The Road Trip – Designed by Brian
I have been meaning to write about a road trip that my I took last September (2014), and just now picked a photo that was one of the more powerful moments for me during that trip.
After so many points visited – In order, flying to Pittsburgh, PA; seeing my friend Kyle in New Philadelphia, OH (yes, they have one – a newer one!); visiting Fallingwater house in western PA; visiting the “stacks”, the old steel plant and its tall tall row of 10-story blast furnaces (and a big old thunderstorm that drove me back to the car); visiting my Aunt Marcella and the larger family of Marchetti cousins in West Chester, PA; visiting my Piscotty relatives at my grandparents’ old house in Brookhaven, PA; visiting the Old City Philadelphia, the Penn campus, and Independence Hall; then seeing all the sights in DC – there were some moments that stand out a lot more than others.
US Capitol Building – West Side Drama
This is the west facade of the Capitol Building, where inaugurations take place. Its sort of the backyard of the Capitol, looking out across the National Mall which is flanked by this edifice and the Lincoln Memorial. It is stately, it is guarded (a lot of roving security guarding the steps – you are not really sure how close you can get, it seems), it is menacing, it is powerful. I had a quiet moment alone to experience this.
I could not help but dwell a bit after taking some photos, taking it all in, and thinking of all that has come and gone from these steps over different eras of the country and many presidencies. I thought of the many levels of the building and all of the pageantry that goes on, but also all of the very real actions day by day and year by year that affect so many. Wars were declared here, presidents have laid out major agendas here, presidents have been sworn in here, presidents have been mourned here at the end of their lives.
The DC trip – the first of my life, regrettably – put so much about my country in perspective. A truly beautiful City the District is and the energy and monumental feel of so many of its blocks is really something to experience.
Regarding road trips, this one had wayyyyy too much packed into it. I knew it from the start, but planned it anyway. Next time, I will be planning things differently. I only advise to not do too much when touring, or you will miss a lot just due to mental and physical fatigue. Despite it all, the trip brought out the best in me and encouraged my photography as a way to express myself and document my likes and desires. At any rate, I learned a lot about my country and about myself. I could not ask for more, and I look forward to the next exploration of this Great World.