookstore was expensive. Also picked up some CDs of the Cowboy junkies and Morcheeba.

drive

Went downtown to the old main street, now a lovely pedestrian mall with interesting stalls and shops. Went t the visitors center for directions out the Shenandoah National Park - I took the scenic route home. This is a real scenic route back to D.C. much monger, much slower (35mph) and much more beautiful. The route is known as the Skyline Drive. It is much better in the fall (Autumn when the colors are amazing. I thought spring would be good but spring hadn't reached the highest passes and ridges, which left he grey trees rather bare.

Eventually the road descended through the more green trees. I headed north to Harper's Ferry to try to see the town before the sun went down. Harper's Ferry was where John Brown raided and helped ignote the Civil War. Dined there at the Anvil restaurant, named after John Brown, called an anvil.

Saturday
Kiwi ex-pat Katherine picked us early from the hotel and took us south into Virginia to Mount Vernon the farm of George Washington, first presdient of the USA. Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House set in the beautiful; grounds of Woodlawn, Virginia. We were dropped off at the Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the graves of JFK and family. Saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Then it was backt o the hotel. We had dinner at the Capitol Then is on the metro to downtown to the Polly Ester Disco. Three levels all with diferent types of music from 1970 onwards. A bit like Barney's but bigger.

Sunday
nazi book burners

Started the day slightly hung over. The perfect way to approach the Gospel Brunch at the Corcoran Art Gallery. Arrived a little early so checked out the exhibitions. This gospel brunch was rather low key. The singers were half a dozen African Americans who were unaccompanied, and almost silent even though i was in the front row. Not good value at all despite this being a "not-to-be-missed" event in the Rough Guide. Left before the end and headed across the mall, part the Washington monument and a March of Dimes event to theHolocaust Museum for an exhibition on the Nazi Book burning in 1933 and the American response. Thankfully the exhibition showed that this book-burning sentiment has existed in the USA and is even is alive and well, in the case of Harry Potter Book burnings and the red scare of the 1950s.

Wandered down the Mall past the Smithsonian, seeing a Mexican band on the way, playing to the crowd in the afternoon sun. Also on the mall was a major display for federal employees as part of Public Service Recognition Week. There were two parts to this event. One tent was full of Government departments, such as the treasury, insurance and so on. The other tent was full of the military, including the NSA, marines, the Army, mapping and intelligence. I picked some red and blue 3-D glasses that went with a map that appears in 3D when the glasses appear. Even better they told me that you view 3-D images on the web in the form of "Anaglyphs" - here is an example of one - Korean War Memorial, Washington DC.

After this headed to the National Cathedral where I bumped into Catalina and her mother. We ignored evensong and had a brief look around. Unlike English cathedrals they had a elevator to ge to the top where one has a great view of the city. There ain't much of a skyline in D.C. and from that distance from the mall even the monuments don't stand out. The bookshop was interesting since they sound lots of new age stuff, even book on the dalai lama and many Catholic and Orthodox stuff, which is out of place in a strictly Christian shop, but being the national cathedral and main tourist destination they'll sell whatever brings in the cash. one feature of the cathedral is the Darth Vader gargoyle

Following the Cathedral we got a taxi to Adam's Morgan, a funky district in D.C. that has loads of restaurants and bars. They also my fav café, Tryst, which is full of old sofas and opens onto the street. After reading the paper there over tea and cheesecake we strolled around to find a restaurant finding a brazilian place nearby. Then it was the train back to the hotel.

Monday
book cover

Headed to the University of Maryland for the taping of Catalina's interview with the Pew Center and J-Lab Then headed downtown for an sandwich at COSI and across the road into the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum for an exhibition Light Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright designed everything in the building, including furniture and windows, one way to get large fees I suppose

NBm logo

I headed for the Building Museum for another exhibition, Big And Green, on environemenatlly-friendly big buildings. One cool idea is that large buildings should be like trees, providing habitat, making oxygen, imporving the surroundngs and so on.. Back to the hotel and into a cab for the Reagan Airport and back to Dayton by 1am.

The Dayton Diaries		content; echo $banner_Content ; /****************************************************/ / ------------------------------------------------- / / FUNCTION CODE BELOW / / ------------------------------------------------- / / Read a particular given line in a file. / function getFileline($filename, $line_number) { $fp = @fopen($filename, "r") or die ("Can't open file $filename on Line: " . __LINE__ . " in File: " . __FILE__); $lnCounter = 0 ; while (!feof ($fp)) { $data = fgets($fp, 1024); If ($lnCounter == $line_number){ $right_data = $data ; return $right_data ; break; } $lnCounter++ ; } } / Get most Random Value between min & max / function GetRandomValue($min, $max){ $mtime = ((double)microtime() 100000) ; $mtime = explode(" ", $mtime); $mtime = doubleval($mtime[1]) + doubleval($mtime[0]) ; mt_srand($mtime); $randval = mt_rand($min, $max); return ($randval) ; } /*****************************************************/ ?>
RAD's Adventures in Dayton, OHIO		Email Richard: rad@rad.net.nz

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 Posted 00:57 by Rich Celebrated Memorial day in grand style yesterday. Natalia and I drove South a little ways to Franklin for their parade. It was totally small town America. They had old cars, old soldiers, young marching girls with a band from the high school and, of course, fire trucks. The speeches and songs were patriotic and their was a 21 gun salute. There was the National Anthem, God Bless America, America the Beautiful and the Pledge of Allegience. Franklin was one of the only towns to officially, as a town support the troops in Iraq. In the afternoon went to a BBQ at a Baptist pastor's house and drank beer and ate. Everyone has a BBQ on Memorial Day whioch signals the start of summer time - pools open and such like. Tuesday, May 20, 2003 Posted 06:51 by Rich Had lunch today at a Mexican restaurant with a good group from Spain, Germany, South Africa, Colombia, USA and of course NZ. The Europeans were scholars in Project RENEUUS. Posted 06:40 by Rich Matrix Reloaded sux. But you still have to see it to make sense of the series and the final installment in November. See it on DVD or video. Went to Philidelphia for the weekend. Landed there Friday and had the worst taxi ride since I was India 10 years ago. The driver diddn't know the address or the suburb. He barely knew English. He insisted that I use his cell phone to call ahead and ask for directions. What a moron I was for assuming that a cab driver would know where to go, or have a map to use when supplied with an address. I would leapt out of the car at that point but wewere already appraocching the freeway and it was raining. I did call but got an answer machine. The ddriver coul not understand why i could not get directions. Fortunarlt I know that the seimary i was going to was on the junction of City Ave, a street he knew. Finally got to Eastern Seminary for a meeting with Ron Sider. friday night wne tout with a guy from the conference. he was meeting friends at the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. nice crowd. Saturday afternoon skipped the conference for a trip to downtown Philly. The main sites were being shut down as we arrived so walked the old city and saw the historic sites from the street. Had a quick dinner at Buddakan. Fantastic food and service. My two new friends and I sat directly underneath the large statue of Buddha. We had to hurry back as my colleague at the Kettering Foundation Hal Saunders was presenting on sustained dialogue. Friday, May 16, 2003 Posted 02:04 by Rich Had a haircut after work. The barber hoovered my head after the cut. At first I thought it was a hairdryer but it sucked and didn't blow. Saw "The Matrix" last night on video in preparation for seeing The Matrix Reloaded this afternoon after work. Sunday, May 11, 2003 Posted 03:31 by Rich In the office on a Saturday to catch up on some work and study. As I drove up the drive I passed two deer in the garden and they are still visible from my office window. Will have a homely weekend as away last weekend and next weekend. Saturday, May 10, 2003 Posted 01:59 by Rich Took a two-day trip down to Charleston, West Virginia to see the filming of a deliberative forum on the question of "Americans' Role in the World" at the University of Charleston. This was filmed for Public TV to be broadcast in the state. The participants were a cross section from the community, including hawish hawks with military ties, and more dovish types. Following the forum we four Fellows were interviewed and will be appearing on telly in WV. Took a different route home, passing by the most southern point of Ohio and through Chillicothe, the first capital of the state. Monday, May 05, 2003 Posted 13:44 by Rich Tuesday Flew to Washington D.C. directly, even though the ticket said via Chicago. That saved a few hours, which I spent profitably having dinner at Union Station and drinking at the hotels Irish pub, the Dubliner. Union Station was hosting a display "A Day in the Life of Africa", a photo exhibition based on the project funded by Pfizer. We stayed at the Phoenix Park Hotel not far from the Capitol, which glowed at the end of street at night. Wednesday Wednesday was the main event. We boarded the bus early and headed to the National Press Club for the filming of Public Voice for PBS. Fortunately they had coffee and donuts on hand and in good supply. The format was this: 12 panelists sitting in square, with the studio audience behind them (that was me and many many others) a journalist used a video of a NIF forum on Terrorism to guide the discussion, with the 'experts' responding to what they heard from the ordinary folks on the video. The panel were journalists, politicians and other commentators, including Kettering President, David Matthews. Went to the Inter-american Foundation to give a lunch-time talk entitled "New Zealand: Much less than a Beautiful Country". I'll never work for the tourism board. It was an informal address about the community sector and history and some of the real issues faced bu our society, such as poverty , racial tension and the changing nature of our society. Went to visit Katherine Linton at the Initiatives of Change and caught up on matters international and Kiwi. She suggested I visit the National Geographic center for the exhibition on Ed Hillary and the 50 year anniversary of the first ascent of the Mt Everest. It was great to see the story of Everest but also Hillary's humanitarian commitment to the people of the Himalayas and conservation. Had dinner with Catalina and her mother once again this time in Georgetown at a great little French Bistro. They are famous for their onion soup, which was, in fact very very good. it seems every restaurant in the USA is world famous for something, whether it be soup, prime rib, wings or some other way of cooking meat. Thursday Started the day with a trip to The Interfaith Allicance, an ecumenical group working to oppose the influcnce of the rleigious right. most imressive is their fund-raising that puts anything in NZ to shame. Lunched at Jordans owned by basketballer Michael Jordon. Couldn't visit the FBI since 911 has meant that many tours in the city have been canceled. Bummer. On the way to my afternoon date I stoped off in the Art gallery to see what they had on offer. Then it was to the Presbyterian Church office to visit the people who lobby office-holders in the Capitol on justice and policy issues. They no longer get invited to the parties and meetings they once were, given their more Democrat leanings. Saw a documentary on johnny Cash while resting in the hotel. After dinner at the brewry across the road Catalina and I headed to Dupont Circle to find a bar or night club. I bought a Johnny Cash CD in Dupont Circle, featurinf the Ballad od hayes, a native American and one of the soldiers immortalized in the Iwo Jima memorial. It's a powerful song and one can never look at the statue the same way again. Friday Picked up my rental car from Union Station and headed through town across the Potomac into Virginia. Stopped in tiny Culpeper to try to find some music CDs for the car. All I found were some country CDs on the counter of the music shop among the guitar picks and spare strings. The only other option was evil Wal-Mart, not a good option for music. So I carried on with the radio to Charlottesville, VA. Found the University of Virginia and eventually a carpark. The university was founded by Thomas Jefferson and friends. An architect, Jefferson also designed many of the buildings in the park-like campus. I was there to visit the Center on Religion and Democracy. The meeting was as useful as the tip to the bookstore was expensive. Also picked up some CDs of the Cowboy junkies and Morcheeba. Went downtown to the old main street, now a lovely pedestrian mall with interesting stalls and shops. Went t the visitors center for directions out the Shenandoah National Park - I took the scenic route home. This is a real scenic route back to D.C. much monger, much slower (35mph) and much more beautiful. The route is known as the Skyline Drive. It is much better in the fall (Autumn when the colors are amazing. I thought spring would be good but spring hadn't reached the highest passes and ridges, which left he grey trees rather bare. Eventually the road descended through the more green trees. I headed north to Harper's Ferry to try to see the town before the sun went down. Harper's Ferry was where John Brown raided and helped ignote the Civil War. Dined there at the Anvil restaurant, named after John Brown, called an anvil. Saturday Kiwi ex-pat Katherine picked us early from the hotel and took us south into Virginia to Mount Vernon the farm of George Washington, first presdient of the USA. Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House set in the beautiful; grounds of Woodlawn, Virginia. We were dropped off at the Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the graves of JFK and family. Saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Then it was backt o the hotel. We had dinner at the Capitol Then is on the metro to downtown to the Polly Ester Disco. Three levels all with diferent types of music from 1970 onwards. A bit like Barney's but bigger. Sunday Started the day slightly hung over. The perfect way to approach the Gospel Brunch at the Corcoran Art Gallery. Arrived a little early so checked out the exhibitions. This gospel brunch was rather low key. The singers were half a dozen African Americans who were unaccompanied, and almost silent even though i was in the front row. Not good value at all despite this being a "not-to-be-missed" event in the Rough Guide. Left before the end and headed across the mall, part the Washington monument and a March of Dimes event to theHolocaust Museum for an exhibition on the Nazi Book burning in 1933 and the American response. Thankfully the exhibition showed that this book-burning sentiment has existed in the USA and is even is alive and well, in the case of Harry Potter Book burnings and the red scare of the 1950s. Wandered down the Mall past the Smithsonian, seeing a Mexican band on the way, playing to the crowd in the afternoon sun. Also on the mall was a major display for federal employees as part of Public Service Recognition Week. There were two parts to this event. One tent was full of Government departments, such as the treasury, insurance and so on. The other tent was full of the military, including the NSA, marines, the Army, mapping and intelligence. I picked some red and blue 3-D glasses that went with a map that appears in 3D when the glasses appear. Even better they told me that you view 3-D images on the web in the form of "Anaglyphs" - here is an example of one - Korean War Memorial, Washington DC. After this headed to the National Cathedral where I bumped into Catalina and her mother. We ignored evensong and had a brief look around. Unlike English cathedrals they had a elevator to ge to the top where one has a great view of the city. There ain't much of a skyline in D.C. and from that distance from the mall even the monuments don't stand out. The bookshop was interesting since they sound lots of new age stuff, even book on the dalai lama and many Catholic and Orthodox stuff, which is out of place in a strictly Christian shop, but being the national cathedral and main tourist destination they'll sell whatever brings in the cash. one feature of the cathedral is the Darth Vader gargoyle Following the Cathedral we got a taxi to Adam's Morgan, a funky district in D.C. that has loads of restaurants and bars. They also my fav café, Tryst, which is full of old sofas and opens onto the street. After reading the paper there over tea and cheesecake we strolled around to find a restaurant finding a brazilian place nearby. Then it was the train back to the hotel. Monday Headed to the University of Maryland for the taping of Catalina's interview with the Pew Center and J-Lab Then headed downtown for an sandwich at COSI and across the road into the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum for an exhibition Light Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright designed everything in the building, including furniture and windows, one way to get large fees I suppose I headed for the Building Museum for another exhibition, Big And Green, on environemenatlly-friendly big buildings. One cool idea is that large buildings should be like trees, providing habitat, making oxygen, imporving the surroundngs and so on.. Back to the hotel and into a cab for the Reagan Airport and back to Dayton by 1am.
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The Dayton Diaries

RAD's Adventures in Dayton, OHIO