Blog du Wren

Embassy Row

If you ever have some time to kill in D.C. after having done all the much touted stuff* (or even before that), I would highly recommend looking into taking a nice walk [up/down] Embassy Row, essentially Massachusetts Avenue between Dupont Circle and Sheriden Circle. In the few days that I've been in D.C., I've gone out of my way multiple times to pass that way and am so glad that I've done so each time.

Seeing the beautiful and their accompanying plaques announcing which country's embassy it is sets my mind going. I find it so interesting to compare the personality of the place (size, ornamentation, security, *, etc.) with what I know about the country. I wonder about what kind of business goes on in the building*. I wonder about the finances. Those buildings can't be cheap and a lot of those countries aren't known for their overflowing national coffers. I wonder if the people insider are from that country and what they think of the US. I wonder what would happen if I went trick-or-treating there on Halloween. I wonder if I will ever visit the particular country represented by this embassy. I wonder about all the unoccupied (sometimes obviously recently or hastily) buildings and what the story behind that is. I wonder a lot.

Even if you don't wonder or care about any of these things, it is still worth the walk. The rich architecture combined with the international is something that is miles away from most people's everyday experience. And that's what travel is all about, right?

Saturday October 25 2008

File under: travel

Toggle Comments (2)

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on Sat 25th Oct, 2008 12:33 pm PDT Mom said:
Nice touch on the car photo, catching the photographer in the act. That is a really wax 'n buff job. Warning: Do not linger or take photos in front of the Russian Embassy. They are way touchy about it. I speak from experience on this one.
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on Sun 26th Oct, 2008 01:17 am PDT Saxtor said:
Is that the Turkish Embassy, or a Turkish prison?
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