Newseum

Yesterday, we parked in a parking garage, right across the street from The Newseum, a museum about News. We walked in, got tickets(free) and went through baggage check. We then went down many stairs, and ate at the Museum's food court, an then saw a 4-d movie about eye witness reporters. It sprayed water, sprang things in front of you, and moved the chairs up and down. It was a lot of fun.

As I found out later in the Newseum, the Newseum offered America's greatest events, and what News reporters were doing. It also talked about a reporter's main tools, and all their equipment. It talked about newspapers, radios, television, and spoofs, and their was even a room that looked like a T.V. Studio.

That was all on the 5th floor. On the first floor, there were blocks of the Berlin Wall, and on one side there was a lot of graffiti, and on the other side just plain, and a big watch tower. One was the communist east side, and the other democratic west side. In the 1980's this wall separating the two countries was broken, and families reunited. It was a good day, and was recorded by... the news reporters.

We went into another theater, called What is News. We were watching this video, and all of a sudden there was a voice over the intercom saying: A suspicious package has been dropped off at the Canadian Embassy (which was the building right next to us). We please ask you to evacuate this building right now. It then repeated what it said before.

The family and I rushed out, picking all our stuff up. When we got out, we saw people getting out, running, and getting on the escalates. Every person was pushing and shoving, trying to get out of the building. We GOT on the escalators, and that was the only time I got on the escalator by my own will. We got out, and saw a bomb squad and police cars all coming in, making a police line and running to and fro. It was very scary.

All of this I watched and taped, talking to Rebecca, Mom, and Dad.

"I mean, you think we would have gotten out of here by now. An earthquake, a hurricane, and now a bomb!"

After 30 or so minutes though, the bomb squad gave the "All clear" sign, and the tape was taken down. We all went back inside, glad that it was a false alarm.

We went back in, and saw a few more exhibits. We saw one on Sept 11, 2001, and one on Katrina. The pictures that animated the terror and grief of both those events really came through in the photos. It talked about a man who died on 9/11, trying to photograph the 9/11 event. It also talked about a satellite that stayed on until the two towers collapsed.

The Newseum was wholly a lot of fun, and very well done. It talked about the first amendment, and that freedom in other countries. I had a good time there.

Back in the jeep, we saw the Einstein Memorial, with Albert Einstein sitting on a bench, the statue being about as tall as the R.V. It was cool.

I talked to my cousins, (Libby, May, and Will) and also called my cousin Bryan. I had a good night.

When at the R.V., we ate some sandwiches, and then made my bed. I read a lot of the book I'm reading, Kidnapped, and then went to bed. I woke up at 7:30, took a shower, and am now on my bed again. I hope to finish my book today.

If the sky is the limit, why are there footprints on the moon?,

Andrew.