Washington DC Sept. 2005
In the early years of my marriage my husband was often invited to attend dinners, conventions all around the united states, outdoor activities, and I had heard that one friend of his had been flown out in a private jet to go golfing. All for free. My own personal experience with these FREE promotional activities came often in the forms of luncheons in the office. The office was well aware of when a drug rep. was coming in for the lunch hour. All we had to do was show up, sign in and listen to a presentation about whatever drug was being pushed and FREE lunch. These meals were ALWAYS from someplace amazing. These types of information gatherings provided by big named drug companies happened often. My husband and I attended multiple dinners at exotic and expensive restaurants and also took a few work "vacations". One such "vacation" took us to Washington DC .The convention was paid for, room/food and entertainment also paid for, and you would get paid to attend. As a wife, I got to enjoy these benefits as well. It was a win win. Of course this has changed over the years when the public began to question and dispute the prices of prescription drugs. I totally get it. Hundreds of thousands of dollars must have been spent over the years on promoting certain drugs to Dr.'s through "bribes" . I am not sure, but I believe there are some laws in place to prevent such promoting. At the time however, all I thought about was the opportunity to have some fun!
We drove to DC (about 6 hours) and stayed at an amazing hotel; L'Enfant Plaza located central to everything DC.
Our first day, we enjoyed a view of the White House, took in some of the national mall and connected with my husband's college roommate; Ed, who resides in Virginia and is a practicing Sports Medicine Dr. We had a wild and crazy ride out of DC. (People drive crazy here) and enjoyed dinner while watching Syracuse University play on TV.
We had time to tour the area enjoying the reflecting pool over looking the Washington Monument.
Well, hello Mr. President. At that time the president was George Bush.
The memorials were incredible. We walked from one end of the reflecting pool to the other to take in the several memorials.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and WWII Memorial are all centrally located near Lincoln Memorial.
The Lincoln memorial is so much more impressive in real life. I couldn't believe how large he really is.
Below is me standing at the base.
During the day, while my husband was attending the conference, I was off exploring. I had some of the best DC experiences on my own. ( I failed to take pictures, but most places I visited didn't allow pictures anyways.)
One of the first places I visited was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The place where they make the MONEY! Admission was free and no timed ticket was required when I visited, I understand that during peek season these can go fast so get there early. I was fortunate that there was no real demand and it was early enough in the morning to get in right away.
The tour lasts about 40 minutes and you are lead by a tour guide who will inform you of everything you could every want to know about making money. Not actually making money with a job, but actually making paper money. Behind the scenes of the those crisp dollars is the design department. Where bank note designers create, define and specialize in what the dollar will look like. Engravers will then cut fine lines into steel discs to create a 3D effect. Siderography will complete the images and designed to prepare for the engraving plates. Rolls of specifically designed white paper is prepared for rolling into the engraver. Additionally there are specific inks, dyes, watermarks and threads.
I watched in amazement as sheets and sheets and sheets of $100's were rolled out and handled by employees of the Bureau. Let me tell you, you can never forget watching this before your eyes. Pretty impressive.
Another visit I took was to the United States Holocaust Museum. Admission is free, but you must get a timed entry ticket. (photography is not allowed)This museum was incredibly enlightening for me in the history and impact of the Holocaust. Like much of my awareness of historical events, I was somewhat disillusioned by the details of this tragic event in history. This museum provides 1st hand knowledge of what life would have been like as Jewish individual during the 1930-1940. Upon entry you are provided with an identification card which tells of the life of a person living during these times. I was identified as Ida. Fortunately for Ida, her father was a diamond manufacture and his skills were needed during the war. This was fortunate for Ida and her family as they were spared the death camps and stayed together as a family. Ida eventually emigrated to the United States.
Ida's story is a fortunate one, but some of the other stories are much more tragic. Over 6 million Jewish people were killed along with 5 million others (such as disabled, homosexuals, and gypsies) during the reign of Adolf Hitler, from 1933 to 1945. Its hard to accept the reality of the Holocaust. I asked myself how could an entire country submit to treatment of any human beings such as the holocaust? When Hitler came to power Germany was facing a depression and major losses from WWI. Hitler was accepted as he was a strong leader with intense charisma. People believed he would save the country. Once in power he aligned the Nazi political party and began imprisioning communists and socialists. His ideal view became synonymous with German pride, and many people bought into it. Even children were taught in school to "Heil Hitler" . Initially, the Jewish were required to show identification, then they were no longer allowed to attend certain public spaces, eventually they were ripped from their homes and sent to ghettos and concentration camps. The horror these people must have faced during these times.
Within the museum you are exposed to the horrors that these people experienced. The hall of pictures, which is a long corridor of pictures of Jewish individuals, called the Tower of faces adds to the reality that these individuals had lives just like our own. Photo from the internet.
Incredibly sombering is the 4,000 pairs of shoes. To think that these people were living their lives, going about their days wearing these shoes and told they were going to place in the East to build a better life, only to be killed in the gas chambers.
In addition to these profound exhibits, I was also taken by the Nazi medical experiments that were viewable on little tv screens. Medical staff would use non-consented individuals as medical test subjects for the purpose of understanding survival of the military. Experiments of how an individual would survive from a parachute drop at high altitudes, drink sewage water, and experience extreme hyperthermia to see what temperatures one could survive at were tested. Others were subjected to taking experimental medications with unknowing side effects. Genetics, often would use twin subjects to inject diseases, and many more were sterilized in an attempt to wipe out the undesirable.
I left the museum with a sense of sadness, but grateful for the increased knowledge and understanding of such a profound tragedy. I took this picture from the wall outside the museum, (see below) it reads of why it is important for us to be aware of such horrific history.
I also visited the national museum of American history, and the National Archives, where I got to view the real Constitution. I also went to Fords Theater. This was the place president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
On April 14th 1865, local actor John Wilks Booth assassinated President Lincoln by shooting him in the back of the head and escaping by jumping off the balcony seats to the stage while the president was enjoying a performance of Our American Cousin. The president was immediately taken to across the street to the Petersen House where he died from his injuries the following morning.
Mark and I had a wonderful dinner presented by the company that evening and on our final morning we headed back to NY. TTFN
