“You are being very creative,” said Ms. Colman. “But when you do the assignment, I would like you to be a little more serious.”
Serious, creative… it did not matter to me. I usually have an idea a minute. But just then, I could not think of one single thing. I was stumped.
All Aboard!
I decided not to worry about my assignment yet. I was sure an idea would come to me while I was in Washington.
I crossed off the days on my calendar. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday.
On Friday night, Kristy came into my room to say good night.
“I am too excited to sleep,” I said.
“But you will be too tired to have fun tomorrow if you stay up,” Kristy replied. “I have an idea. Try counting train tickets.”
Guess what. Kristy’s idea worked! I told you she is the best stepsister ever. The next thing I knew, my alarm clock was ringing. It was Saturday morning. We were leaving for Washington, D.C., in just a few hours.
“Bring Emmie present,” said Emily after breakfast.
“I will. I promise,” I said.
I gave her a big hug. Then one for Nannie. And one for Pumpkin. One for Shannon. One for Scout.
“Karen, come on,” said Daddy. “We do not want to miss our train.”
“I will bring you a present too, Nannie!” I called as I raced out the door.
The trip to New York went fast. We reached Penn Station with time to spare. We kept our eyes on a big board that announced when trains were coming into and leaving the station. The board made a funny sound whenever the sign changed. Thwunk. Thwunk, thwunk. We all stood staring up at the sign. Thwunk. Thwunk.
“There is our train!” called Sam.
Train Number 103, bound for Washington, D.C., was on track number 8. Daddy boarded first and we followed him, looking for seats together.
“I want to sit by a window!” I called.
“There are four window seats, Karen,” said Daddy. “You can slip in here.”
I sat down and watched other people boarding the train. Then the conductor called, “All aboard for Washington, D.C.! All aboard!”
Soon the train started moving. It was so exciting!
“What should we do now?” I asked.
“I am going to do some schoolwork,” said Kristy.
She took out her books and pulled down a tray to lean on. Sam and Charlie did the same thing. I could not believe it. They were no fun at all.
“I am hungry,” said Andrew.
“Already?” asked Daddy. “The train just pulled out of the station.”
“That is all right. I brought snacks,” said Elizabeth. She took juice and pretzels out of a bag. I had some too.
When I finished, I did not know what to do. Daddy and Elizabeth said I was not allowed to walk around the train. I thought about talking to the man and woman in front of me. But their noses were buried in their newspapers. So I drew pictures, played ticktacktoe with David Michael, read a book, went to the bathroom, and got a drink of water. Then I sat back and watched the cities go by. Trenton. Philadelphia. Zzzz. (No, that is not a city. I fell asleep.)
“Karen, wake up. We are almost there,” said Kristy.
A couple of minutes later we pulled into Union Station in Washington, D.C. The station was the most beautiful I had ever seen. It was huge, with high ceilings and shiny marble floors. It felt like a museum, only it was full of restaurants and stores. It was just as beautiful outside, with big columns and carved eagles and statues.
“Look!” cried Andrew, pointing across the way. “The White House!”
“You are right that the building is white, Andrew,” said Elizabeth. “But that building is called the Capitol. Congress meets there. And the President delivers his State of the Union address there.”
This was a very important building, so I saluted it.
“I love Washington!” I said.
Company for Dinner
Daddy hailed two taxis for us and asked the drivers to take us to our hotel. It was in Georgetown, on M Street.
“Why are we leaving Washington?” asked David Michael.
“We are not leaving,” Daddy replied. “Georgetown is the name of the Washington neighborhood we are staying in. It is old and pretty. And there is lots to do there.”
“What does the M stand for?” I asked.
“I do not think it stands for anything,” said Elizabeth. “It is just the name of the street. I have seen most of the alphabet in Washington. But I do not remember seeing a B, J, X, Y, or Z Street.”
“Someone did not know their letters,” said Andrew.
He was singing the alphabet song as we pulled up to our hotel. The hotel looked very nice. But we did not stay there long. There was too much to do. We unpacked, ate a snack in the hotel restaurant, and went right back out.
“I made a dinner reservation at the other end of town,” said Daddy. “We can work our way over there.”
“Keep your eyes open for famous people,” Kristy said.
I kept my eyes open for everything! I saw cute stores, street musicians, a flea market, and tons of restaurants.
“I would like to go to the Old Stone House,” said Elizabeth. “It is the oldest building in the city. It was built before the American Revolution.”
When we reached the building (it was on N Street), I felt as though I were in Massachusetts instead of Washington, D.C. The Old Stone House reminded me of a place there called Plimouth Plantation. I visited it once with Mommy, Seth, and Andrew. It is where the Pilgrims first landed in America.
The people at the Old Stone House were dressed in the same kind of old-fashioned clothes. They were cooking on an open fire, spinning, and quilting. I almost expected to see my Pilgrim friend, Remember. But I did not see her, and I did not see anyone famous.
When we left, we walked down a cobblestone street to Dumbarton Oaks, a huge mansion filled with paintings and old books. We looked around for awhile. Then we sat in the garden.
“I am hungry again,” said Andrew.
“I made our reservation for an early dinner,” said Daddy. “If we walk there, we will be right on time.”
It was a long walk, but worth it. The Austin Grill was very cool. It was already crowded. I tugged on Kristy’s sleeve.
“Do you see anyone famous yet?” I asked.
“Only in these pictures,” she replied.
She pointed to a wall with photographs of singers and movie stars eating at the restaurant. There was even a picture of the Vice President.
We were taken to our table right away. I made sure to look at every person I passed. There was no one famous. (Daddy asked me not to stare while people were eating.)
The food was the Tex-Mex kind. I ordered corn soup, fried shrimp, and mashed potatoes. We all shared ice cream and double-dare chocolate cake for dessert. Yum.
“Does anyone need to use the bathroom before we go?” asked Elizabeth.
We took turns. I went upstairs with Kristy.
“This floor is roped off,” she said. “I wonder why.”
So did I. Maybe there was going to be a birthday party. Or maybe someone famous was coming to dinner!
When we left, a crowd of people and three limousines were outside. I saw the back door of the restaurant slam shut.
“Who just went inside?” I asked a boy in the crowd.
“It was the President and his family,” the boy replied.
“The President! Daddy, can we go back in?” I cried. “I think I forgot my sweater!” I said.
“You are wearing your sweater,” said Elizabeth. “And no one is allowed to go in now.”
Boo and bullfrogs. I almost saw the President. But almost does not count. I was going to have to keep trying.
Touring the City
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I did not see the big-house yard out my window. I saw the Potomac River!
“Hurry and get dressed, kids,” said Daddy. “After breakfast we are going to the Mall.
”
“Who wants to go to a shopping mall in Washington, D.C.?” I said. “We can go to the mall anytime.”
“This is not a shopping mall,” replied Elizabeth. “The National Mall is a huge park. You will be amazed at what is there.”
“At one end you can see the Capitol, which Andrew pointed out yesterday,” said Daddy. “And there are museums on either side.”
“There are monuments to four Presidents too,” said Sam. “George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.”
“And there is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. And the Reflecting Pool,” said Charlie.
“I am going to get dressed right now!” I said.
After breakfast, we headed for the Washington Monument. It is a shiny white marble tower in the sky.
“No building in Washington is allowed to be taller than the Washington Monument,” said Daddy. “I read that it is five hundred and fifty-five feet high. There are eight hundred and ninety-seven steps to the top.”
“I cannot climb that many steps! I did not eat enough breakfast,” I said.
“We do not have to climb them. In fact, we are not even allowed to,” said Elizabeth. “There is an elevator.”
That was a relief. We went inside the building and stood in line for the elevator. When it came, we zipped up. The elevator operator told us the ride took seventy seconds.
“It would have taken seventy years to climb to the top,” I said.
When we stepped out of the elevator, we could see for miles and miles, every way we turned. We decided to look around on our own, instead of taking the tour.
“There is the Capitol again,” said Daddy.
“That is my building!” said Andrew.
“Maybe you will work there someday,” said Elizabeth.
“Nope. I want to be a fireman,” replied Andrew.
Daddy pointed out part of the Smithsonian Institution. That is a group of museums. He showed us the Lincoln, the Jefferson, and the Vietnam Veterans memorials. Across the Potomac, in Virginia, we saw Arlington National Cemetery, where Presidents and other famous people are buried.
“We can visit any of these places,” said Daddy.
“I will skip the cemetery,” I said. “I want to see famous people who are alive.”
“Come look this way. There is the White House,” said Daddy. “I will find out about visiting later in the week.”
“Really? I did not think regular people could go in,” I said.
“All you need is a ticket,” said Daddy. “We will have to get in line early, but the visit will be worth it.”
“Especially if I get to see the President,” I added.
“I would not count on that, Karen,” said Elizabeth. “The President is very busy running the country.”
“He was not too busy to eat Tex-Mex food,” I said. “Maybe if I write him a letter and tell him I will be there, he will come out and wave to me.”
“The President gets hundreds of thousands of letters every day. He cannot possibly read and answer that many,” said Sam.
Oh, well. Everyone was gigundoly excited about going to the White House. I was too. I would have fun even if I did not get to see the President.
Presidents, Presidents
After the Washington Monument, we went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We saw statues of people who were in the Vietnam War. And we saw a special wall. Really it is two walls. They meet in a V. The walls are made of black stone and are covered with names. They are the names of the people who died in the war. The walls are very pretty and very sad. I took Elizabeth’s hand.
“I want to look for Hannie’s uncle George,” I said. “Her father told us he died in that war.”
I could not find his name on the wall. But Elizabeth helped me find it in a special book. The book told us where it was on the wall.
We did not talk much. We just looked.
We went to the Lincoln Memorial next. It looked very important. Lots of white columns were holding up the roof. I knew I had seen the building before. Suddenly I remembered where. I asked Daddy for a penny.
“Look, Andrew. This building is on the back of the penny.”
“I read that the columns stand for the states that existed when Lincoln died,” said Charlie. “There were thirty-six states then.”
“There are fifty states now,” I said.
“I knew that,” said David Michael.
Inside the building, we saw a statue of President Lincoln sitting in a big armchair.
“President Lincoln did many good things for our country,” said Elizabeth. “One of the most important things he did was to help end slavery. People were very sad when Abraham Lincoln was killed by a gunshot.”
“My teacher likes to tell our class something Lincoln once said,” said Charlie. “He said ‘Work, work, work, is the main thing.’ ”
Hmm. That reminded me of Ms. Colman. And my assignment. I still had to think of what I would do if I were President. If I thought of something very good, maybe someone would make a statue of me!
I did not have time to think much then. We were on our way to more memorials.
We stopped and had a picnic lunch on the Mall. Then we went to the Roosevelt Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. I learned a lot of interesting things about our Presidents.
I learned that Franklin Delano Roosevelt caught a disease called polio and could hardly walk without leg braces or a wheelchair. But that did not stop him from becoming President. He was an excellent President too.
I learned that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
“He was a fine speaker and writer,” said Daddy. “He said many things way back in the 1800s that we still say now. Let me see if I can remember something. Oh, yes. Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Delay is preferable to error.’ ”
Maybe Thomas Jefferson had been talking about homework assignments. He would have wanted me to think carefully about my project instead of rushing into anything by mistake. Still, I would have to come up with an idea sometime.
Elizabeth’s Friend
I thought a little about my assignment, but not a lot. I was just too busy. (I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would have said about that.)
Back at the hotel, we found a message for Elizabeth. Her friend, Marsha Meyers, wanted to meet us for dinner.
“That will be wonderful,” said Elizabeth, when she called back. “We can eat right downstairs.”
We showered, dressed, and waited in the dining room for Marsha to arrive. When she walked into the room, Elizabeth jumped up and ran to her. They hugged and started talking and giggling. Elizabeth had told us they had not seen each other for a long time. I would probably act the same way if I had not seen Hannie or Nancy for a long time. (I promised myself I would try never to let that happen.) Elizabeth introduced us to Marsha.
“Marsha and I had a chance to catch up a little on the phone this afternoon. It turns out that Marsha is a researcher at the White House,” said Elizabeth.
“Do you ever get to see the President?” I asked.
“Yes, I do. He consults with me fairly often when he needs information about projects he is working on,” replied Marsha.
“That is so cool!” I said. “Could you introduce me to him? I have a lot of questions to ask him.”
“I would love to introduce you, Karen. But I cannot bring guests to my work meetings,” said Marsha.
“What kind of information does the President need for his projects?” asked Charlie.
“Well, for his last trip to Europe, he asked me to find out about the countries he would be visiting and the officials he would be meeting,” said Marsha.
“What is the President like?” asked Kristy.
“He is a considerate person and very smart,” said Marsha. “He wants the best for the American people.”
“Does he have any pets?” asked Andrew.
“He and the First Lady and their daughter have a very cute beagle puppy named Oscar,” said Ma
rsha. “And his daughter, who is nine, has her own turtle, named Boxer.”
“Does he have hobbies?” asked David Michael.
“The President plays chess, reads all kinds of books, and likes to listen to all kinds of music,” said Marsha.
“Does he ever watch TV? Does he have a favorite show?” I asked.
“Yes, he watches TV. He watches the news and he likes some sitcoms,” said Marsha. “I know he enjoys reruns of I Love Lucy.”
“The President watches the same show I watch!” I said.
“The President is a very good speaker,” said Daddy. “Do you help him with the research for his speeches?”
“Yes, that is a large part of my job,” said Marsha. “You might be interested to know that while he looks calm on TV, he really gets very nervous before he makes a speech.”
We asked lots more questions. I loved hearing about the President. He was a real person. I used to think that teachers were not real people. Then I got to know Ms. Colman and her family. I found out that teachers are real people. Now I was finding out the same thing about Presidents.
“Um, do you think you will be speaking to the President while we are here in Washington?” I asked. “If you do, could you ask if you could bring one guest?”
“Karen, Marsha already said she could not do that,” said Daddy.
“I can try to arrange for you all to have a private tour of the White House, though,” said Marsha. “That way you will not have to stand in line with thousands of other people, waiting for tickets.”
“That would be wonderful! Thank you,” said Elizabeth.
When dinner was over, Marsha promised to call soon to make plans. Even though I was not going to meet the President, a private White House tour would be pretty exciting. And maybe the President would be there that day. Maybe I would see him.
Karen’s Ideas
On Monday, Elizabeth, Sam, Charlie, and Kristy went to the National Museum of American History.
Daddy took Andrew, David Michael, and me to the National Air and Space Museum. It was a very cool place. It also looked like a good place to find ideas for my school project. I needed to think about what I would do if I were President.