Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on her experience in Washington DC

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton has been exploring America, but she's noticed some extra security in Washington DC?

She's staying near some of the city's biggest museums, but she's noticed extra police gathered around some key monuments.

Read more about Megan's tips for Washington DC here. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks, EDB Travel with Windy Woo tours Where
the World is Yours for now.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Coming to us live from Washington, DC is Meghan Singleton.
Good morning, good morning, goodness.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
You've got dramas going on over there, but I just heard.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
But anyway, we got we got a little bit of weather,
and you've got a lot of police and security on
every street corner. Is that is that different to previous,
you know, previous trips you've made to Washington DC.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, well I was here probably a year ago, not
two different. You know. We stayed this time right behind
the White House at a beautiful the softer tails right there,
such a great location for walking to the museums, getting
the hop on, hop off bus and there's cockcaws with
flashing lights just parked at every corner. You're literally in

(01:00):
front of the White House though. But yeah, a lot
more police, a lot more security than usual, walking in
threes on their bicycles, even a dog. We came walking
up past the Monument back to the hotel and there
was you know, like the an airport dog handler just
kind of sniffing people as we walked by. And do
you know you couldn't feel safer though actually in Washington

(01:21):
dcent because of all of that.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Is this because of the conflict of the Little East.
Do you ask anybody why there's such presence?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Oh no, do you know what? I didn't actually ask that.
But there's two big cranes on the White House grounds
and so there's security all around it. You can't walk
where you used to be able to walk. Just last
year and one of the security or cops or people
dressed in black that says secret security, and like it's
not very secret if you're wearing your name tag, is it?
But anyway, they were like, oh, it's his ballroom, it's

(01:51):
for his ballroom. I just thought the wants of that,
the ballroom that and they reckon all that used to
be able to walk behind the White House will be
closed off for about two years because all the construction
vehicles and everyone's coming in and out of there all
the time. Gotcha, But I tell you the thing, I
came for the cherry blossoms and they'd all blown off

(02:13):
the week before. So I think now that I've missed
it two years in a row. You really probably need
to be resident for about a month if you truly
truly want to see those titled black basin cherry blossoms
don't last.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Sorry, what other highlights of your trip to Washington, DC
are they?

Speaker 3 (02:30):
Well, I tell you an amazing highlight, and everic, I'm
on my tour now and everyone is saying that they
thought it was fantastic. So this year is the two
hundred and fiftieth year of the signing off the Declaration
of Independence, and there's a play kind of musical on
at Ford's Theater called seventeen seventy six, and it takes
you through how they got the thirteen states to sign
that declaration and how the compromises and what they sort

(02:53):
of came to to kind of agree to it in
the end. But the amazing thing about Ford's Theater is
it's the theatre where Abraham Lincoln was shot, and so
they've still got the box with his kind of shrine.
And we sat like directly opposite, which apparently is what
you used to do in the day when you wanted
to be seen by whoever was in the presidential box.
So luckily for me we had those fabulous seats. Not

(03:15):
but anyone was in them because it is a shrine
and we were seeing I think by somebody. It was fabulous.
It was an excellent, excellent show and I would recommend
it if anyone's coming to the capitol, you know, but
I think it runs till May.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
And a trip to Arlington Cemetery.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Was so moving. So they do the changing of the guard,
they guard the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They take
it very seriously but actually on and they do it
on the half hour, every half hour. And they had
kids doing a reef laying ceremony, so these Cigards would
be very shouty pants with their clickie heels and walking

(03:51):
up and down steps without wobbling their heads. And these
children had to kind of follow and step and go
ahead and lay the wreath. But it was wonderful. Lots
of schools here. It's kind of spring break or just
after spring break, so they're on their school expedition. And
so you do need to book tickets for things. Not
that you can't book for Arlington Cemetery, but some of
the museums are ticketed, even though they're free, they are

(04:14):
it's good to get a timed ticket so you can
don't have to line up with everybody. But it's such
a beautiful city. The buildings are majestic, the monuments, the
wide open spaces, just the wharf for its rooftop, which
is kind of a new neighborhood of DC now faces
the river, sits on the Potomac and looks out at Virginia.
Beautiful spot to come to eat and drink and make merry.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Thank you so much, Meghan, our travels safe. Look forward
to catching up next week. You can read more about
Megan's travels at blog at large dot com.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news talks they'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio